View source for Sleat

{{Short description|Peninsula and civil parish on the island of Skye in Scotland}}
{{for|the city in the Netherlands|Sleat, Friesland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Location map
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|lat        = 57.12
|long       = -5.92
|caption    = <small>Map showing the location of Sleat within Scotland</small>
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|width      = 250
}}

'''Sleat''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|l|eɪ|t}} {{respell|SLATE}}) is a peninsula and [[Civil parishes in Scotland|civil parish]] on the island of [[Skye]] in the [[Highland (council area)|Highland]] council area of [[Scotland]], known as "the garden of Skye". It is the home of the clan ''[[MacDonald of Sleat]]''. The name comes from the [[Scottish Gaelic]] {{lang|gd|Slèite}}, which in turn comes from [[Old Norse]] ''sléttr'' (smooth, even),<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.parliament.scot/Gaelic/placenamesP-Z.pdf| title=Placenames| author=Iain Mac an Tàilleir|pages=105–106 |date=2003 |publisher=Pàrlamaid na h-Alba| access-date=19 August 2020| df=dmy-all}}</ref> which well describes Sleat when considered in the surrounding context of the mainland, Skye and <span lang="gd">[[Rùm]]</span> mountains that dominate the horizon all about Sleat.
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{{Imagemap Skye}}

== Geography ==
The peninsula extends from an isthmus between the heads of Loch Eishort and Loch na Dal for {{convert|13|mi}} southwest to Point of Sleat at the southern tip of Skye.  It is bounded on the northwest by Loch Eishort and on the southeast by the [[Sound of Sleat]].  Most of Sleat, unlike most of Skye, is fairly fertile, and though there are hills, most do not reach a great height.

=== Communities ===
Sleat is a traditional parish that has several communities and two major landowners (the Clan Donald Lands Trust and Eilean Iarmain Estate). Most of the population lives on the southern side of the peninsula.  The main settlements along the Sound of Sleat are, from north east to south west, [[Isleornsay]], [[Teangue]], [[Ferindonald]], [[Kilmore, Skye|Kilmore]], [[Armadale, Skye|Armadale]], [[Ardvasar]] and [[Aird of Sleat]]. On the northwest side are [[Tokavaig]] and [[Tarskavaig]].

Sleat Community Trust ({{langx|gd|Urras Coimhearsnachd Shlèite}}), the local [[development trust]], has purchased the Skye Ferry Filling Station at Armadale and in common with many communities is investigating the options for renewable energy production. It also owns Sleat Renewables Ltd., a timber production company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sleat.org.uk/ |title="Welcome" page|publisher= Sleat Community Trust |access-date=19 August 2020}}</ref><ref>[http://www.dtascot.org.uk/products.cfm "Directory of Members"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403155318/http://www.dtascot.org.uk/products.cfm |date=3 April 2009 }} DTAS. Retrieved 27 October 2007.</ref> In October 2007 the Trust hosted the [[Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company]] annual conference.<ref>[http://www.hie.co.uk/HICEC/HICEC-News-Oct07.pdf "Community Energy News"] (October 2007) (pdf) HICEC. Retrieved 27 October 2007.</ref>

== Transport and communications ==
The [[A851 road]] links Armadale to the rest of Skye.  In the early 2000s the final section of a new double-track road through Sleat from Armadale Ferry to [[Broadford, Skye|Broadford]] was finished. After later substantial upgrades by June 2019 it became a [[Single carriageway|S2]] road throughout. Most teenage school-children in Sleat travel along the A851 to attend [[Portree High School]], where there is a hostel for those who live particularly far away.

Minor roads connect the two coasts of Sleat, and a minor road also extends beyond Armadale to Aird of Sleat.  Beyond Aird a track leads {{convert|3.5|km}} to the [[Point of Sleat Lighthouse]].

A [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] car ferry connects Armadale to [[Mallaig]] on the mainland.

== Gaelic ==
[[Image:Isle of Skye UK relief location map labels.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Skye showing Sleat]]
After the [[Trotternish]] peninsula, the Sleat peninsula is the second strongest Gaelic-speaking area in Skye. In the 1901 census, 91% of the population was recorded as speaking Gaelic, with 10% recorded as Gaelic monolinguals.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Duwe |first1=Kurt C. |title=Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) Local Studies1: Vol. 12, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach: Port Rìgh, An Srath & Slèite |date=2006 |url=http://www.linguae-celticae.org/dateien/Gaidhlig_Local_Studies_Vol_12_Port_Righ_Sleite_Ed_II.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614112821/http://www.linguae-celticae.org/dateien/Gaidhlig_Local_Studies_Vol_12_Port_Righ_Sleite_Ed_II.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=14 June 2006}}</ref> In the 2011 census, 39% of the population in Sleat were recorded as speaking Gaelic, with the highest percentage of Gaelic speakers in [[Tarskavaig]] and Achnacloich (51%), and the lowest in [[Armadale, Skye|Armadale]] (27%).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk |website=Scotland's Census |access-date=6 August 2018|title=Welcome to Scotland's Census &#124; Scotland Census 2011 }}</ref> The local primary school, [[Bun-sgoil Shlèite]], is a designated [[Gaelic medium education in Scotland|Gaelic-medium]] school.  There was some local and national controversy in 2006 about the decision to change the status of the school from an English school with a Gaelic medium unit to a Gaelic school<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4695954.stm Row over Skye Gaelic-only school]. BBC News. 9 February 2006</ref> but in the end the [[Highland Council]] opted for a compromise solution, designating the school as an all-Gaelic school but with an English-medium unit.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6085690.stm Plan agreed for all-Gaelic school]. BBC News. 27 October 2006</ref> Sleat is home to Scotland's only Gaelic-medium college, [[Sabhal Mòr Ostaig]], which provides university-level education in a number of subjects in Gaelic, and is the largest employer in the area.  The Gaelic feature-length film, ''[[Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle]],'' was largely filmed in Sleat and produced by [[Christopher Young (producer)|Christopher Young]], a Sleat resident and partial Gaelic speaker.

==References==
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==External links==
* [http://www.sleat.org.uk/ Sleat Community Trust]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091109044832/http://www.community-council.org.uk/Sleat/ archive of Sleat Community Council Website]
* [http://www.spanglefish.com/bunsgoilshleite/ Bun-sgoil Shlèite website]
* [https://www.seall.co.uk/ SEALL – Sleat's promoter of Arts]

{{Skye}}
{{Scottish provinces|insular}}
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{{coord|57.11016|N|5.93223|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(NG6209)|display=title}}<!-- Note: WGS84 lat/long, converted from OSGB36 grid ref -->

[[Category:Landforms of the Isle of Skye]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Scotland]]
[[Category:Landforms of Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:Parishes in Skye]]
[[Category:Parishes in Inverness-shire]]