Acharacle

Coordinates: 56°44′42″N 5°48′07″W / 56.745°N 5.802°W / 56.745; -5.802

Acharacle (Gaelic: Àth Tharracail) is a township in Ardnamurchan, Lochaber, within the county of Argyll.

The place name is rendered Àth Tharracail in Scottish Gaelic, and means "Tarracal's ford". The Gaelic place name is composed of two world elements: àth ("ford") and the personal name Tarracal. This personal name is cognate to the Scottish Gaelic Torcall and the English Torquil, which are derived from the Old Norse Þorketill. According to Moidart tradition noted in the 19th century, Torquil was the leader of a force of Norwegians who were pursued by Somerled, and made a final stand at the riverside below Acharacle Manse, where they were slain.

Acharacle lies on the western end of Loch Shiel and is surrounded by beautiful scenery making it a popular holiday destination for hill climbers and naturalists. It has, among other resources, a small primary school with around 60 pupils, a hotel (The Loch Shiel Hotel, which also contains a shop), a garage, a baker's shop, fish and chip shop, and a grocery store as well as a doctor's surgery. It has the main postal sorting office for the peninsula of Ardnamurchan, which has a cafe on site.