Rosal Clearance Village

📌 Syre, Highland
★

Rosal is one of the largest of many abandoned villages scattered along Strathnaver, the fertile valley stretching south from Bettyhill on the north coast. It’s a sad victim of the Highland Clearances – a programme of forcibly resettling inland villagers to often unsuitable locations along windswept coastal strips to make way for sheep in the 1700s and 1800s. The eviction of tenants here in Sutherland was particularly notorious, carried out by the ruthless estate factor, Patrick Sellar. The people of Rosal were forced to leave in 1814, with homes and crops destroyed to prevent their return. In a nearby village, a 92 year-old woman was still inside when her house was set alight. Today’s visitor will come across a largely bare landscape; buildings at Rosal were constructed mostly out of turf and wood, so only the stone foundations can still be made out. A couple of interpretation boards and an “audio bench” help reimagine life here over 200 years ago, with good views over the rolling hills either side of the strath. A longer trail which once explored the settlement unfortunately seems to have fallen into disrepair with further information panels removed, but you can still wander around at your own leisure, or try to follow the fading marker posts.

🌍 Location

📌 2 mi south of Syre with access from B871

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NC 688418

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.344678,-4.242713

❌ No public transport within 1 mi

🚗 Car park accessed by 2 mi of unsurfaced track south from Dalvina Lodge

📝 Key info

⌚ Always open

🎫 Free

🔗 forestryandland.gov.scot

💬 From the car park it’s a 5-min walk to the township, uphill on a clear path (⬤ Easy). Paths within the township are grassy & very faint (⬤ Moderate).