Tyndrum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tyndrum
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 The Green Welly Stop |
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 Tyndrum
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| Population | 167 |
| OS grid reference | NN 32901 30396 |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Crianlarich |
| Postcode district | FK20 |
| Dialling code | 01838 |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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Tyndrum (pronounced "Tine-drum") is a small village found in the beautiful country of Scotland. Its name comes from a Gaelic phrase meaning "the house on the ridge." You can find Tyndrum in an area called Strathfillan, right at the southern edge of Rannoch Moor.
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Exploring Tyndrum: A Scottish Village
Tyndrum is a popular spot for tourists and travelers. It's a well-known stop on the A82 main road. Many people stop here to relax at places like the Green Welly Stop. There are also other cafés and hotels, plus a petrol station.
A Stop for Walkers
The village is located along the West Highland Way, a famous long-distance walking path. Because of this, Tyndrum has many places for walkers to stay. You can find a campsite, a hotel, a bunkhouse, and several bed and breakfasts.
History and Surroundings
Tyndrum is overlooked by Ben Lui, a tall mountain known as a Munro. The village is also built on a historic battlefield. In 1306, a group called Clan MacDougall fought and defeated Robert the Bruce here. It's said they took a special item, the Brooch of Lorn, from him.
A church was built nearby in 1829. It was put up by Lady Glenorchy at a place called Clifton.
Trains and Travel: Tyndrum's Unique Railway Stations
Tyndrum is special because it's a meeting point for different travel routes. The West Highland Line railway, which comes from Glasgow, splits about 5 miles (8 km) south of Tyndrum. This split happens at a place called Crianlarich.
- One part of the railway line goes towards Fort William.
- The other part heads towards Oban.
Two Stations, One Village
Tyndrum has a railway station on each of these lines. Upper Tyndrum is on the Fort William line. Tyndrum Lower is on the Oban line. This means Tyndrum is unusual because it has two train stations for such a small village. They are only a few hundred yards apart by road. However, by rail, they are about 10 miles (16 km) apart!
Tyndrum is actually the smallest place in the UK with more than one railway station. This happened partly because two different railway companies built lines through the village a long time ago. The main reason, though, is the local geography. Splitting the line at Crianlarich helps trains avoid very steep climbs when heading north or west from Tyndrum.
The roads in the area also split in a similar way. The A82 road, which goes from Glasgow to Fort William, passes through Tyndrum. The A85 road, which goes to Oban, branches off just north of the village.
Tyndrum's Mining Past
Tyndrum was once an important place for mining. The small group of houses called Clifton, which are across the A82 road from the Green Welly, used to be homes for miners. If you look up the hillside beyond them, you can still see the leftover piles of rock from an old lead mine.
Lead Mining History
Records show that people mined lead here at different times between 1730 and 1928. Open-air mining took place from 1741 to 1745. A company called the Scots Mining Company owned the rights to mine in the area from 1768 to 1791. They even brought in machines that used water power to crush the rocks.
The Gold Mine Story
About 2 miles (3 km) southwest of Tyndrum, near Cononish Farm, is the site of a gold mine. Work to build this mine started in the 1980s. However, the price of gold dropped, and the mine had to close before it was fully ready.
In October 2011, there was news that the gold mine would open again. It was expected to create 52 jobs. The mine was planned to produce a lot of gold and silver over 10 years. This would have brought an estimated £80 million into the Scottish economy.
However, there were some problems with planning. These issues were even shown in a TV program called Tales from the National Parks. Also, the price of gold fell again, causing the mine's opening to be delayed once more. In May 2015, new estimates suggested even more gold and silver could be found there.
More recently, in July 2023, the company running the mine, Scotgold, started looking at its operations again. This was because the amount of gold produced was less than expected. In September 2023, they even stopped trading their shares.
