Local Area
Lochinver in the parish of Assynt, is ideally located on the north-west coast of Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands and en-route for travelling the NC500.
There are numerous sandy beaches stretched along a beautiful coastline, our closest being at Achmelvich, only a five-minute drive by car.
Lochinver village is only a twenty minute walk away, for all local amenities. There are several establishments offering quality food from hotels, restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and even a local butcher. There is a small supermarket and petrol filling station, newsagents, a picture gallery Lochinver Landscapes, gift shop, doctor’s surgery and a ships chandlery/hardware store at the far end of the village. Also at that end of the village on the edge of the Culag Woods is a leisure center that has a sports hall with 3 courts and there is also a fitness gym.
Close to the chalets is the Highland Stoneware Pottery where a large range of hand painted ceramics are made and decorated and you are free to enter the pottery and see the artists at their work.
In the village there is Lochinver Larder now famous for its home-made pies that are available to order by post. Take-away meals are available and can be enjoyed in the garden grounds overlooking the estuary to the river Inver. Further along in the center of the village is Delilah’s restaurant and bar which overlooks the bay of Lochinver and out towards the Hebrides, which can be seen on a clear day.
Peet’s Restaurant is situated down by the harbour and they serve top quality, freshly cooked food, sourced from the Scottish Highlands and from the harbour itself. They offer delicious food with a happy and friendly atmosphere. An Cala Café and Bunkhouse also down by the harbour offer breakfasts, lunches and evening meals.
North Coast Sea Tours provide a choice of trips including wildlife tours, sea angling charters and private charter tours. Fishing permits for fishing on the numerous lochs or rivers in the area can be obtained from local shops and details can be obtained from Assynt Angling Information
Assynt is an idyllic area for those interested in hill walking or mountain climbing and many of the walks can be found on the Walk Highlands website. There are the ‘bone’ and Traligill caves at Inchnadamph and along Loch Assynt are the ruins of Calda House and Ardvreck Castle, which have been recently restored by Assynt Historical Society making the buildings now safe to visit. A little further south on the A835 towards Ullapool is Knockan Crag and Visitor Centre that 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.
Ullapool is a forty-minute drive south from the village and there are numerous gift shops, eating places and a swimming pool for those not wanting to venture out for a dip in the sea.
Heading north there are numerous places to visit such as ‘split rock’ and the old salmon bothy and ice house at Clachtoll. During the summer there are fish & chip shops open at Achmelvich Campsite and Catch Toll operates close to the beach and ‘split rock’ at Clachtoll. Close to Stoer and the Stoer Head Lighthouse is ‘the Old Man of Stoer’ a 60 meter high sea stack of Torridonian Sandstone. A little further along the road at Drumbeg is Assynt Aromas, a local company making handmade scented candles and soaps for that ideal Scottish gift. Once joining the main road again are the Wailing Widow Waterfalls and there is also the ‘Eas a Chaul Aluin’ the highest waterfall in Britain.
Handa Island Bird Reserve is a little further on, where puffins, razorbills and guillemots can be seen nesting April – July and Great Skuas, Arctic Skuas, Fulmars and Kittiwakes from May – September. Binoculars are a must.
Durness on the far north coast has a very large limestone cave known as Smoo cave which can be accessed either by boat or a footpath and is a must to see. Close to Durness is the Balnakeil Craft Village, beach and golf club.