According to tradition, its name derives from a battle fought with five ships by Aella, a follower of Vortigern, against the Picts and Scots ("Aella-gol").

[1] The Strathaird peninsula was historically a heartland of the MacKinnons, a robustly Jacobite clan.

[3] Elgol's scenic attractions have drawn in many outsiders seeking holiday homes and a majority of the properties there are no longer occupied on a year-round basis.

[4] The village is also a terminal for two privately owned boat trips to Loch Coruisk and the Small Isles along with a coffee shop, Bistro and Coruisk House Michelin Guide restaurant.

In 1972 the bulk carrier Nermo Smernokoff lost its full cargo of various cheeses which eventually washed up in Elgol Bay.