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The viewpoint's information panel on a boulder, Upper Loch Torridon and the Torridon mountains beyond under a blue sky.
Wester Ross

Loch Torridon Viewpoint

A lay-by high on the A896 on the way to Shieldaig, looking over Upper Loch Torridon and its narrows to the great sandstone mountains of Torridon.

Welcome

The road from Torridon to Shieldaig climbs over a shoulder of rough, rocky ground, and at its high point there is a lay-by with an information board set into a boulder.

Stop here: it is one of the great views of the north-west.

Below lies Upper Loch Torridon, blue on a bright day, with the narrows leading out towards the open sea. Across the water rise the mountains of Torridon, great tiered walls of ancient sandstone among the oldest rocks on Earth, their tops often capped in pale stone or cloud. It is country so wild that Queen Victoria wrote that hardly anyone ever comes here.

The mountains and much of the land around are cared for by the National Trust for Scotland. Take a few minutes with the board to put names to the peaks, then carry on down to Shieldaig and its sheltered bay.

A short drive awayShieldaigA tiny loch-side village near Loch Torridon, built in the early 1800s for a life of fishing.7 min by roadSee itPicnic tables and closed umbrellas outside Shieldaig Bar & Coastal Kitchen's yellow building
Before you go

The viewpoint is open at all times and free, a lay-by on the A896 with an information board.

Where
The A896 between Torridon and Shieldaig, IV54 8XP.
The view
Upper Loch Torridon and the Torridon hills.
Where it is

At a high point on the A896 to Shieldaig, south-west of Torridon village.

Close byTorridon.
  1. Walker on a gravel track through a glen towards distant peaksTorridon Giants Trek by Thistle Trekking4 miles7 min by road
  2. Timber-clad Bealach Café and Gallery below snow-streaked mountains under blue skyThe Bealach Café and Gallery12 miles15 min by road
  3. The pale quartzite slopes of Beinn Eighe rising above old Scots pines under a blue sky.Beinn Eighe Visitor CentreBritain's first nature reserve, over the hill.14 miles19 min by road
  4. Red telephone box converted into a village book exchange, decorated with Saltire flags and buntingKishorn Selfie BoxIt might look like just another red telephone box, but the Kishorn Selfie Box has been made into a selfie station.14 miles18 min by road
  5. Hiker in red on a rocky outcrop above a winding glen roadMeall Gorm StrathcarronMeall Gorm is 949m high and is part of the Fannaichs.18 miles23 min by road
Directions
Picnic tables and closed umbrellas outside Shieldaig Bar & Coastal Kitchen's yellow buildingAttractionsShieldaig4.6 miles
A white two-storey house stands on a grassy point above a rocky shoreline, pine trees rising behind it at sunset.Wester RossRhuroinSleeps 3 · 7.2 miles
A gable-fronted white and stone house glows from within at dusk, its triangular glazed end lit against the darkening hillside.ArdheslaigThe Net StoreSleeps 4 · 8.9 miles
Stay nearby

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

A 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
  • 4 miles from Loch Torridon
Check datesA 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
  • 5 miles from Loch Torridon
Check datesPlaces 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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