Strath

For Strathcona, see Strathcona.

A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow (as opposed to a glen which is typically narrower and deep).

An anglicisation of the Gaelic word srath, it is one of many that have been absorbed into common use in the English language. It is commonly used in the Scottish Highlands to describe a wide valley, even by non-Gaelic speakers. Historically however, it has had a wider range, for example Nithsdale in the far south was originally "Stranit".

It occurs in numerous Scottish place names (such as Strathspey and Strathclyde), Strath-Taieri in New Zealand, Strathfield, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, Strathewen Victoria, Australia, and Strathmore, Alberta in Canada.

It also occurs in the names of four P&O liners that brought thousands of migrants to Australia between the 1950s and the 1960s: the Strathhaird, the Strathnaver, the Stratheden and the Strathmore. The ships also acted as troop carriers during WW2.

The word is related to Old Welsh Ystrad, as in Ystrad Clud, the Old Welsh name for the Kingdom of Strathclyde.

See also

Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway

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