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The terraced walled garden at Inverewe, curving beds running down towards the loch and hills.
Wester Ross

Inverewe Garden

A great garden on a peninsula at Poolewe, created from bare coast in the 19th century, where the Gulf Stream lets plants from around the world thrive in the far north.

Welcome

On a rocky peninsula at the head of Loch Ewe, far up the Atlantic coast of the Highlands, grows one of the great gardens of Scotland.

When it was begun in the 19th century there was almost nothing here but bare rock and heather; a father, and after him his daughter, spent their lives turning it into a garden.

The secret is the Gulf Stream, which keeps the coast mild enough for plants from around the world. Paths wander through woodland and glades, past towering California redwoods and exotic shrubs, and the walled garden steps down in terraces towards the water, full of colour. Inverewe House is now a museum, with a gallery beside it, and an exhibition in the Summerhouse reveals the marine life of the loch.

Red squirrels, otters, seals and eagles are all seen here from time to time. There is a café and shop, so allow at least two hours.

A short drive awayLoch Maree ViewpointA large car park by Loch Maree, with a way down to the water.4 min by roadSee itWhite cottage below a Highland loch flanked by autumn hills
Before you go

The garden opens daily from 9.30am; adults £16, children £9.50, free for National Trust for Scotland members.

Allow at least two hours. Dogs are welcome on short leads in much of the garden.

Where
Poolewe, IV22 2LG.
Adults
£16; children £9.50.
Allow
Two hours or more.
Where it is

By Poolewe on the A832, on a peninsula at the head of Loch Ewe, IV22 2LG.

Close byPoolewe.
  1. The crowded shelves and tables of the Hillbillies bookshop beside the Mountain Coffee Co in Gairloch.Mountain Coffee Co7 miles12 min by road
  2. Red telephone box beside Hillbillies Bookstore and Trading Post's orange painted frontHillbillies BookstoreA small rural bookshop next door to the Mountain Coffee Company, Hillbillies is packed with quirky finds.7 miles13 min by road
  3. Sandy bay curves between rocky hills, tide out and turquoise water belowGruinard BayPink sands up the coast.9 miles13 min by road
  4. Loch Coruisk valley beneath the jagged Cuillin ridge under grey cloudsLoch MareeThe long loch inland.15 miles25 min by road
  5. Hiker in red watches the sun set over a mountain ridgeA' MhaighdeanThe most remote Munro, reached from Poolewe.21 miles29 min by road
Directions
White cottage below a Highland loch flanked by autumn hillsAttractionsLoch Maree Viewpoint1.9 miles
Sandy dunes frame a beach with distant hills across calm blue waterAttractionsMellon Udrigle11 miles
Turquoise sea loch curves between rocky hills and a pebbled shorelineAttractionsGruinard Bay Viewpoint12 miles
Mellon Udrigle's white sand and turquoise water beyond a rocky shore, low hills and distant peaks on the horizon.AttractionsMellon Udrigle Beach12 miles
Victoria Falls dropping in a white thread through a steep gorge thick with green trees.AttractionsVictoria Falls15 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the garden, and when each is next free.

A gable-fronted white and stone house glows from within at dusk, its triangular glazed end lit against the darkening hillside.The Net Store
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Ardheslaig
  • 17 miles from Inverewe
Check datesA white two-storey house stands on a grassy point above a rocky shoreline, pine trees rising behind it at sunset.Rhuroin
  • Sleeps 3
  • In Wester Ross
  • 18 miles from Inverewe
Check datesFjell, Wester RossFjell
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Wester Ross
  • 19 miles from Inverewe
Free 12–14 NovThe timber-clad house's cantilevered corner overlooks a loch framed by hills, bare trees in the foreground.Fjord
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Wester Ross
  • 19 miles from Inverewe
Free 16–18 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in Wester RossAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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