It's a lot easier to remember the name if you know what it means. See if you can translate "Drumnadrochit"! How to pronounce "Drumnadrochit".
It's "Drum -na- DROCH -it". The "Droch" bit is softened at the end, as in Loch, not as in Lock. It's easy, just breath out through the K sound when you get to it. With practice, it can sound like a bit like a cat purring.
Don't overdo it or you'll sound like Gollum in Lord of the Rings...
Achadh, Ach, Auch Field Abhainn, Aven, Avon River Allt, Alt Stream an (diminutive ending) see Lochan Ard High Baile, Ball, Bal Farm, Settlement, Town Ban White, Pale Beag, Beg Small Beinn, Ben Mountain Beith Birch Blair Flat, level field Breac Speckled Buchaille Shepherd
Buidhe, Buie Yellow, golden Cam Bent Cairn, Carn Hill, heap of stones Ceann, Kin Head Cill Church
Clach Stone Cnoc Hillock, small hill Coille Wood Coire, Corrie Hollow, cauldron Craggan Small rocky hill Creag, Craig, Crag Rock, cliff Croit, Croft Croft, smallholding Cruaidh, Croy Hard Dal, Dail Meadow Darach, Darroch Oak tree Dearg Red Donn Brown Doire Grove Drochaid, Drochit Bridge Druim, Drum Ridge Dubh, Dhu Black, Dark Dun Fort, usually on a steep hill Eas, Ess Waterfall Eilean Island Fearn Alder Feith Bog Fionn White, pale, fair Fuar Cold, chilly* Garbh, Garve Rough Garadh, Garry Enclosure Geal White, bright Glas Grey/green Gleann, Glen Valley Gobhar, Gower Goat Gorm Blue Innish, Inch, Insch Island Inbhir, Inver Confluence, Mouth of a river Kil Church Lagan, Laggan Hollow Lairig Pass through hills Leacann, Leachkin Slope Laitir, Letter Large, extensive slope Liath Grey Lochan Small loch Mam Large round hill Meadhonach Middle Meall Lump, shapeless hill Moine Moss, peat Monadh Extensive hill, moorland Mor, Mhor Large na of the Ros Promontory Ruadh Red Sgeir ** Skerry, small rocky island Sgurr Peak, sharp top Sneachd Snow Strath Wide, U shaped valley Sron, Strone Nose, point Stac Rocky column, cliff Tigh House Tir Land Tomb, Tom Hillock Tor, Torr Cone shaped hill, tower Tulach, Tullich Knoll Uaine Green Uachdar, Auchter, Achter Upland Uamh Cave Uisge Water
Why is Urquhart not listed? It is in fact a Pictish name, based on the word Carden, which is thought to mean "thicket" and may be connected with the thick vegetation at Urquhart Bay at the Cover, an S.S.S.I. Other Pictish place name elements include "Pit", meaning "portion", or "share", and "Aber" meaning "River Mouth"
Highland place names may also have Norse elements, such as "Dale" meaning valley, "Wick/Vik", meaning a bay, as in Lerwick and Uig, and "Tarbert", meaning a narrow neck of land over which it is possibly to portage a ship. Norse names are, unsurprisingly, usually found near the coast; most Gaelic words relating to the building and sailing of boats are derived from Norse. Most names of mountains which are clearly visible from the sea, and can be used for navigation, are also Norse. The Ordnance Survey website has a useful glossary here.
* Fuar is pronounced very like the French word for cold, froid and is related to it - perhaps another legacy of the Auld Alliance!
**Sgeir is derived from the old Norse word sker, which means a rock in the sea.
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