A peninsula and physiographic district lying between Loch Carron and Loch Alsh in the W of Highland Council Area, Lochalsh comprises hills, upland moor and forest, reaching a height of 447m / 1466 feet at the summit of Beinn Raimh. The principal settlements are Plockton in the north and Kyle of Lochalsh in the southwest, where the A87 trunk road passes over the Skye Bridge to the island of Skye, having skirted along the south coast of the peninsula. The A890 branches from this trunk road at Auchtertyre, cutting across the neck of the peninsula. The Kyle of Lochalsh Branch of the Highland Railway curves along its northern shore, with stations at Stromeferry, Duncraig, Plockton, Duirinish and Kyle of Lochalsh.
Lochalsh was part of the ancient kingdom of Dalriada, centred at Dunadd in Mid Argyll to the south, and was then fought over by Gaels and Vikings. By the Middle Ages, it had become the territory of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles. The MacDonalds of Lochalsh were a particularly rebellious family. The Lord of the Isles ruled until 1493, when King James IV confiscated their land and titles, passing control of much Western Scotland to the Earls of Argyll. Other important families were the Mathesons, MacKenzies of Seaforth and the MacDonnells of Glengarry, who all held lands here. Sir Alexander Matheson (1805-86) bought the majority of Lochalsh in 1854 and built Duncraig Castle as his home in 1866. Other notable houses are Balmacara House (1805) and Lochalsh House (1887). Today, the National Trust for Scotland are responsible for much of Lochalsh through their ownership of the Balmacara Estate.
Having long been part of the old county of Ross-shire (or Ross and Cromarty), Skye and Lochalsh became a District Council within Highland Region from 1975. However local administrative powers were lost following a further re-organisation of local government in 1996.
