Culag Woods – A Mossy Wood on the Shore of Loch Inver
About 2 miles on foot.
Culag Woods sit at the southern end of Lochinver and run down to the shore of the sea loch.
It's a community wood of birch, hazel, oak and conifer, where the air is so clean and damp that the branches and boulders are furred with moss and lichen. A circular walk of about two miles takes in a viewpoint to Suilven and a pebble beach called the White Shore.
- Time
- One to two hours: a circular walk of about 2 miles (3.2 km) on narrow gravel paths, with steep flights of rocky steps.
- The path
- Narrow gravel paths with steep, rocky steps and some mud.
- Where to start
- The Woodside car park at the southern end of Lochinver. No charge. The wood's main car park is a little further north.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January arrive by 1pm. The Lochinver Larder is shut on Sundays and Mondays.
- Dogs
- Under close control.
- Children
- Picnic tables, play areas and leaf posts to hunt for. Some steep steps.
- Toilets
- None in the wood: the public toilets are in Lochinver village.
- Before you set out
- Paths are slippery in wet weather and under wet leaves.
The walk
Park in the Woodside car park at the southern end of Lochinver, where there's no charge. The public toilets are in the village. The walk is a circuit of about two miles, and the leaflet that Plantlife made with the wood's own trust says to allow one to two hours. The paths are narrow and gravelled, with some steep flights of rocky steps and a few muddy stretches, so wear boots or shoes with a good grip. Maps stand at each car park and under a shelter in the middle of the wood.
Culag is part of the rainforest of Scotland's west coast, and the thing to look at is the small stuff: mosses, liverworts and lichens on every trunk and stone, tree lungwort among them. The viewpoint looks inland to the great dome of Suilven. The White Shore is a beach of pale pebbles, where eiders and red-breasted mergansers feed offshore and otters hunt among the kelp. Herons nest high in the treetops. For children there are picnic tables, play areas and posts along the paths that each show a leaf, with the tree itself growing close by to find.
The Culag Community Woodland Trust has looked after the wood since 1995. Keep dogs under close control. In the village, the Lochinver Larder is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, for pies and lunch. From November to January, be here by 1pm.
If it rains
The trees give some shelter, so a shower needn't stop you, but the steps and gravel paths are slippery when wet. Wear shoes with a good grip.
Before you go
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Sean Beasley via Google