Our Community
Tongue, Melness and Skerray are coastal communities located in Sutherland in the North West Highlands of Scotland. With an area of 426 km2 and a population of 465, the area has one of the lowest population densities in Europe. The nearest train station is in Lairg, 36 miles from Tongue and the nearest major town is Inverness which is over 90 miles from Melness.
Almost 80% of the area has one or more designation. The Kyle of Tongue is a designated National Scenic Area, other designations include Sites of Scientific Interest and Scenic Landscape Areas. Tongue is a key location in the Flow Country World Heritage Site and the area is a gateway area to the North West Highlands Geopark.
Tongue is the main village in a series of crofting townships. The local Primary School and Health Centre are located in the village. The nearest secondary school is Farr High School in Bettyhill.
All three areas have their own Village Halls. Tongue also has a Community Health and Wellbeing Hub, the Kyle Centre, owned and run on behalf of the community by North Coast Connection. The local Community Transport organisation, Transport for Tongue Ltd, also has its base in Tongue. The area has a strong voluntary sector: both these organisations have evolved as the community responded to the loss of social care services in the area and the lack of public transport respectively.
The area has a strong Gaelic heritage which is reflected in many of the place names of the area and the percentage of people in the area who have some skills in Gaelic is significantly higher than the Scottish average.
Community Organisations
