Ardersier

Ardersier
Ardersier
Location within the Highland council area
Population1,140 (2020)
OS grid referenceNH782550
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townInverness
Postcode districtIV2
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Ardersier /ˈɑːrdəsir/ (Scottish Gaelic: Àird nan Saor) is a small former fishing village in the Scottish Highlands on the Moray Firth near Fort George, between Inverness and Nairn. Its name may be an anglicisation of the Gaelic "Àird nan Saor", or "Headland of the joiners", one local legend being that carpenters working on the construction of ecclesiastical buildings on the other side of the Moray Firth were quartered here.. however, the name Ardersier is documented centuries before the Cathedrals of Fortrose and Elgin were built, and it is more likely that the name signifies its topography - a high prominence (New Statistical Account).

Prior to the building of Fort George, a small fishing hamlet existed in the area of Fort George, with an economy based on small-scale commercial fishery. Its relocation eventually led to the creation of the village of Ardersier.