Kinross
Kinross (/kɪnˈrɒs/, Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around 13 miles (21 kilometres) south of Perth and around 20 miles (32 kilometres) northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire.
Kinross
| |
|---|---|
 High Street, Kinross | |
  Kinross Location within Perth and Kinross | |
| Area | 2.00 km2 (0.77 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 5,120 (mid-2016 est.)[2] |
| • Density | 2,560/km2 (6,600/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | NO1102 |
| • Edinburgh | 20 mi (32 km) |
| • London | 351 mi (565 km) |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KINROSS |
| Postcode district | KY13 |
| Dialling code | 01577 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Location and transport
The site of the original parish church and churchyard are located down a small wynd overlooking Loch Leven, a little away from the town.
Kinross was originally linked by railway to Perthshire, Fife and Clackmannanshire until the rail links gradually disappeared. At one time three independent railway companies had their termini at the town. The Fife and Kinross Railway came from the east, the Kinross-shire Railway came from the south and The Devon Valley Railway came from the west. Kinross Junction railway station once stood on the line between Perth and Edinburgh, which was closed to make way for construction of the M90 motorway.[3] Since this time, many people working within a commuting radius of Kinross have settled in the town owing to its central location and local amenities. Locals and MSPs have also asked the Scottish Government to publish a Feasibility Study into re-establishing the Perth - Edinburgh Direct Rail Link.[3] To This day no such Document has been Published.
Tourism
The burgh is located on the shores of Loch Leven. There are boat trips around the loch and to Loch Leven Castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner in 1567.
Up to 2014 the annual T in the Park music festival. which was officially replaced by TRNSMT festival in Glasgow Green, was held nearby, at the former Balado airfield. Balado is also the locale of a now inactive NATO ICBM early warning radar and during the Second World War there was an airstrip and barracks.
Climate
As with most of the British Isles, Kinross has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).
| Climate data for Kinross (120 m or 394 ft asl, averages 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.6 (47.5) |
11.3 (52.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.0 (66.2) |
16.1 (61.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
8.6 (47.5) |
6.0 (42.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
1.0 (33.8) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
7.9 (46.2) |
9.7 (49.5) |
9.3 (48.7) |
7.2 (45.0) |
4.5 (40.1) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
4.0 (39.2) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 123.9 (4.88) |
84.3 (3.32) |
89.1 (3.51) |
58.0 (2.28) |
61.3 (2.41) |
72.8 (2.87) |
69.5 (2.74) |
81.4 (3.20) |
90.5 (3.56) |
116.2 (4.57) |
107.4 (4.23) |
102.2 (4.02) |
1,056.6 (41.59) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 16.8 | 12.8 | 14.5 | 10.9 | 11.2 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 12.8 | 12.9 | 16.1 | 15.0 | 15.1 | 162 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 33.5 | 70.7 | 110.3 | 149.8 | 184.7 | 156.1 | 168.1 | 165.3 | 127.4 | 85.4 | 48.6 | 23.2 | 1,323.1 |
| Source: Met Office[4] | |||||||||||||
Sport and recreation
The Loch Leven Trails offers 21 km (13 miles) of walking and cycling heritage trail around the shoreline of Loch Leven. It begins at RSPB Vane Farm Nature Reserve via Findatie to Kinross Pier/Kirkgate Park.
There is a leisure centre located in Kinross, called Loch Leven Leisure.
Kinross Trout Fishery situated just on the edge of the village is one of Scotland's premier trout fishery giving fly and bait anglers the opportunity to catch some of Scotland largest trout.
Kinross has three amateur football teams – Kinross AFC who currently play in the Fife Kingdom Caledonian Football League, Kinross Colts 'A' Team (Previously Fossoway AFC) who play in the Fife 1st division and Portmoak AFC who play in the Perthshire 3rd division.
Notable people
- Andrew Barlass, American politician and farmer, was born in Kinross.[5]
- Steven Caulker lived with his aunt and uncle in Kinross when playing for Dundee F.C.
- Peter Leitch, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- George Thompson (VC) whose posthumous Victoria Cross in 1945 is often cited as the best merited of the entire air war. He was the wireless operator in a Lancaster of No. 9 Squadron on a dawn raid against the Dortmund-Ems Canal when the plane was struck by a salvo of two 88 mm shells.
- William Whyte (banker) (1878-1945)
Twinned Cities
Education
- Kinross High School (Now located in Loch Leven Community Campus as of 2010)
- Kinross Primary School
References
- "Kinross (Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- "Mid-2016 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- "Proposals for direct Perth to Edinburgh train link to be considered by Transport Scotland". www.railtechnologymagazine.com. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "Kinross climate information". Met Office. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- 'Wisconsin Blue Book 1876,' Biographical Sketch of Andrew Barlass, pg. 475
