Ullapool & Assynt

A whitewashed fishing port on Loch Broom and a base for the northwest stretch of the NC500, with Assynt's striking peaks, the Summer Isles and Corrieshalloch Gorge all nearby.

Ullapool is a whitewashed fishing village on Loch Broom in the northwest Scottish Highlands. Laid out in 1788 by the British Fisheries Society, it has orderly streets and fresh seafood, is the ferry port for the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, and is the most important overnight stop on the northwest section of the North Coast 500 (NC500) route. Around Ullapool, to the south are Corrieshalloch Gorge, An Teallach and Inverewe Garden; to the north are Coigach and Assynt, home to the North West Highlands UNESCO Global Geopark, where Stac Pollaidh, Suilven and Quinag rise abruptly from a landscape of lochs and moorland. The coast has Achmelvich and Clachtoll beaches and the Old Man of Stoer sea stack, and further north are the Kylesku Bridge, Britain's highest waterfall and the Handa Island seabird reserve. Climate: maritime, cool and changeable, with plenty of rain and wind year-round; May–Sep has the longest daylight hours and is the best season for hiking, boat trips and driving, with May–Jun the driest and midges more common in Jul–Aug; in winter most boat tours and some restaurants close. Getting there: about 1 hour's drive from Inverness, with daily intercity buses; you'll need a car for the surrounding sights, and many roads are single-track, so give way at passing places. Suggested stay: 2–3 days—one day for the southern gorge and gardens, one for the Assynt loop, and one for a boat trip or hike. Note: Highland hikes require rain and wind gear and a map; petrol stations are few in remote areas, so fill up before setting out.

Top sights

• Corrieshalloch Gorge – A box-shaped glacial gorge about 60 metres deep, crossed by a suspension bridge that looks down on Measach Falls as they plunge into the ch…
• Ardvreck Castle – The ruins of a 16th-century castle on a peninsula in Loch Assynt. Set against lake and mountain scenery, it's one of the most iconic views…
• Achmelvich Beach – A white-sand bay on the Assynt coast, with turquoise water that rivals the tropics, and England's smallest 'castle', the Hermit's Castle, j…
• Stac Pollaidh – A small hill of only 612 metres, but with jagged rock pinnacles that make it an iconic Scottish landmark. The circular path takes two to th…
• Summer Isles – More than twenty small islands beyond the mouth of Loch Broom, where boat trips from Ullapool reveal seal colonies, seabirds and sea caves…
• Inverewe Garden – A highland subtropical garden warmed by the Gulf Stream, growing exotic plants from around the world at 57°N, overlooking Loch Ewe.
• Suilven – A 'sugar loaf' mountain rising alone from the lochs and moorland of Assynt, looking like a domed tower from Lochinver and one of Scotland's…
• Handa Island – A seabird reserve managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, where about 100,000 seabirds nest on sea cliffs more than 100 metres high in summ…
• Ullapool Harbour & Village – A neat white fishing harbour on Loch Broom, where seafood restaurants, folk music bars and the ferry terminal for Lewis are clustered along…
• Old Man of Stoer – A sandstone sea stack about 60 metres tall on the coast of Stoer Head, reached by a roughly one-hour clifftop walk from the lighthouse.
• Eas a' Chual Aluinn – The highest waterfall in Britain, with a drop of about 200 metres, hidden at the head of Loch Glencoul and reached by boat from Kylesku or…
• Knockan Crag – The core geological trail of the North West Highlands UNESCO Global Geopark, where you can physically touch the Moine Thrust, where old roc…
• Clachtoll Beach & Broch – A pale sandy bay and a natural sea arch called the Split Rock along the Assynt coast, with a coastal path leading to a 2,000-year-old Iron…
• An Teallach – One of Scotland's most spectacular ridges, with sandstone peaks forming a jagged crest, and a classic Munro traverse for mountaineers.
• Loch Maree – A highland loch often hailed as one of Scotland's most beautiful, with ancient Scots pines on its islands and the Slioch mountain reflected…
• Gruinard Bay – A pink-sand bay beside the A832 road, where Gruinard Island was once a WWII anthrax test site and is now peaceful.
• Kylesku Bridge – An elegant curved concrete bridge spanning the narrows of Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin, framed by mountains and sea lochs, and a signature view of…
• Wailing Widow Falls – A waterfall in a hidden gorge beside the A894 road, about 3 kilometres south of Kylesku, reached by a short walk to a deep pool at its base.
• Lochinver – The main fishing village of Assynt, set against Suilven, famous for the handmade pies of Lochinver Larder.
• Quinag – A group of sandstone mountains in northern Assynt, made up of three ridges, protected by the John Muir Trust, with loop routes offering vie…
• Bone Caves of Inchnadamph – Four caves set into a limestone gorge cliff, where excavations have uncovered bones of Ice Age animals such as brown bear, lynx and polar b…
• Achiltibuie – A coastal village at the tip of the Coigach peninsula, facing the Summer Isles. The single-track scenic road and smokehouse are the highlig…
• Ben More Coigach – A sandstone mountain overlooking the sea just north of Ullapool. Its ridge faces the Summer Isles and the Minch, offering some of the fines…
• Ullapool Museum – A small local museum housed in a 19th-century church designed by Telford. It tells the story of the fishing port's founding, emigration and…
• Torridon Hills – Steep mountains and sea lochs built from Torridonian sandstone, a classic hiking area in Scotland's northwest Highlands.

Where to eat

• The Seafood Shack – Ullapool's top-rated open-air seafood shack, where two founders serve up fried haddock rolls and garlic-thyme butter la…
• The Ceilidh Place – An Ullapool cultural landmark combining restaurant, café, bookshop and music venue, serving Scottish home cooking all d…
• Lochinver Larder – A celebrated pie shop in the village of Lochinver in Assynt, a must-stop on the North Coast 500 road trip, with sweet a…
• The Arch Inn – A waterfront inn on Ullapool's Shore Street overlooking Loch Broom, with the upstairs Shore restaurant known for hand-d…
• Am Fuaran Bar – A family-run bar in Altandhu on the Coigach peninsula, with views to the Summer Isles, known for homemade pies and loca…

Itineraries

• North Coast 500 Anticlockwise Loop – Drive the NC500 anticlockwise from Inverness, taking in Bealach na Bà, Assynt, the north coast, and east coast castles.
• Outer Hebrides: Barra to Lewis 7-Day Island Hop – Island-hop from south to north along the Hebridean Way, from Barra's beach airport to the Calanais Standing Stones.