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A table for two in the dining room at the Dipping Lugger, with red wine, two plates of food, wild flowers in a jar and a lamp glowing on the shelves.
Wester Ross

The Dipping Lugger

A restaurant with rooms in Ullapool's old manse on the shore of Loch Broom, serving one tasting menu, with three AA Rosettes and a place in the Michelin Guide.

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Welcome

Ullapool's old manse stands on the shore of Loch Broom, looking straight out over the water to the mountains, and since 2018 it has been the Dipping Lugger, a small restaurant with rooms run by Robert and Helen.

The house was first built in 1789, when Ullapool was laid out as a fishing station for the British Fisheries Society, and Thomas Telford rebuilt it as the parish manse in 1829. The dining room seats just eighteen, and everyone sits down to the same tasting menu from head chef David Smith, built on produce from round about, with plenty of the seafood Ullapool is famous for. Lunch is served from Thursday to Saturday at half past twelve, and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday at seven. There are three lovely bedrooms if you'd rather not drive afterwards. Book ahead through its own site, and note that the kitchen can't cater for vegan, dairy-free or gluten-free diets.

Not farPeet's Lochinver18 milesSee itPeet's Lochinver
Before you go

A tasting menu at lunch and dinner, booked ahead through its own site.

Where
4 West Shore Street, Ullapool, IV26 2UR, on the shore of Loch Broom.
Open
Lunch at 12.30pm, Thursday to Saturday. Dinner at 7pm, Wednesday to Saturday.
Booking
Through its own site; to use a gift voucher, call to book.
Diets
The kitchen cannot cater for vegan, dairy-free or gluten-free diets.
Rooms
Three bedrooms, open for booking Wednesday to Saturday.
Phone
01854 613344

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
7pm–11pm
Thursday
12.30pm–2pm, 7pm–11pm
Friday
12.30pm–2pm, 7pm–11pm
Saturday
12.30pm–2pm, 7pm–11pm
Sunday
Closed

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Where it is

On West Shore Street, the shore road in the middle of Ullapool, IV26 2UR.

Close byUllapool and Loch Broom.
  1. The hatch of the Seafood Shack trailer, with its crab sign, open for orders.The Seafood ShackA seafood trailer on West Argyle Street in Ullapool, cooking the local catch to order since 2016, with tables outside under a canopy, from April to October.Under a mile as the crow flies
  2. Ceilidh PlaceCeilidh PlaceUllapool's hotel, café-bar, restaurant, bookshop and music venue in a row of white cottages, begun in 1970 by the actor Robert Urquhart in his birthplace.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. Cult CafeCult CafeA small New Zealand-inspired café on Argyle Street in Ullapool, open from early morning for flat whites, brunch on sourdough and homemade cakes.Under a mile as the crow flies
  4. Whitewashed buildings housing Ullapool Bookshop and Captains Cabin under grey slate roofsUllapool BookshopAn independent bookshop on Quay Street in Ullapool, strong on Scottish writing, nature and local interest, with maps, cards and stationery.Under a mile as the crow flies
  5. Ardmair BeachArdmair BeachA long curving shingle bay on Loch Kanaird three miles north of Ullapool, sheltered by Isle Martin, below the great ridge of Ben More Coigach.3 miles as the crow flies
  6. Knockan Crag National Nature ReserveKnockan Crag National Nature ReserveA nature reserve on a crag north of Ullapool where two geologists solved the riddle of older rocks lying on top of younger, with an open-air Rock Room and trails.10 miles as the crow flies
  7. Stac PollaidhStac PollaidhA spiky little mountain above the road to Achiltibuie, only 612 metres high, whose rocky ridge looks out over lochans to Suilven and the peaks of Assynt.10 miles as the crow flies
  8. The narrow white fall of the Falls of Measach far down in the deep wooded Corrieshalloch Gorge under a blue sky.Corrieshalloch GorgeA mile-long box canyon south-east of Ullapool, crossed by a Victorian suspension bridge high above the 150-foot Falls of Measach.11 miles as the crow flies
Directions
Bookshop corner with postcards pinned above tables and crowded shelvesShoppingCeilidh Place BookshopA step away
AttractionsUllapool Golf Club0.7 miles
Fjell, Wester RossBraes, UllapoolFjellSleeps 2 · 1.1 miles
The timber-clad house's cantilevered corner overlooks a loch framed by hills, bare trees in the foreground.Braes, UllapoolFjordSleeps 4 · 1.1 miles
A climber stands atop a jagged rock pinnacle above a glen and lochAttractionsAn Teallach7.6 miles

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The Daily for 22 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view of the Kylesku Bridge curving across a sea loch at sunset, Sutherland

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Stay nearby

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

Fjell, Wester RossFjell
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Braes, Ullapool
  • A mile from the Dipping Lugger
Free 12–15 NovThe timber-clad house's cantilevered corner overlooks a loch framed by hills, bare trees in the foreground.Fjord
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Braes, Ullapool
  • A mile from the Dipping Lugger
Free 2–5 NovPlaces 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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