Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Picnic tables and closed umbrellas outside Shieldaig Bar & Coastal Kitchen's yellow building
Wester Ross

Shieldaig

Welcome

Shieldaig is a tiny loch-side village, reached by a coastal road that is single-track most of the way, with spectacular views, especially along Loch Torridon.

The village was built in the early 1800s to attract people cleared from their homes inland to a life of fishing. The hope was that places like Shieldaig would provide a steady stream of recruits for the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The tall pines on the island are said to have been planted to supply masts for warships. The war was over before they could be harvested, but the fishing village thrived and today it is a good place to stop for the night, with fine sunsets on a clear evening.

A little further outKishorn Selfie BoxIt might look like just another red telephone box, but the Kishorn Selfie Box has been made into a selfie station.13 min by roadSee itRed telephone box converted into a village book exchange, decorated with Saltire flags and bunting
Close by
  1. A "Hidden treasure" information plaque overlooking Loch Torridon and the surrounding mountainsLoch Torridon Viewpoint5 miles7 min by road
  2. Timber-clad Bealach Café and Gallery below snow-streaked mountains under blue skyThe Bealach Café and Gallery8 miles11 min by road
  3. Walker on a gravel track through a glen towards distant peaksTorridon Giants Trek by Thistle Trekking8 miles13 min by road
  4. Hiker in red on a rocky outcrop above a winding glen roadMeall Gorm StrathcarronMeall Gorm is 949m high and is part of the Fannaichs.14 miles19 min by road
  5. Bealach na Bà's hairpin road winds through the glen towards Loch KishornBealach na Bà15 miles19 min by road
Directions
A white two-storey house stands on a grassy point above a rocky shoreline, pine trees rising behind it at sunset.Wester RossRhuroinSleeps 3 · 1.1 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 · 5.0 miles
Red telephone box converted into a village book exchange, decorated with Saltire flags and buntingAttractionsKishorn Selfie Box10 miles
Cars parked at a roadside viewpoint amid moorland hillsAttractionsThe Bealach na Bà15 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near Shieldaig, 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
  • A mile from Shieldaig
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
  • 2 miles from Shieldaig
Check datesA white cottage with blue-framed windows sits on a lawn below a grassy hill.Half of One
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Wester Ross
  • 19 miles from Shieldaig
Free 19–21 OctStone-walled cottage interior with wood-burning stove, leather sofa and kitchen tableLusa Bothy
  • To stay
  • In Wester Ross
  • 19 miles from Shieldaig
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
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here