Wester Ross. Wester Ross guide
Torridon's mountains, the Bealach na Bà to Applecross, Plockton's palm trees and Ullapool on Loch Broom.
The four parts of Wester Ross
Wester Ross is the long Atlantic edge of the Highlands, running from Loch Broom and Ullapool in the north to Loch Alsh and the bridge to Skye in the south. It is a coast of sea lochs that reach far inland, of fishing villages tucked into sheltered bays, and of mountains that rise straight from the water. The roads are often single track and the weather can change by the hour. On a clear evening, with the sun going down over the Minch towards the Hebrides, you won't want to be anywhere else.
Plockton and Loch Carron
Plockton's painted cottages curve round a sheltered bay, with cabbage palms along the shore and little boats out to see the seals. Lochcarron strings its houses along the water, the broken arch of Strome Castle stands over the narrows, and at Kishorn the road turns off for the Bealach na Bà and the long climb to Applecross.
Applecross and Torridon
Over the Bealach na Bà, the Applecross peninsula looks across the sea to Raasay and Skye, with an inn on the shore and a coast road round to Shieldaig. From there Loch Torridon leads you in under Liathach and Beinn Alligin, great mountains of red sandstone, to The Torridon, an old hunting lodge on the water.
Gairloch and Loch Maree
Loch Maree runs north-west from Kinlochewe under Slioch, scattered with wooded islands, and Beinn Eighe above it was Britain's first National Nature Reserve. At the far end, Inverewe Garden grows plants from around the world on the shore at Poolewe, and Gairloch has sandy beaches, a museum and a bookshop café.
Ullapool and Coigach
Ullapool is the largest town for miles around, a white fishing town on Loch Broom with bookshops, music and the ferry to Lewis. North of it the shingle curves round Ardmair under Ben More Coigach, and the road runs on past Stac Pollaidh to Achiltibuie, looking out to the Summer Isles. To the south, Corrieshalloch Gorge drops through the hills.
“The town sits tucked under the hill on the quiet shores of Loch Broom and is the largest town for miles around.”
Laurie Goodlad
Travel writer, on her way to the Lewis ferry
Best known for.
Wester Ross is known for its mountains, and for the ancient rock they are made of. The tiered red sandstone of Torridon and An Teallach was laid down around a billion years ago, and in places it rests on Lewisian gneiss, the oldest rock in Britain. Between the peaks lie long freshwater lochs, and sea lochs full of seals, and a coast of pale sandy beaches looking out to the Western Isles. Add Inverewe Garden, the harbour at Plockton and the climb over the Bealach na Bà to Applecross, and it is easy to see why so many road trips round the north-west slow right down here.
More about Wester Ross
Each part of the coast has its own character. In the north, Ullapool is a neat grid of white houses on Loch Broom, with the ferry to Lewis at its pier. Gairloch and Poolewe sit on wide bays with sandy beaches, and the famous garden at Inverewe grows on a peninsula by Loch Ewe. Further south come Loch Maree and the great sandstone mountains of Torridon, then Shieldaig and the Applecross peninsula, reached over the high pass of the Bealach na Bà. In the south, Lochcarron, Plockton and Kyle of Lochalsh sit on the sea lochs that lead to Skye.
This is country for being outside. There are Munros to climb and gentle walks through ancient pinewood, seals to watch from a boat and quiet bays to explore by kayak. Red deer, otters and eagles are all part of the scenery. When the day is done, there are harbour bars with fresh langoustines on the menu, cafés with home baking worth stopping for, and places to stay where the view from the window does most of the work. Give yourself time, though. Distances look short on the map and take far longer on the road.
What would you like to look at?
See and doPlockton, Inverewe Garden and Strome Castle
Eat, drink and shopSeafood by the harbour and village cafés
Where to stayA lodge on the loch and houses by the shore
History and storiesSaints, Mackenzies, herring and the Arctic convoys
ItinerariesDays we have driven, stop by stop
Getting hereThe roads, the train and the buses
What is on in Wester RossSomething new from the region every dayWhat is on in Wester Ross
Friday the 16th of October.
Sunrise 07:58, sunset 18:16.
Coming up in Wester Ross
- Oct16Inverewe Garden EntryOn today
- Oct24Gluggle Jug Workshop
- Nov7Fossil hunting on the beach
- Dec4An Talla Solais Christmas Market
The news in Wester Ross
Things you might not know.
The Bealach na Bà climbs from sea level to 626 metres in about nine kilometres, and it's still thought of as Britain's steepest road.
From The Road That Winds Through TimeThe first contractor on the Bealach na Bà is said to have lasted only three months, and the Edinburgh firm that finished the road in 1822 paid its labourers a shilling a day.
From The Road That Winds Through TimeStrome Castle fell in 1602 after a servant filling barrels in the dark poured water into the defenders' last barrel of gunpowder, and the Mackenzies blew it apart.
From The Destruction of Strome CastleLoch Maree holds more than 60 islands, and on one of them, Isle Maree, there's a holy well, an old burial ground and a wishing tree studded with coins.
From The Tragic Lovers of Loch Maree
Ullapool was built around the fishing industry to a design by the engineer Thomas Telford, and boats still land their catch at its harbour.
From Scotland’s vibrant rural food scene
With its cabbage palms, sheltered bay and big views, Plockton has long drawn artists and film-makers.
From Walks, Wildlife & Nature in Skye
