Out and About

Things to do in and around Lochinver, Near Ullapool Sutherland

Lochinver, in the parish of Assynt, is ideally located on the north-west coast of Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands for exploring near and far. It offers an all-year round holiday destination, providing a variety of activities to suit all tastes. From walking to climbing, fishing to sea-angling, bird-watching to playing golf, there is something for everyone to see and do. We have numerous golden, sandy beaches in the area, our closest being at Achmelvich, only a 5 - 7 minute drive by car.

Lochinver Village
A fifteen minute walk from our properties takes you into the village of Lochinver for all local amenities. We have a local butcher, pub and restaurants, small supermarket, petrol station, post office and gift shop. The Caberfeidh Restaurant is located at the beginning of the village overlooking the river Inver and offers a fantastic selection of traditional home cooked pub food and the bar has a good choice of beers, wines and spirits.

A further five minutes walk through the village brings you to the award winning Assynt Visitor Centre where tourist information is available. This is also the base for the Highland Council Countryside Rangers who offer a number of guided walks throughout the summer. One such walk is to the Alt na Uamh Bone Caves at Inchnadamph, where bone fragments from brown bear, lynx, arctic fox and hundreds of pairs of reindeer antlers have been found. The centre is packed with information and displays of the area, its people, wildlife and history. Upstairs there is also a children’s area and downstairs there is cctv monitoring the activities of Herons nesting in the nearby Culag Woods. A little further on is the local branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has Cashline facilities and the Lochinver Chandlery, local hardware store. At the back of the pier is the newly opened Assynt Leisure Centre, which was opened on 29th July, 2006 by HRH The Princess Royal. It has a sports hall with 3 badminton/short tennis courts, basketball, table tennis and a Gym. Upstairs there are internet facilities, a small snack bar for soft drinks, teas and coffee and pool tables, table football and computer games, ideal for a rainy day. At the back of the leisure centre lie the Culag Woods, where there are several paths to follow, one leading to a lovely pebble beach called the White Shore.

On the coastal road 3 miles south of Lochinver is InverKirkaig. Here is a very nice walk along the Kirkaig river, walking as far as the Kirkaig Falls or a little further to Loch Fionn which lies at the foot of mount Suilven. On your return back down the footpath, Achins Book & Coffee Shop is well worth visisting.

Achiltibuie
Summer Isles Cruises offer short or full day cruises landing on one of the summer Isles or they also offer sea angling in the evening.
Hydroponicum offers you a guided tour to see plants of all types being grown without soil.

Knockan
Knockan Crag and Visitor Centre has two trails around the Crag, pointing out the common rock types and the Moine Thrust – an ancient fault line where older rocks lie on top of younger rocks.
Assynt’s Geology
North West Highlands Geopark, an area of outstanding geological importance.

A little further on is the hamlet of Elphin, where there is a small tea room and also the Elphin Rare Breeds Farm. Heading back are the Inchnadamph Bone Caves and at Inchnadamph are the Traligill Caves. Along Loch Assynt are the ruins of Calda House and Ardvreck Castle recently restored by Assynt’s Historical Society making the buildings now safe to visit.

North of Lochinver is the coastal road to Kylesku which passes by numerous golden sandy beaches, our nearest one being at Achmelvich. From Achmelvich you can visit the Hermits Castle or there is a lovely coastal walk to Alltan na Bradhan – an old meal mill where the mill stones can still be seen. Walking on from Alltan na Bradhan you join the coastal road which heads on down to Clachtoll, where there is yet another beautiful beach. An annual Sand Sculpting competition is held here in early August, organised by the local rangers. From here you can admire the ‘Split Rock’ and visit the ‘salmon bothy and icehouse’. A little further on you pass through the small village of Stoer and then branch off to Stoerhead Lighthouse. This is an ideal spot to see whales and dolphins and there is another lovely coastal walk along the cliffs to the impressive sea stack, ‘The Old Man of Stoer’.

Clashnessie is the next township and here the sands are more ‘reddish’ and from there the road continues on past the Strathcroy Art Gallery. At Drumbeg there are the Drumbeg Stores or the Drumbeg Hotel, which serve lovely bar lunches. From the Drumbeg view point there are spectacular views north to Handa Island.

Kylesku Bridge replaced the ferry service when HRH the Queen opened the bridge in 1984. Down from the old ferry jetty the Statesman Cruises offer a 2 hour boat trip along Loch Glencoul, to view Eas-Coul-Aulin waterfall, the highest in Britain. Numerous seals can be seen basking on the rocks or you may even spot a bird of prey. Kerracher Gardens on certain days the boat runs trips to these gardens.
Kylesku Hotel, down at the old ferry jetty offer lovely bar lunches or just outside the village in Unapool, is the Teashop and Museum of Childhood, serving soup, snacks and hot beverages.

Out and About Information - Continued