Coordinates: 58°17′N 4°27′W / 58.28°N 4.45°W
| Altnaharra | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Allt na h-Eirbhe | |
 
Altnaharra
Altnaharra shown within Scotland |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Council area | Highland |
| Lieutenancy area | Sutherland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LAIRG |
| Postcode district | IV27 |
| Dialling code | 01549 |
| Police | Northern |
| Fire | Highlands and Islands |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross |
| Scottish Parliament | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency in the Highlands and Islands electoral region |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Altnaharra (Scottish Gaelic: Allt na h-Eirbhe) is a small hamlet in Sutherland in the Highland region of northern Scotland. The hamlet is on the A836 road, close to its junction with the B873. The nearest villages are Lairg and Tongue. Lochs in the area include Loch Naver and Loch Eriboll.
The name Altnaharra is derived from the Scottish Gaelic Allt na h-Eirbhe, meaning Stream at the boundary wall. This is named after a stream that flows through the hamlet.
Altnaharra is famous for the Altnaharra Hotel, which opened in 1820 and quickly became a popular place for anglers to stay while visiting nearby lochs. The hotel was also popular with mountain climbers; it generally closes for winter and re-opens in March. Ben Hope and Ben Klibreck are two mountains in the immediate area of the hamlet.
Its other claim to fame is the Met Office weather station located there. Altnaharra's northerly latitude and inland location mean that in winter it regularly features in the daily weather extremes for the UK. On 30 December 1995 the lowest temperature UK Weather Record was recorded at Altnaharra, at -27.2°C. This matched a similar recording at Braemar in the Grampians on 11 February 1895 and 10 January 1982. Conversely, on 20 March 2009, it was actually the warmest place in the UK, recording 18.5°C. This was the weather station's warmest recorded March temperature, and possibly the first time the station had recorded the warmest UK temperature. On the same day, it also recorded the second coldest overnight temperature in the UK, at -3°C, giving an indication of how quickly weather conditions can change in remote areas. On 8 January 2010, the temperature dipped to -22.3°C. [1]
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