Northern Highlands & Islands

NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS 353 Ullapool © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Inverpolly Nature Reserve Glen Torridon Assynt Coire Lagan Waternish Lewis Duirnish Harris AREA : 20,000 SQ KM 20,000 SQ KM : AREA still remain within living memory. within living still remain

( p383 ) Assynt Stein Inn Stein blackhouses ( p371 ), with its ( p371 ), ( p391 ) and ( p375 ) Coire Lagan Coire and Waternish on Skye and Waternish

Lewis Ullapool Glen Torridon ( p396 ) in the Outer Hebrides ) in the Outer p396 ( ( p387 ) after touring the craft studios and ) after p387 ( workshops of Duirinish amid the jagged peaks of the Cuillin moun- amid the jagged peaks of the Cuillin tains of Skye on the west coast of on the west coast of Harris delightful town of in the stunning mountainous playgrounds of Reserve Nature Inverpolly picture-perfect harbour ( p370 ) and Hikingspectacular up to and beautiful beaches Exploring the remote in the succulent seafood on fresh, Gorging Grappling with the Highlands’ peaks mighty Enjoying crab sandwiches at the POPULATION: 175,000 175,000 POPULATION:

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

The stunning scenery extends offshore to the Isle of Skye, where the jagged peaks of the the jagged Skye, where to the Isle of offshore stunning scenery extends The Hebrides – the ‘isles at Outer as you head west to the light intensifies And that magical The northern Highlands epitomises most visitors’ romantic notion of Scotland. Vast, wild ex- wild northernThe Highlands Vast, notion of Scotland. most visitors’ romantic epitomises with and towering mountain ranges veined blue lochs, by sparkling, steely panses punctuated powerful is lost in swirling cloud. This snow, their summits often almost feel country, and you can romanti- But the of the Clearances – the silence can be deafening. the desolation and tragedy likely heard the call of the wild, you’re ever too, and if you’ve is inescapable cism of the region ethereal unique and Scottish in all of this – it’s the something There’s to be mesmerised here. northern Europe’s fringe, illuminating over through the clouds and tangos light that squeezes by the minute. by the hour, or even its appearance changing its rugged splendour and of Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora Macdonald at the mist, and the ghosts Hills tear Cuillin for walkers, Skye is a paradise climbers and wildlife Castle. haunt the hallways of Dunvegan home to golden mountains, lonely lochs and scenic coastlines, enthusiasts, with its dramatic deer and seals. otters, falcons, eagles, peregrine gneiss. glaciated peat bog, lochan and bare, the edge of the sea’ – with their landscapes of shell-sand beaches, wildflower-strewn by glittering softened harsh landscapes are These visible in the turf of ruined crofts are the outlines where meadows machair, and buttercup where islands is a last bastion of Gaelic culture, necklace of remote This like fossils in a stone. in the old the hardships of life Northern Highlands & Islands NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS heave themselves out of the wildNorthSea. along the coastgreat heather-covered hills range,and mournfulSutherland mountain along wildandpristine coastline. traverses CromartyFirthand snakes itsway tourism frenzy isleftbehindoncetheroad outposts. Withonlyafew exceptionsthe Scotland’s far-flung, mainlandpopulation twisting A9,asitheadsnorthforthe lastof of escapismmarktheroutesense alongthe begins tounfold.Agentle splendour anda is where thereal barrenness of theHighlands In bothlandscapeandcharacter, theeastcoast 354 ES COAST EAST Ailein Dunvegan Boreraig Baile Shawbost Drinishader NORTHERN HIGHLANDS Loch While theinterior isdominated bythevast Lewis Rhenigdale 57°N Hebrides Borve Bracadale of the Crosbost Kershader ATCAT • etn rud Around COAST ••Getting EAST Sea Barvas Snizort Loch Dunvegan Leumrabhagh Galson Minch Stornoway Little Stornoway Isle ofSkye Peinchorran Isle of Griais (1280m) Moirneag Rum A87 Port of Uig Ness Portree Skigersta Inverarish Tolsta Port nan Sconser Gizran Elgol Raasay Sound 6°W Hebrides Map(p380) Broadford Armadale of See Skye&Outer Melvaig Isleornsay Minch Ruadh Toscaig Beinn Eighe(972m) Reidh Brochel Mallaig Sound The Inner Kyleakin Torridon Loch Lochalsh Gair Kyle of Loch Diabaig Sound Gairloch Lower Sleat Kylerhea Gruinard of A830 Midtown Applecross Kishorn Plockton Bay Mallaig Arnisdale Torridon Liathach A832 Morar (1024m) Loch Achmelvich Duirinish of Stoer Poolewe Glenelg Summer A896 Clachtoll Achiltibuie Shieldaig Point Fionn Loch Drumchork Isles Maree Duich Hourn Loch Loch Loch Achmore Enard Eddrachillis Kinlochbervie Dornie Bay Strathan Kinlochewe Lochcarron Handa Island Scourie Sisters of Glen Torri Broom Bay Kintail Loch Strathcarron Sandwood Eilean Donan Teallach Five (1062m) Shiel Bridge Morvich Dundonnell Lochinver (980m) Bay Wrath Slioch An Castle

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It hasawiderange of socialhistory displays to (including north of) Inverness. to (includingnorthof) h in town.It’sapre-7th century Pictish stone main drag)iswellworthalookwhenyou’re ( coast andJohn o’Groats. fromWicktoThurso,operates viathe buses Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com who predicted manyfuture events. connected tolocalfolklore –theBrahanSeer, up box andatoytrain. activities forchildren, including adressing- andalsohas about childhood intheHighlands, £2/1.50; ofChildhood Museum Highland healthy glow. lengths Victorianswenttointhequestfora some splendiddisplaysshowing thebizarre £2/1.50; The renovated Sights town square. a supermarket andapostofficenearbyinthe Pump Roomandhaslimited info. You’llfind sulphurous waters. folk congregated here tosplashaboutinthe rian andEdwardiantimes,whenchic society grandeur. dripping withVictoriancharm andafaded creaking oldpavilions hotels andgrandiose town,its Highland isadelightful Strathpeffer % STRATHPEFFER % At the old Victorian train station istheAt theoldVictoriantrainstation The self-service The The village wasafashionablespainVicto- Waverley Tigh anEilean Hotel Applecross Inn Tigh anEilean Hotel Morefield Motel Summer IslesHotel Ben LoyalHotel Le Bistro 2 QuailRestaurant Oyster Catcher Restaurant often inremote, lesstouristed communities. Highlands, Here’s ofthebesteatingyou’llfindasyoujourneythrough thenorthern aselection TOP 10PLACES OFFTHEEATEN TOGET TRACK 01997 /pop950 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, late-May–late-Sep) 01463-239292) EagleStone h h 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm Sun Apr-Oct; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat,2-5pmSunApr-Oct; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, late-May–late-Sep) ( p366 coast ) –Thurso,north ( p377 ) –KyleofLochalsh,westcoast runs services to towns close totownsclose runsservices Pump Room ( p376 ) – Applecross,westcoast (followthesignsfrom ( p367 coast ) –Tongue,north ( p373 ) –Ullapool,westcoast ( p358 ) –Dornoch, eastcoast tourist office tourist ( p371 ) –Achiltibuie,westcoast ( p375 ) –Sheildaig,westcoast ( p375 ) –Shieldaig,westcoast Stagecoach Inverness

( ( % %

( p356 eastcoast ) –Portmahomack, 421415; adult/child 421031; adult/child

EAST COAST ••Strathpeffer EAST isinthe ( % 421415; has c . )

the bestdeals. lovely woodedgrounds.Bookinadvancefor with awood-panelledlobbyandlounge, plus chateau-style buildingoverlooking thetown, renovated.been It’samagnificent,European tels have fallenintoneglect,butthisonehas .com; rperperson£35-55) is what you’ll find in this delightful Georgian is whatyou’llfindinthisdelightful late…which perfectly withchocolate. goes uphotdrinks,includingchoco- also serves Maya istheultimate indulgence. insweet It chocolates totheHighlands, Bringing Belgian h it after the gourmetbreakfast. backinto poster tocollapse bed –you’llneed four-for the‘BlueRoom’withitssensational bathrobes andfresh fruit.Couplesshould go classy placeare here, such asawelcomedrink, Allthelittleextrasthatmarkouta town house. s/d £37/70) time. the breakfast tofastuntildinner sufficient vate bathroom.Yourhostismotherlyand Inside,tworoomsshare apri- conservatory. rific viewsare enjoyedviaaminigarden opposite thetownsquare) uponahill.Ter- (turnuptheroadnexttoCraigvar, peffer comfy accommodationatthebackof Strath- Ardival; s/d£26/44) B&B Wyvis View Sleeping &Eating dancing andafestive air. May toSeptember. There’s alsoHighland the townsquare Saturdayfrom8pm, every Maya Craigvar Highland Hotel Highland 10am-5pm Tue-Sat) The

Strathpeffer & District PipeBand Strathpeffer &District ( Luxury livingwitharefined touch %

( % 420008; Main St; boxofchocs£1.80-24; 420008; Main (

421622; www.craigvar.com; TheSquare; % ThishomelyB&Bprovides

( Ohh,thisplaceisdangerous. % 421053; [email protected]; Many of theoldspaho- 421457; www.shearingsholidays playsin

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS toastie orpanini. trainstation,agoodpitstopfor In theoldVictorian by the Highlands. For proof,the Highlands. knock backadram produces someof the finestsinglemalts in 10am-4pmSat,noon-4pmSunJun-Aug) Mon-Fri, ( cellent century ruinsof 1065, andiscommemorated bythe12th- born inTain, (Ireland) died inArmagh in totheReformation. StDuthacwas through fromthetimeoftracing events StDuthac the historyof Tain asaplaceof pilgrimage, is afascinatingheritage centre thatdescribes h along theeastcoast. making itadesirablespottobreak ajourney It alsohasacoupleof excellent attractions, the fineexamplesof Victorianarchitecture. and thetownstreets are worthawanderfor of retained yesteryear,has certainly asense pilgrimageand wasanimportant centre. It Tain isScotland’soldestroyalburgh (town) % TAIN multi-day hire. day.Pricedecreases with £10/15 perhalf-/full h run viaStrathpeffer. plus someInverness also toUllapoolbuses, The Inverness toGairloch andDurnessbuses, hourly MondaytoSaturday,fouronSunday). verness (45 minutes, toStrathpeffer atleast Stagecoach Inverness fromIn- operates buses Getting There&Around Coffeeshop Museum Strathpeffer Hotel berry andorange glaze. disoriented duckbreast withavodka,cran- surrounds. Wefoundithardtogopastthe as wildboarsteaks, anddiningisinelegant ofselection mealsincludinggamedishes such diningoptionintown.There’sneeded alarge historical Victorianspapavilion isamuch 15; 356 Solid pubrooms. rperperson£32/42) [email protected]; standard/superior % Square WheelsCycles Square PoppyRestaurant Red On thenorthernedge of townistheex- Tain Time Through Also recommended: h St DuthusChurch 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, Apr-Jun Sep & Oct, to6pmJul&Aug)10am-5pm Mon-Sat,Apr-Jun &Oct, Sep 10am-6pm Thu-Mon) 01862 /pop3600 892477; ATCAT • an COAST ••TainEAST lunch Tue-Sun, dinnerTue-Sat) Glenmorangie Distillery & Visitor Centre Centre Distillery&Visitor Glenmorangie h 9am-5pm Mon-Fri Sep-May, 9am-5pm Sep-May, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri ( St Duthac’sChapel % . (lightmeals£2-4; (

rents bikes mountain for % 421200; strathpeffer (

894089; adult/child£3.50/2.50; %

( % 423332; dinnermains£10- 421000; TheSquare; Intherestored h , aswell 10am-5pm) , which

many delectable lobstermany delectable dishes. sandy beach.sandy Onlytworoomsoverlook Dor- mains £10-23; 3 milesnortheastof thevillage; theheadland now thediscovery centre. then becamethecentre of excavations –it’s ered around thevillage church. Thechurch tions of anIronAge were settlement discov- circles’ appeared afew years ago,thefounda- excellent carved Pictish stones. When‘crop Apr&Oct; 2-5pmMar, 5pm May-Sep, ( little harbour. foreshore atthefar end of Main St,nearthe The bestplacetoenjoythetownisgrassy gazing acrossthewater atsnowcappedpeaks. offthebeatenflawless spot–right trackand Portmahomack isaformerfishing village ina % PORTMAHOMACK 2½ hours). ness (£10.10,onehour)andThurso (£12.30, from Inverness (£6.30,onehour). coach Inverness runsfrequent express buses Thurso Tain passthrough (five daily).Stage- spring-onion fishcakes, hasacheery vibe. (mains £7to£9)such assmoked haddockand treats less andthesnazzydiningarea, serving without bathroom£30/50). tling are alsoexcellenttours (£3). of thesherry-orMadeira-wood finish.There of of around thefirthviatiny settlements goes near and causeway, Tain. Analternative route theDornoch Firth, onabridgeThe A9crosses BONAR BRIDGE &AROUND daily MondaytoFriday). Portmahomack (30minutes, atleastthree Restaurant Catcher andcheerfulshouldn’t miss thebright aficionados noch Firth, sobookearly.Seafood hotel.co.uk; St;d£44) Main fortable lighthouse. is marked red-and-white-striped byatall, % Stagecoach Inverness runsfrom Tain to If you’re trythefriendlyandcom- staying, The intriguing There are walksat goodcoastal There are uptothree trainsdailytoInver- fromInvernessScottish Citylinkbuses to Rooms are atthebus- of standard ahigh Ardgay 01862 /pop650 871351; Tarbatness Rd;adult/child£3.50/1; St DuthusHotel Caledonian Hotel Caledonian , where you’llfind a trainstation, h lunch &dinnerWed-Sun)

( %

( Thebathroomsare spot- % overlooking thevillage’s Tarbat Centre Discovery 871560; Main St; starters £7-10, St;starters 871560; Main 894007; TowerSt;s/d£35/60,

( % lonelyplanet.com 871345; www.caley w –there are ) hassome Tarbat Ness h Oyster Oyster 10am-

, most luxurioushostel, itshallsstuddedwith Sutherland –itisnowScotland’sbiggest and was builtin1914forthedowager duchess of lonelyplanet.com breck (961m) and Ben Loyal(764m). breck (961m)andBen Kli- Ben toTonguepasses A836 from Lairg loch-speckled bogsof central Sutherland.The it’s thegateway totheremote and mountains overhead. Atthesouthernendof Loch Shin, of jetsheardwhiningandcracking military quillity canberudelyinterrupted bythesound isanattractiveLairg village, thetran- although % LAIRG Castle. daily), halfamilefromCarbisdale dgay andCulrain(£12.10,twoorthree times Advance bookingsare recommended. minutes’ walk northof Culraintrainstation. anddrippingwithopulence.statues It’s10 h (SYHA; rating, opulent dows of CroickChurch. crofters fromGlencalvieontheeastern win- scratched messages byrefugee thesad see theboxedances (see text, p360 ). Youcanstill duringthe1845Clear-notorious evictions miles upStrathcarronto branches west. A836 toLairg shop andhotel, and Trains fromInverness toThurso stopatAr- If ayouthhostel couldattractafive-star From Ardgay,asingle-trackroadleads10 around, they may well take youuptherearound, theymaywelltake foratour. ing theprogress Ifsafarishaven’t butyou’re ofspeciesintroduction. started foralook keen .alladale.com; Ardgay) people not staying in the lodge the opportunity toseethereserve. people notstayinginthelodgeopportunity but whentheyare introduceddaytripswillbe£45/18foradults/children forsixhours. This gives 4WD safaris,fishingandmountainbiking. There were nowildlife safarisatthetimeofwriting, all-inclusive. Call thelodgeorseewebsite fordetails. includeguidednature Activities walks, from AprilthroughtoAugust are afour-night stretch reserved forcouplesbooking for£800, rooms accommodating16guestsandit’susuallyavailabletogroupsonly.However, somedates in Scotland,suchasgrey wolves, European brownbearsandEurasian lynx. and moosewere alldueforrelease. Longer-term plansincludeformerpredators, onceabundant deer, roewildboar,poniesandgoldeneagles. In2007capercailly,red squirrel, bison speciestoroamonitsvastestate.ing formerlyextinct Wildlife onthereserve nowincludesred inScotland. wildlife conservation arevolutionary Highlands ischanging project theconceptofIn apristinespotinthenorthern THE HIGHLANDS’JURASSICPARK ( Mar-Sep) 01549 /pop900 % Alladale isapproximately ofInverness. 40milesnorth Dropinto Visitors canstayinthelodge,where accommodationisvery exclusive; there are eightluxury % 01863-766323; Ardgay; 0870 0041109;Culrain;dmadult/child£16/12.50; would score six. Carbisdale Castle wouldscore Castle six.Carbisdale EAST COAST ••Lairg EAST Carbisdale Castle YouthHostel Castle Carbisdale , home to the country’s most northerly tuftofancientScotspineforest, isreleas-, hometothecountry’smostnortherly Bonar Bridge h Croick 9am-5pm Mon-Sat,10am-4pmSun) , thesceneof , where the Alladale WildernessLodge&Reserve

miles eastof isacharming Lairg andunique Lairg (£12.10, 1¾hours) and Rogart(£12.10, Lairg hour, three daily MondaytoFriday). also runtoHelmsdaleSaturday). Buses (one (30minutes, fourdaily Mondayto to Lairg MacLeods thenpicksupthelinkfrom Tain verness toTain (£6.30,onehour, frequent); meals are available (£8). for lunch anddinner(£10to£14)bar caters forsolotravellers. Therestaurant’s open ensuitesis bright, are sparklingandtheinn .nipinn.co.uk; St;rperperson£27-32). Main good valueatthesolid with adiningroom. partment withalittlekitchen andanother bunkseach;comfortable there’s alsoacom- railway carriages have fitted withtwo been hostel. Ten compartmentsintwo1st-class Station;rperperson£12; Rogart of Shin youcanwatch leapingthe salmon Lairg, office. are alsoshops, abank(withATM) andapost far sideof theriver from thevillage. There Sat Jun-Aug &11.30am-5.30pmSunJul-Aug; 9.30am-5.30pmMon- &Oct, Sep 10am-5.30pm Mon-SatMay, Ferrycroft CountrysideCentre; Trains from Inverness toThurso stop at Sleeperzzz justsouthofFrom JunetoSeptember, Stagecoach Inverness runfromIn- buses Rooms are surprisinglymodernandvery Lairg has a seasonal hasaseasonal Lairg ontheirwayupstream tospawn. forinformationonthereserve includ-

( % 01408-641343; www.sleeperzzz.com; 01408-641343; www.sleeperzzz.com; Alladale CountryStore

( % h Nip Inn tourist office tourist h 01863-755338; www 10am-5pm Mon-SatApr, Mar–mid-Nov)

( % Thedécor i 402243; www ( % onthe ) 402160; , nine

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS white puddingtorte witha brandy onionjus. withblackand ant and pigeon, andserved tucking intodishes such astheduoof pheas- first-rate restaurant (dinnermains£15to£18) in thecosybarbefore dining instyleatthe toastyourtoes at random!Intheevening ter –askforaroomnumber whatyouchoose but you’re unlikely tobedisappointed nomat- palace. roomsvaryconsiderably, Thestately try thisgrand,16th-centuryformer bishop’s £70/110, suite£210) hotel.com; CastleSt;gardens/twfrom£50/65,castle s/dfrom smokers’ guestlounge. Watch thelowroofs. make thisplaceagoodchoice, andthere’s a ofselection shared anden-suite bathrooms from thecathedral.Firmmattresses anda tion, spillingoutontothevillage green across century stonecottage claimingprimoloca- Cathedral Sq;s/d£25/50) GuestHouse Trevose Sleeping &Eating barsthe sand of sand make sure youhave awalkalongitsgolden rebuilt until1837. spite some patching up,itwasn’tcompletely was destroyedin1570duringaclanfeud. De- ates Theoriginalbuilding apowerfuleffect. adjacentstained-glass windowscre-through a crucifix.Thecrisscross of streaming light century The townisclustered aroundthe13th- Sights internet access. Hotel andhaslimitedCastle information,plus CouncilBuildingnexttoDornoch Highland 9.30am-5pmSat,callforwinterhrs; Mon-Fri, turn. localsatevery and affable stone bewitches visitors withflowers, greenery 2 milesofftheA9,thissymphonyinsand- ful village isallhappyfamilies.Onthecoast, in todaythisgrace- Dornoch in1722,because ecuted witch perishedina vat of boilingtar thatScotland’slastex- tobelieve It’s difficult % DORNOCH direction. two hours) twoorthree timesdailyineach 358 The Dornoch Castle Hotel Dornoch Castle South of are Dornoch, seals often visibleon If you’ve struckDornoch onasunnyday 01862 /pop1200 ATCAT • onc COAST ••Dornoch EAST beach tourist office tourist Dornoch Cathedral , which stretches formiles. Fancy inacastle?Then anight DornochFirth (

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% 255121; CastleSt; 810269; [email protected]; 810269; [email protected]; 810216; www.dornochcastle , which isshaped like . i h isinthe ) 9am-5pm Although itdatesAlthough backtoaround1275,most largest (187rooms). intheHighlands house down withaDornoch Ale. and three-course lunch specials.Washitall tion andman-sizedmeals.Lookoutfortwo- boozer complete witheccentricornamenta- breakfast. The bestB&Bscomewithsimplicityandasmile. No Golspie isanattractive townoffthemain % GOLSPIE stopping inthesquare atDornoch. Thurso (£11,2¼hours, fourtofive daily), ness (£7.20,1¼hours, fourtofive daily)and to/fromInver- Scottish Citylinkhasservices Getting There&Away Auchlea Rosslyn Villa Bookings are essential. one of thebestinthispartof theHighlands. A tinyrestaurant thatexcelsinfinedining– dinner £37; h BenBhraggie abovesteeply thevillage tothe summitof about halfwayalong. Theothertrailclimbs Iron Age broch (defensive tower)of 5 milestoBrora, passing theremains of the walks. Onetrailleadsnorthalongthe coastfor theboxedClearances –see text, p360 ). (probably grateful theyweren’t victimsof the displays innumerable giftsfromfarmtenants into theiropulentlifestyle. also Thehouse furnished andoffers anintriguinginsight the earlsanddukes of Sutherland,it’srichly 1845and1850.Oneofbetween thehomesof todaywasbuilt inFrenchof whatyousee style 10.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat,noon-5.30pmSunJun-Aug) &Sep–mid-Oct, Mon-Sat, noon-4.30pmSunApr,May Castle on thewalkingbootsorexploringacastle). day ortwo(particularlyifyoufeel like pulling drag, andwouldbeacongenial optionfora 1.5 milesfromtown. en-suite rooms;neartheA9turn-offtoDornoch,about lodgingwiththree person £22.50-30)Apurpose-built bar mealsare alsoavailable (£6to£8). The restaurant’s openforlunch anddinner; point forsomegood Golspie isthestarting 2 QuailRestaurant Eagle Hotel Also recommended: One milenorthof townismighty lunch &dinner) 01408 /pop1400

( % ( % h 633177; adult/child£7/5; Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( 811524; www.auchlea.co.uk; B9168;rper (394m), which iscrowned bya % dinner Tue-Sat Apr-Oct, Fri &SatNov-Mar) Fri dinner Tue-Sat Apr-Oct, ( % Chowdownatthistoplittle 810237; CastleSt;rperperson£19) 810008; CastleSt;barmeals£8-10;

( % 811811; CastleSt;4-course h 10.30am-4.30pm Carn Liath Carn Dunrobin , the

861466; DunrobinSt; is miles around. that waserected in1834andisvisiblefor massive monumenttotheduke of Sutherland Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com armshotel.com; book wellaheadfor JulyandAugust. dorms anden-suite familyrooms. Itgets busy; nick –there’s anopenfire, excellent eight-bed had amajor refurbishment andisinvery good ness Rd;dm£15; Helmsdale YouthHostel Sleeping &Eating 9am-12.45pm Wed&Sat) into and ifyoufeel like throwinginaline,drop through. tion whenwepassed memories. Thecentre forrenova- wasclosed their and,importantly, area, theirpossessions a collectionof onpeopleinthe storiesbased it’s century. Thegalleryisintriguingbecause ofthe House Sutherland intheearly19th cibly removed fromtheirnative homesby Story –whenhundreds of familieswere for- Dunrobin St) The excellent Sights &Activities being renovated atthetimeof research. ( go tothe the Highlands. Helmsdale –oneof rivers thebestsalmon in ning, undulatingcoastlineandtheRiver enviable location.It’ssurroundedbystun- onawideriverset mouth, Helmsdale hasan Backed byyellowgorse-bedecked hillsand % HELMSDALE ness (£13.50,twohours, twoorthree daily). in Golspie. There are alsotrains fromInver- guests. relax withother andsocialise intheevening gardens andthelounge offers achance to Victorian mansion.There are landscaped double opposite thelounge) inatowering large beautifullykept rooms(ourfave isthe A9; s/d£25/40; % Blar Mhor On theapproach intotownfromDornoch Belgrave ArmsHotel Belgrave For touristinformationandinternet access, Helmsdale fishing isknownforitssalmon Inverness between andThursoBuses stop 01431 /pop900 821402; TheHarbour,Shore St; River HelmsdaleFishing TackleRiver hasagalleryrelating theGartymore Strath Ullie Crafts &InformationCentre Strath UllieCrafts

( i cnr Dunrobin St&A9;s/dfrom£24/44) %

h Timespan Heritage Centre Timespan Heritage ) , an excellent guesthouse with , anexcellentguesthouse 633609; [email protected]; May-Sep; May-Sep; h . 9am-5pm Mon,Tue, Thu&Fri, (

% ( % 821242; enquiries@belgrave i 821636; cnrA9&OldCaith- ) Thishostel has i ) , which was EAST COAST ••Helmsdale EAST

( ( % % 821327; 07780- The

Nancy Sinclairhasgonetogreat lengths to mains £8-15; a happystomach. on their waywith with acheery smile andsent and shared bathrooms. Guestsare greeted beath, hascosyrooms withlow-slungceilings working llamafarm, 4milessouthof Dun- Farm in 1942. the SunderlandflyingboatnearDunbeath exhibitions, includingoneonthe crashof cluding crofting andfisheries. There are also displays about thehistoryof in- Caithness, £2/free; www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk; TheOldSchool; adult/child shops anda the northerntowns.There are acoupleof glen –itmakes agoodstopontheway to gradientsandhairpinbends. with steep ofparking area, section theA9, isadifficult Braes Berriedale of crofts are top.The perched onthecliff takes youto minute walk eastfromtheA9(signposted) About 7milesnorthof Helmsdale, a15- HELMSDALE TOLATHERON 1¼ hours, fourdaily). Helmsdale, asdotrains(fromThurso £12.50, fromInvernessBuses andThurso stopin Getting There&Away as good-value fishcooked withclass. grillsandvegetarianstandard options,aswell Themenuboasts and isadrawcardinitself. ingly, herrestaurant’s décoroozes pinkkitsch, holidayed here forover 60years). Accord- double (Cartland Cartland’s become Barbara listed above.discounts ontariffs bedsareDoggy available onrequest. for Call theme, withnumerous‘trophies’onthewall. some, theonlydrawbackmaybehunting furniture have great hillandriver views.For the luxuriousdoubleswithpolished-wood The suite (£145)ismore like aminiflatand 19th-century lodgingisatopplacetostay. robin St;s/d£75/105; rooms are fresh andwellmaintained. creaky the though, floorboards. Importantly, mustyodour and ine feel toit,withaslightly asmallfamily-runhotel,Belgrave, hasagenu- Dunbeath The friendlyandlaid-back La Mirage Hotel Bridge

( % h 01593-751202; Berriedale; s/dfrom£22/45) 01593-751202; Berriedale; 10am-5pm Apr-Sep, Mon-Fri Oct-Mar) Mon-Fri 10am-5pm Apr-Sep, h

has a spectacular setting in a deep inadeep setting hasaspectacular ( % lunch &dinner) Badbea

heritage centre centre heritage ( , 2.5 miles beyond the Badbea , 2.5milesbeyondtheBadbea % 821615; 7DunrobinSt;lightmeals£3-5, w 821100; www.bridgehotel.net; Dun- 821100; www.bridgehotel.net; Ideallylocated, thisearly- ) . It’shere thattheruins Formerproprietor ( % Kingspark Llama Kingspark 01593-731233; , with

359

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS h Centre lines Visitor surrounded bygrassy cliffs. ing from1810,withastunningharbourarea Lybster isapurpose-built fishingvillage dat- % LYBSTER day toadmire thestunningviews. it’s worthpullingintothecarparkonafine a pinch of Even salt! ifyoudon’twant to goin, take thisclaimwith America –butyoumight Scot, notChristopherColumbus,discovered of DunbeathontheA9,you’lllearnthata 4pm SunJul&Aug) 11am-1pm&2-4pmMon-Sat,2- 2-4pm Mon-SatJun&Sep, ( 360 % The major here crowd-pleaser isthe At the feudal tenure comeintoeffect inlate 2004,ending 900yearsoffeudalism. passedin2003, gaveAct, crofters theabsolute righttobuy theirtenancy, andalawabolishing poverty andestrangement fromtheirancestrallands. with thepoorsouls losttostarvation, is infullswing,thehumancostirrecoverable andthedesolation ofthecountrysideisinharmony everywhere andthehumantragedy hasscarred thismajesticlandscape. Whileeconomicrecovery ties thatceasedlivingandbreathing more than200yearsago. Evidence is ofthecruelevictions and eventually thesupplyoflandfornewcrofts. by thegovernment; theCrofters’ of1886provided HoldingsAct forsecurityoftenure, fairrents Their resistanceand theirownpoliticalparty. ledtoseveral oftheirdemandsbeingacceded to This time,however, theyresisted expulsion,instead LandReformAssociation formingtheHighland that youcanstillseetoday. community ofthe and hadtobesupplemented The byother worksuchasfishingandkelp-gathering. close-knit of smallholdingthatbecameknownascrofting. The smallpatchoflandbarely provided aliving, living fromnarrowplotsofmarginal agriculturalland,often closetothecoast.This wasaform from theirhomesandland. rentcollecting farmers. frompoverty-stricken Tens ofthousandstenant farmerswere evicted fromtheirtenants, andsawsheepfarmingasfarmoreneeded militaryservice profitablethan between around1750andthe1880s. Followingthebanonprivate armies,clanchiefs nolonger shared thegrazingland. this system wasknownas located todifferent familiesbyannualballotsothateachtookturnsatgettingthepoorer soils; and a portion of the harvest. The arablelandwasdividedintostripscalled oftheharvest. and aportion families whofarmedthelandgranted tothembythelocalchieftaininreturn formilitaryservice the mostcommonformoffarmingsettlementhere wasthe –allthatremainsamid thebracken farmingcommunities. ofdeserted Upuntilthe19thcentury ofthe In manyparts andislandsyouwillseeclustersHighlands ofruinedcottagescrumbling CROFTING &THECLEARANCES 11am-5pm May-Sep; 11am-5pm May-Sep; 01593 01593-741700; adult/child£2.50/1; ATCAT • yse COAST ••Lybster EAST Crofting tenancies stillexistandcomplexregulations nowprotect thecrofters. The LandReform agraveyard are, communities,communi- ofbroken Today theScottishHighlands inmanyparts, When economicdepression hitinthelate 19thcentury,manycrofters couldn’tpaytheirrent. Those whochosenottoemigrate ormove tothecitiesfindworkwere a forced toeke But thislifestyle Clearances,whichtookplace oftheHighland wassweptawayinthewake Clan Gunn Heritage Centre &Museum Centre Clan GunnHeritage in Latheron, 3milesnortheast inLatheron,

( % baile wc 721520; adult/child£2.50/50p; wasreplaced bythewidelyscattered cottagesofthe crofting settlements ) . It has a heritage . Ithasaheritage runrig h . The thelandcommunally,andtheircattle families worked 11am-1pm & Water-

Berriedale. from WicktoUlbster, Lybster, Dunbeathand Countryrunsfourtimesdaily sons/Highland andDunbeath.Rap- to fourdaily),Latheron and Inverness runviaLybster (onehour,up rooms –allare pretty good. feel. There’s amixof olderandrefurbished pheric oldpubwithlogfires andafarmhouse on theA9mainroadintown,isanatmos- Hotel stunning harboursetting. baking whileadmiringtheviewsacross outdoor benches andmunch onsomehome After avisityoucansiton from nearbycliffs. beaming live pictures birds of nestingsea of thekipperingprocess)andCCTV whiff exhibition, asmokehouse (givingvisitors a Scottish Citylink buses between Thurso between Scottish Citylinkbuses The warmandwelcoming ( % 721721; www.portlandarms.co.uk; s/d£75/86) 721721; www.portlandarms.co.uk; baile, agroupofdozen orso rigs, whichwere al- lonelyplanet.com Portland Arms Portland , tiny naturalharbourringed byvertical cliffs face. Itprovidescut intothecliff accesstoa A99, is At Ulbster, 5milesnorthof Lybster onthe AROUND LYBSTER lonelyplanet.com spend at least a night, asittakes whileto spend atleast anight, awee youshouldfor aplace thissize. Inanycase, ing) thingaboutthis town–it’sjusttooquiet theweird(anddepress- mall andyou’llsee take awalkaround WickHarbour St orHigh little lessdismalthanitoncewas.That said, turned acorner,thetownappears tobea that While wewouldn’tquite say Wick has % WICK from thishillare stunning. original pattern. Onasunnyday,theviews there Staggeringly, were 600inthe 2000 BC. small stonesthatprobablydate fromaround rious, fan-shapedarrangement of 22rowsof isacu- turn-off, 2 milesbeyondtheCamster Wick ontheA882. miles northonthisremote roadtoapproach ceiling. Fromthesite youcanthencontinue7 which hasacorbelled RoundCairn, preserved chamber, butmustfirst crawlintothewell- ures 60mby21m.Youcanenter themain stretch of moor. meas- TheLongCairn desolatemounds risingfromanevocatively burialchambersthese are hiddeninlong,low and2500BC, 4000BC Dating frombetween off leadsnorthtothe of moderntourismmakes thisplacespecial. and greens of andabsence theland.Thesetting skies, asteely grey loch, andthesoft browns location.It’sallaboutevocative colours: blue past stillcapture theimaginationwiththeir crumblingmonumentsof these thedistant AchavanichStandingStones south of Loch Stemster, are theunsigned30 Lybster, ontheminorroadtoAchavanich, just near Lybster. Five milestothenorthwestof as thegroundisboggy. for approximately 1mile. Weardecentshoes and followtheblack-and-white marker poles of Ulbster. Fromthecarparkcrossstile a prehistoric burialcairn,isamilenorthwest ofroad signposted The ‘Cairn Get’. road besidethetelephone box, opposite the mars. Thepathbeginsattheendof theminor and echoing withthecackleof nesting ful- Back ontheA99, Back There are interesting several prehistoric sites A mileeastof Lybster ontheA99,aturn- 01955 /pop7400 Whaligoe Steps EAST COAST ••AroundLybster EAST , a spectacular staircase staircase , aspectacular Grey Cairns ofCamster Cairns Grey . In a desolate setting, . Inadesolate setting, Hill o’Many Stanes o’Many Hill Cairn o’Get Cairn , . , weather, it’s a fine coastal walktothecastle, weather, it’safinecoastal 1pm Wed&Sat)Free internetaccess. h the distilling process. gives aninteresting, abbreviated accountof and sherry.The visitors centre is free and earthycharacterlight, withahintof air sea inJuly).Old Pulteney whiskyhasa (closed at 11amand2pmfromMonday to Friday land Scotlandandrunsexcellenttours (£3.50) St) Pulteney Old DISTILLERY ruinof located cliff-top miles northeastof Wickisthemagnificently but take care onthefinalapproach. Three as of the cliffs tacular of 12th-century A pathleadsamilesouthof towntotheruins CASTLES tos are forsale. trait of thetown’slife. Printsof theearlypho- the 70,000photographs are anamazingpor- thathappenedaroundWick,and everything three generations of Johnstons photographed exhibit.From1863to1977, star the museum’s was thelargest herringportinEurope. the daysof themid-19thcenturywhenWick memorabilia andextensive displaysdescribing and isabsolutely huge inside,crammedwith without doubtoneof thebestincountry– – museum herring fishingboats.It’safantastic every thing fromfishing equipmenttocomplete andfallofrise theherringindustry, itdisplays heapeduponit.Trackingthe all thepraise outsidethesemonthscallforhrs) 5pm Easter-Oct, ( The town’saward-winninglocal CENTRE HERITAGE WICK Sights Library Wick Carnegie office Tourist Royal BankofScotland Bank ofScotland Information ness andadmirable attractions. façade toenjoyitsfascinatinghistory,gritti- dig underthetown’seconomicallydepressed Mon-Sat) UnattendedstationinMcAllansClothingStore. % isthemostnortherlydistilleryon main- The Johnston photographiccollectionis Gote o’Trams Gote 10am-6pm Mon&Thu,10am-8pmTue 10am- &Fri, 605393; 18-27BankRow;adult/child£3/50p;

( (McAllans; 66 High St; (McAllans;66High % , alittlefurthersouth.Ingood (Bridge St)HasATM. (Bridge 602371; www.oldpulteney.com; Huddart 602371; www.oldpulteney.com;Huddart Old WickCastle Brough ( % (Bridge St)HasATM. (Bridge 602864; SinclairTce; Castle Sinclair Castle andthe h , withthespec- 9am-5.30pm Brig deserves deserves museum . h , aswell 10am- 361

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS staying more than one night. The 2.75m-long morestaying The2.75m-long thanonenight. afew; pricesdropifyou’resize soasktosee is Wick’sbesthotel. Roomsvaryinlayoutand Union St;s/d£65/90; locally. ice isfriendly andtheingredients are sourced fine-dining option forlunch ordinner. Serv- past oneendof the hotel. The bistrohere isa Ebenezer Pl,theshortest street runs in Britain, welcome. single is option (£50fortwo),aswell.Note thatthe couple of doors down.There’s aself-catering handy fortheheritage centre andthechippy a harbour, hasalarge range of neatroomsandis and knowwhatthey’re doing.Itoverlooks the they’ve inthebusiness formanyyears been be yourfirst portof callforaccommodation– Harbour Quay;rperperson£22-28) a room.Solution:bookahead. during summeritcanoften tojag bedifficult and whileit’snotexactlyfloodedwithvisitors Wick hasashortage of B&Baccommodation Sleeping &Eating 362 To Thurso(21mi) WICK Quayside MacKay’s Hotel MacKay’s Riverside

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Wellington GuestHouse Harbour GuestHouse is very meatbased. fillets withathymeandhoneyjus.The menu dishes such as serves place toeatinWick.Itoverlooks theriver and mains £11-13; while theSundayroastis£7. steaks andburger andwraps.Abeer is£4.25 average burgers, salads, foodincludespastas, After allwhere doyougo?Cheapbut else i To CastleSinclair(3mi)

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C2 B2 C3 B2 C2 C2 B2 C3 Scalesburn www.northcoast-marine-adventures.co.uk) scenic wildlife trips. Seals, whales,dolphins scenic wildlife trips.Seals, utes, three MondaytoFriday). Nethercliffe Hotel thingsupintherooms. modern décortobrighten itiscleanandthere’s asplashofcolourand However, lonelyplanet.com to of birds atthestart summer.sea A pathleads better ( right ) orThurso ( p366 ), allnearby. accommodation, tryWick( opposite ), Mey disturbanceofminimise theenvironment.For guys canallbe spotted andthese and seabirds board trip here remotely worthwhileisjumpingon and souvenir shops. Theonlythingmakinga cally acarparksurroundedbyshoddy craft tremity for years. Themainattractionisbasi- right milkingthisgeographical), hasbeen ex- British mainland(it’sactuallyDunnetHead; tobethemostnortherlypointon lieved be- barrassing touristattraction,it’sfalsely it’s horrible. Scotland’sworst andmostem- about theplace– anything endearingtosay Wellsorry…butwestillcan’tfind they say. ways –‘you’re tooharsh on written tous pointingouttheerrorof our John o’Groats’ We’ve tried–wereally have. Readers have % JOHN O’GROATS four hours, oneortwodaily). St Margaret’s Hope,Orkney. ferryAlso connectsupwiththeGillsBay to ferryfor thepassenger toBurwick,Orkney. utes, upto five dailyMondaytoSaturday) toJohn o’Groats(40min- necting service Thurso (£6,40minutes, fourdaily). Inverness (£15,three hours, fourdaily)and .com) Airways Eastern day toSaturday)andontheOrkneyIslands. (from £120return, onehour,dailyMon- Edinburgh andWickairportflies between ing area. Wick isatransportgateway tothesurround- Getting There&Away St; s/d£50/65; fashioned décor. good-value roomsexhibitingwarmthandfloweryold- Two mileseastof John o’Groatsisthemuch WickfromInverness (£14.60, Trains service to/from Scottish Citylinkoperates buses Rapsons/Highland Countryrunsthecon- Rapsons/Highland Duncansby Stacks 01955 /pop500 fliestoAberdeen (£110return, 35min- Duncansby Head North Coast Marine Adventures Coast Marine North Logan Air c

( ) A very friendly, smallhotelwith ) Averyfriendly, % EAST COAST ••JohnO’Groats EAST ( % 01652-680600; www.easternairways

, spectacular natural rock , spectacular ( % 602044; fax605691;Louisburgh , which ishometomany 602294; www.loganair.co.uk) , which runs (

% 611797;

mainland, includingtheferry fare, is£38/19. child return £26/13);acoach tourof Orkney shuttles across toBurwick inOrkney(adult/ .co.uk; s/d£30/50) owner’s cheery smileisjustasbig. ferry MV is notthe Britishmainland’s mostnortherly John o’Groats Contrary topopularbelief, naff puta Let’s common misconceptiontorest. DUNNET HEAD magnificent viewsouttotheNorth Sea. up onrequest (iftheycan!).There are also andwillmakeaim toplease yousomething lunch.quiches Theowners oraploughman’s some freshly prepared gourmetsandwiches, mainland Scotland,isworthpopping intofor £4; Or try pricey)roomsupstairs. and decent(ifslightly coaching inn, hasafriendlybardownstairs .castlearms.co.uk; s/d£57/90) Pentland Firth. around, andthere are lovely viewsover the unusual walledgardenthat’sworthastroll there’sside inthecastlegrounds,though, an there’s inside.else Out- not thatmuch tosee tures of Mum,butforeveryone theQueen kick outof items of memorabilia andpic- willget a Mother, andhardenedroyalbuffs Thurso. It’stheformerhomeof thelate Queen miles fromJohn o’Groats,off theA836to & mid-Aug–Sep) .org.uk; adult/child£7.50/3; the A836. Mey isavery smallvillage scattered along % MEY Stroma orDuncansbyHead cost£15. Ninety-minute wildlife totheislandof cruises John o’GroatsFerries day to/fromThurso. MondaytoSatur-are alsouptofive services up tofive dailyMondaytoSaturday).There John o’GroatsandWick(40minutes,tween be- Countryrunsbuses Rapsons/Highland Getting There&Away this wonderfulstretch of coast. of covesis aseries narrowinletsanddeep on formations soaring60mabove There thesea. The TeaThe Cosy From May thepassenger toSeptember, The nearby h 01847 /pop200 lunch) Hawthorns Castle ofMey Castle , themostnortherlytearoom on Pentland Venture, , abigcrowd-puller,isabout 6

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS easy, but following the coast between these easy, but followingthecoast between Thurso or Kyle of Lochalsh bybusor trainis a lotmore to fromtheexperience. Getting and, doingitallin yourowntime,you’llget to reach thesites andtowns farmore easily gion isbestexplored bycar–you’llbeable pretty awful.There’s nodoubtthatthisre- Public transportinthenorthwest is,well, Getting Around ofis thestuff coastal-drive dreams. gaze. Thisnorthernmostslabof theHighlands mind (oronyourcamera).Park thecarand clusive snapshot of thisancient area inyour it,youcapturein which youglimpse anex- changingconstantly –forthatwindowof time character of uniqueand thelandistotally blazing sunshine oramurkygreyness, the is thatitmakes youfeel special.Whetherit’s est peaks. enormous lochs andsomeof Scotland’shigh- interior ishometovast,emptyspaces, deep peninsulas. Withintherugged confines,the of inlets,forgotten deep beaches andsurging the northandnorthwestcoastlineisafeast time. –andthatstillwouldn’tbeenough for weeks island of Youcouldget Britain. lostuphere urbanised on themodern,crowded,highly emptiness andawild,fragilebeauty,israrity marked bysingle-trackroads,breathtaking countrysuch asthis, Highland Quintessential NORTH &WESTCOAST industry. ofplains theevolution thelocalflagstone of southern endof which liesthetinyharbour a magnificentstretch of beach, atthe sandy from theconof John o’Groats. guided tourof thearea) isawelcomerelief plaques aboutlocalfloraandfaunaaself- Thelonelycarpark(with near thelighthouse. overand thevista toOrkneyandbeyond,all out here cliffs fortheviewsof sea thestartling northerly point’,it’salsowellworthcoming datingfrom1832. lighthouse miles tothewest.Theheadismarked bya toDunnetHead,point; thathonourgoes 10 364 Just southwestof Dunnet Head there is Not onlyisDunnetHead thereal ‘most The remarkable thingabout thelandscape itswayfromThurso toGlencoul, Carving Castlehill OT ETCAT • hro&Srbtr &WESTCOAST ••Thurso&Scrabster NORTH . It’shere thata heritage trailex- Monday, Wednesday,Thursday andSaturday Invernessbetween andUllapool. to Tongue(onedailyMondaySaturday). through postbus willthenget youfromLairg minutes, four dailyMondaytoSaturday).A (£3.50,45 toLairg ates aconnecting service and Tain (£6.30,1¼hours, hourlyortwohourly) Inverness Apart fromtrains, ness viaLairg. Ullapool andLochinver. urday, plusSundayinJulyandAugust)via (£17, five hours, onedailyMondaytoSat- .co.uk) man Coaches are youronly option. postbus services Thurso toDurness, theMondaytoSaturday towns. Country most townsinthissection. ofits website fordetails routes, which cover are usuallygoodvalueataround£4or£5.See run year-round; fares vary,butlongjourneys buses when thefunreally starts. places, especiallyfromOctober toMay, is Horizons, someclassyeating optionsand a calledCaithness a newtourist development can bleak and ratherdepressing, seem though The mainland’smost northerlytown, Thurso % THURSO &SCRABSTER of theyear. orcallfortimestherestto September), once dailyMondaytoSaturdayfrom June 755239) after theUllapooltoGairloch leg). to Kinlochewe andTorridon(atleastoneday with theWesterbus, youfromGairloch taking inconjunction Torridon postbuscanbeused Junction). TheAchnasheen–Kinlochewe– UllapoolandGairloch (viaBraemoretween The route via Dundonnellprovides alinkbe- nell onMonday,WednesdayandSaturday. andKinlochewe,Achnasheen orviaDundon- fromInverness toGairloch, runsvia service UllapoolandGairloch.between From Torridon,the The once-daily(exceptSunday)Westerbus Rapsons/Westerbus From late Apriltolate September, To travel across thenorthcoast,from There are regular ScottishCitylinkbuses An alternative istocomeupfromInver- 01847 /pop7800 runs buses fromInverness runsbuses toDurness MacLeods Coaches MacLeods ( bus service goes toStrathcarron(£3.50, goes busservice %

( %

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS to be, this old girl is starting toshow herage.to be,thisoldgirlisstarting comes with a smile. Seafood dishes featurecomes with asmile. on Seafood both traditional andexotic fare, and service award, handsdown. Thekitchen whipsup food winsour‘best placetoeatintown’ Mediterranean-style bistrowithtop-notch our faves innorthernScotland,thisbright, mains £10-13; inside andonthebusystreet outside. thing aboutthisjointispeople-watching, both home-baked cakes are butthebest astandout, Thedecadenthot mealsandsandwiches. light pumpsoutdecentcoffee, salads, Cardosi warm colours andatrendy, minimalistdécor, h Cardosi Café Eating while youwaitfortheferry toOrkney. are plenty of openareas forloungingaround tranquil inside,given itscentrallocation.There with adesk.It’sstylish place,andsurprisingly tohaveenough acouch nook andaseparate rooms inthisplaceare great value. They’re big .co.uk; St;s£40-45,d£70-80) Princes the bestlight. the topfloorhave more spaceanddrawin inthiscountry!),andtheoneson obsession are spick-and-span,moderniffloral(it’san bikes, makingitpopularwithcyclists.Rooms hasfivehouse en-suite roomsandstorage for 1 CampbellSt;s/d£30/60) factor. down winnerforlocationandthefeel-good in town.Notsheer luxurygranted, buthands- the river –justashort walkfromeverything andinagreatcasual setup positionopposite Nonetheless welike thisB&B. It’sagood, .info; 3JanetSt;rperperson£19-25) small desk. for andwellequipped:youget afridge and is great value. Roomsare small, butwellcared ragged, range of budget accommodation,and Ithasanexcellent,ifslightly train station. of residence afew minutes’ walkfromthe s/d £10/17) Hostel Thurso Sleeping windy weather. forbrilliantviews.Takealong cliffs care in 366 Murray House Murray House Waterside Le Bistro Pentland Hotel 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) OT ETCAT • hro&Srbtr &WESTCOAST ••Thurso&Scrabster NORTH This scruffy hostel isastudents’hall Thisscruffy

( h ( % (OrmlieLodge; % lunch Tue-Sat, dinnerWed-Sat)

( 896212; cnr Olrig &TraillSts;dishes£3-4; 896212; cnrOlrig 893737; 2TraillSt;lunch£5-8,dinner %

( ( Stylishlydecked outin 895759; www.murrayhousebb.com; % % This19th-centurytown 894751; www.watersidehouse 893202; www.pentlandhotel % Thebusiness-style Not what it used Notwhatitused /fax 896888;OrmlieRd; Oneof get up.Itattractsamixof tarted touristsand or sirloinsteak baguette forawinner. buttrythechicken salad fajitasthe seafood perfect drink.Steer foranevening clearof sterile butthere’s alittle sun-filled courtyard ahintofpossessing minimalism,it’sabit modern spacewithcouches andcomfychairs localpubsintown.A trawling thescruffy locals lookingforsomethingabitclassierthan £7-10; vegetarians are catered for. the blackboard, mealsare madetoorderand tion tothe ferry port atScrabster, orthere book ahead. hours), butspace forbicyclesislimited so ices fromInverness insummer(£14.60,3½ hour, five MondaytoFriday, three Saturday). utes, hourly)andalsotoJohn o’Groats(one toWick(45min- land Countryrunsaservice 3½ hours, three tofive daily).Rapsons/High- operate viaWicktoThursoCitylink buses (£15, miles fromWick.FromInverness, Scottish Thurso is130milesfromInverness and21 Getting There&Around followed byhomemadecheesecake. Try thesmoked chicken andspinach linguine generous portionsandlotsof localproduce. well-preparedand, mostimportantly, foodwith dining roomwithlotsof wood,goodlighting up againinthelocaldiningscene. Asimple £5,mains£9-14; St;starters Princes There are twoorthree dailytrainserv- Bar 16 Red Pepper Restaurant Red It’s a2-mile walkfromThurso trainsta- £70-80, d£105-135) www.forsshousehotel.co.uk; ForssbyThurso;s o NORTHERN LUXURY await. as anaddedincentive…300 maltwhiskies both privacyandasenseoftranquillity.And suites inthegardenitself,whichprovide separate, beautifullyappointed Woodlands lovely viewsofthegarden.There are also better thanbasementroomsastheyhave vote. Sumptuousupstairsroomsare much carpetsgetsourany placewithtartan that hasbothcharacter andstyle. Besides, commodation inanoldGeorgian mansion trees 4mileswestofThurso iselegantac- h

(The Holborn; (The lunch &dinner) Forss HouseHotel Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Tucked of intoathicket % ThisisThurso tryingto 892771; 16 Princes St;barmeals 892771; 16Princes

(The Holborn; (The h

( % lunch &dinner) 01847-861201; 01847-861201; % 892771; 16 892771; 16 A step Astep to eat, Elizabeth’s Cafe (mains £6) here serves to eat,Elizabeth’s (mains£6)here Cafe serves mation onthearea, butifyou’re after abite The museum contains memorabilia of contains The museum Clan storyofthe sad theStrathnaver Clearances. in Wickifyou’re headingthatway. day, plus10ppermile–youcandropitoff 1pm Sat) ( are fromOlrigSt. buses lonelyplanet.com a very friendly, down-to-earthhotel. for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets.It’s churns outsomeinteresting cuisine,catering Therestaurantrisdale Bay. (mains£9) here as No2)over beach thesandy fringingTor- There are rip-roaringviewsfromsome(such ishly decorated andemitacoolsummerfeel. renovated roomswithensuites –they’re styl- .info; s/dfrom£25/50; and a4000-year-old beaker. Mackay, various items of crofting equipment arrangement atothertimes) child £2/50p; crab). There’s alsoashopandpostoffice. good home-cooked food(such aslocalBettyhill Mon-Thu, &SatApr-Oct) to7.30pmFri boxed text, p360 ). the off theirlandduringtheClearances(see community of resettled tenant farmers kicked historyofsad thisarea. isacrofting Bettyhill rocky outcropsmakes asharpcontrasttothe backed byvelvety green hillswithbulbous, beachThe panoramaof sandy asweeping, % Bettyhill ( Am BlaranOdhar) 15-minute walk). (a 2-miledrive fromthecoastroad,thena and there are great viewsfrom ing from1830. shop andaninteresting littleharbourdat- (see p66 ). Justbeyond Dounreay, 2036; thecostwillrunintobillionsof pounds site andstoring thewaste safely willtake until being decommissionedandcleaningupthe NuclearPowerStation. Dounreay On thecoast10mileswestof Thurso isthe Dounreay &Melvich miles fromThurso toDurness. It’s 80windingandoften coastal spectacular THURSO TODURNESS % Bettyhill Hotel Museum Strathnaver Bettyhill

01641 /pop550 893101; Manson’s Lane; 893101; Manson’s rents cars; at£25per asmallcarstarts h tourist office tourist 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct, by 10am-1pm &2-5pmMon-SatApr-Oct, Melvich NORTH &WESTCOAST ••ThursoToDurness NORTH

( h % lunch &dinner) /fax 521352;enquiries@bettyhill , inanoldchurch, tells

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( % % 8am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am- 8am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 521244; William Dunnet&Co 521418; Clachan;adult/ haslimited infor- hasarange of The plantis h Strathy Point Reay 10.30am-5pm 10.30am-5pm hasa

.demon.co.uk; Talmine; s/d from£27.50/45; in Scotland, local Kyleof Tongueoysters. In therestaurant (mains£7to£16), trythe rooms withmagicviews(roomNo1 isafave). St;rperperson£35-40; Main for families. uptofour people–perfectback sleeping land. There’s alsoafixed caravan outthe biggest ensuite innorthernScot- we’ve seen with spaisthepickof thebunch –it’sthe doubleof butthebasement naturallight, There are snug,loft-style roomswithplenty St;rperperson£25-30; fish.com/tigh-nan-ubhal; Main charming ofwithin stumblingdistance twopubsis on handtogreet newarrivals. andthere’sand-cranny house loitering ducks bathroom (goodforfamilies).It’sareal nook- double oraandtwinsharing aprivate her business andthere’s achoice of anen-suite the A836,isaripperof aB&B. Thehostknows eastof backfrom Coldbackieandset half-mile www.strathtongue.co.uk; Tongue;rperperson£25) choccy cake. home bakingonsite –dropinforabitof many of therooms.Checkoutdelicious, lime viewsintothelounge, diningarea and dorms. Huge andsub- windowsdrawlight option inthearea withtwo-toseven-bed adult/child £12.50/9.50; ment, and petrolstation. stroll. Tonguehasashop, bank postoffice, LoyalHotel –it’saneasy Scotland, nearBen ofcastle, take thetrailnexttoRoyalBank rich 14th-centuryruinsofthe evocative watch. Only2milesfurtheronisTongue,with ithere –parkthecarforafewsee minutes and atworkyet,there’slight agoodchance you’ll lands. Ifyouhaven’t thatmagicalScottish seen watersbeaches, turquoise andoffshore is- viewsoverColdbackie hasoutstanding sandy % Tongue & Coldbackie Clearances tookplace. Helmsdale, through Vying fortheposition of best-located B&B Ben LoyalHotel o theB871turnssouthfor From Bettyhill, At thejunctionof theA836andA838 Having justundergone amajor refurbish- 01847 /pop450 , onceaMackay Toget stronghold. tothe Tongue YouthHostel Strathtongue Old Manse Strathtongue OldManse Tigh-nan-Ubhal Cloisters

( h %

h Apr-Sep) Strathnaver 611216; www.benloyal.co.uk; ( % ( (

% lunch &dinner) % 601286; www.cloistertal isthetopbudget 01847 611789;Tongue; 611281; www.spangle ( % w , where the 01847-611252; has three hasthree hasgreat ) Castle Var- Castle , justa

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS you’d like tobagthisMunro,it’sa4.5-mile, shelter fortravellers in1830)tothenorthern late moorpast on thebeach. Vasgo Tourist office Tourist Health centre Hotel. internetaccess,oppositeMacKays £1) Self-serve Durness Community Building has anATM). west, andSmoo,amiletotheeast. strung alongthemainroad: Durness, inthe What’s knownas Durness isreally twovillages Orientation &Information of thisnorthernoutpost. Wrath,which canshatterCape thetranquillity Ministry of Defence (MOD)artilleryrange on thumpingfromthe the sometimesconstant is combine inamagicalway.Theonlyblight birds andthelime-coloured cry of sea seas ofshines theeffects the blindingwhite sand, finest locationsinScotland.Whenthesun ofa series pristinebeaches. Ithasoneof the from which.org) rise isstrungoutalongcliffs, The scattered village of Durness(www.durness % DURNESS ( DIURANAIS) ships duringWWII. inletandashelter for sea deepest Britain’s lam but often top. coldattheexposed near alarge barn.It’sarelatively easywalk car park,which is2milesbefore thebroch, four-hour roundtripalongtheroute fromthe broch intheshadowof the loch leadsto end of head of thekyle. Adetourto aroundthe or thebeautifuloldroadthatgoes acrossthe can take thecauseway From Tongueit’s37milestoDurness–you Tongue toDurness your right. toMelness,turn-off almost immediately on andtake theTongue, crossthecauseway older visitors orfamilies.Toget here from Tastefully furnished, thisplacewouldsuit the Kyleof Tongueandoffshore islands. en-suite twinroomswithbrilliantviewsover 368 Beyond Loch Hope,onthemainroad, Beyond Continuing west, the road crosses adeso- Continuing west,theroadcrosses Durness hastwostores (Sparsupermarket 01971 /pop350 hasstunningviewsoutover OT ETCAT • uns Duaas &WESTCOAST ••Durness(Diuranais) NORTH mayberewarded of withthesight seals Loch Hope ( ( % % Moine House . A10-miledetoursouthalong 511368; [email protected]; 511273) Dun Dornaigil Ben Hope (1BardTce;per30min (aruinbuiltasa , a well-preserved , awell-preserved Melness Kyle ofTongue (927m).If Loch Eriboll and Port Port Hei- ,

camp sitesperperson£5/2.50) Sango SandsOasis Sleeping &Eating workshops. a bookshop,restaurants andart-and-craft turnedintoahippycraftvillage,been with a mileupminorroadfromDurness,has fishing whales. Inquire for atthetouristoffice the coast,there are wrecks, caves, and seals fromtheroad.Around which can’tbeseen there’s alsoa‘secret beach’ just totheeast, ful sible toget beauti- in.Thevillage hasseveral heavy rainthewaterfall canmake itimpos- tourist office formore after info),although £3/1.50) intothefloodlitcave the (contact years ago. Youcantake a thecaveevidence wa a floodedcavern, There’s thenflowsouttosea. geo, andariver itsroof cascadesthrough into cave attheendof entrancestands aninlet,or the SYHA hostel, downto A mileeastof thevillage centre isapath,near Sights &Activities Balnakeil Craft Village;lunch &snacks£4-8; Craft Balnakeil showers –they’re worththeextra 10quid. deluxe roomshave superking-size bedsandbig furnishings andan airof sophistication.The tastefully decorated roomswithrusticHighland Durness; s£45,d£80-90) nextdoor.is right pokier andplainer. Conveniently, atearoom bles are much better thanthetwins,which are withcool,contemporary rooms.Dou- house Just uptheroadfromMacKays isaguest- [email protected]; rdtoUllapool;rperperson£30) some mattresses are pretty average. and it’sreally geared forgroups.Note that the water. Abothyvibegives feel itaHighland clean facilitiesandalofty positionoverlooking hostel.com; Durness;dm£12) views over theAtlantic’stwinklingwaters. feet over theprecipice, admiringthesweeping northern edge of thecountry and dangleyour summer. Organisesguidedwalksin Mon-Sat, to4pmSunJun-Sep) h Loch Croispol Bookshop&Restaurant Hotel MacKays Wild OrchidGuestHouse The old radar station at The oldradarstation Lazy Crofter Bunkhouse Lazy Crofter 10am-5pm Mon-Sat Apr, May & Oct, 10am-5pm &Oct, 10am-5pm Mon-SatApr,May beaches permits. . Oneof thebestisSangobeg,but Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com

(

% Thisrefurbished hotel has ( % 511202; www.visitmackays.com; 511202; www.visitmackays.com; Thishostel has excellent s inhabited about6000 Pitch your tent onthe 511222; Durness;adult/child

( %

boat trip boat trip ( % Smoo Cave Smoo Cave Balnakeil 511202; fiona@durness 511280; wildorchid (adult/child h (

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fish-landing portsandthere’s alovely beach sure theferry isrunning. beforethe touristoffice outtomake setting (£7.50 return, 40minutes oneway).Contact more uniqueflavours. truffleandmany lemongrass andcoconutwhite-chocolate 10am-5pm winter)Handmadechocolatesincludeachilli, hot choc£2.50,9truffles£6.50; of ceramicdogs. rooms. Worryingcollection £25-30) Quaint,cottage-style the décor. trout, Lochinverpiesandnutloaf. Comeforthefood,not mains £8-10; at lunch, such asfresh Achiltibuie salmon. andotherscrumptiousfareand sandwiches where you canenjoyanall-daybreakfast, featuring allthingsScottishare afew tables amongbooks your bodyandmind.Set Mon-Sat, to4pmSun; lonelyplanet.com ( a 17th-centuryshipwrecked sailor. creepy ruinreputedly of haunted bytheghost and ontoBlairmore. isa Sandwood House hours)walk southfromthecape(alloweight oryoucould (approach fromKinlochbervie), north of theendof atrackfromBlairmore Am Buachaille. isabout2miles SandwoodBay rockpinnacle at oneendbythespectacular land’s bestandmostisolated beaches, guarded Wrath, Cape 2 milesnorthwestof Southof Kinlochbervie. at ( 10 minutes oneway)andaconnecting ride acrosstheKyleof Durness(£4.70 return, Wrathinvolves a to Cape onthemainland. Getting cliffs coastal highest colonieson to thesea-bird close (datingfrom1827)andstands house towering peaksandgiantrockyoutcrops. plains splicedwithrivuletsof burns gle totear theireyesawayfromvast,desolate gerous onsingle-trackroadsasdrivers strug- to Ullapoolhasjaw-droppingscenery–dan- plenty of diversions alongtheway.Theroad It’s 69milesfromDurnesstoUllapool,with DURNESS TOULLAPOOL Bistro Balnakeil Cocoa Mountain Glengolly % % Kinlochbervie The Rugged Also recommended: Oldshoremore 01971-511287) 01971-521275; www.kinlochberviehotel.com; rper 01971-521275; www.kinlochberviehotel.com;

outlook from the

B&B h Cape Wrath Cape ( Sandwood Bay lunch &dinner; % ( ( wasoneof Scotland’spremier forthe11milestocape , acrofting about settlement % % NORTH &WESTCOAST ••DurnesstoUllapool NORTH w 511255; Durness;rperperson 511335; Balnakeil Craft Village; Craft 511335; Balnakeil 511233; Balnakeil Craft Village; Craft 511233; Balnakeil Atthisplaceyoucanfeed ) iscrownedbyalight- h i ferry boastsoneof Scot- Kinlochbervie Hotel Kinlochbervie 9am-6pm summer, ) Dineonrainbow Clo MorCliffs ( % 01971-511376)

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available (£22). northerly palmtrees intheworld.Dinneris rooms andagardenwithpossiblythemost ing overlooking thebay,hasthree luxurious boat fromKylesku. Man of stack. sea aspectacular Stoer, walktothe it’s agoodone-hourcliff house, Old lages andexcellentbeaches. Fromthelight- The rewards are views,pretty spectacular vil- track roads,blind bends, summitsandsheep. tobe preparedcoast roadyouneed forsingle- and backtothemainroadagain.Along the PointofStoer a30-miledetour off theA894to It’s roughly Old ManofStoer are available (single/double£60/90) you fancybunkering rooms downforthenight, and smoked fish cakes. haddockandsalmon If isthespecialityincludinglocalmussels Seafood mains £8-13; Hotel Kylesku andtuckintoasuperbbarmealatthe on tap) byalogfire, your toes enjoyapint (decentales £12, admission£3) lovely Thereand babyseals. are alsotripstothe waterfalls Pier for£15/5peradult/child tosee (except Saturday)fromKyleskuOldFerry man waterfall.highest Insummer,the of 213m-drop the coloniesand seal ous-looking mountains, onLoch Glencoulpasstreacher-Cruises % Glencoul Loch & Kylesku north of Scourie;call Island gototheimportant to earlySeptember) 9.30am to2pmMondaySaturday,April ( travellers. bungalow. There’s nosurcharge forsolo B&Binamodern friendly, well-established (mains £8to£11). magnificent water views.Meals are available room Nos1and2are thebestwithsimply hotel inScotland. Traditionallyfurnished, person £35-55) you’re lookingtospoilyourself, % While youwaitfortheferry youcantoast Ferries (adult/child £10/5,ondemand, Braeside Scourie 01971 01971-502248; s/d£50/80)

( % sea-bird sanctuary fromTarbet, sanctuary sea-bird 6miles Kerrachar Gardens Kerrachar 502345) isapretty crofting community.If h

mustbetheenvyof almostevery ( andthe ( %

% lunch &dinner) runstwo-hourtripstwicedaily , which are onlyaccessible by 01971-521325; rperperson£23) 502231; www.kyleskuhotel.co.uk; Kylesku; 502231; www.kyleskuhotel.co.uk; Kylesku; Eas a’ChualAulin Rhu StoerLighthouse Rhu % , overlooking thepier.

, inagorgeous build- (www.kerrachar.co.uk; ferry 07768-167786. Scourie Lodge Scourie . , Britain’s , Britain’s MV States- (1870) (1870) isa Handa 369

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS Aug, 10am-5pm Apr-May &Sep-Oct) Aug, 10am-5pmApr-May St; 5121; Main especially thecar. teacup. Even better are outside, themosaics timeyoulookintothebottomofevery your you canrelive themajesty of thenorthwest land Stoneware Half amilesouthof here, bytheloch, there’s Loch Assynt, of about10mileseast Lochinver. the Durness road(A894)at tion and post office, bank(withanATM), petrolsta- There’s asupermarket intown,aswella and faunatoclans,conflictcontroversy. tive displayonthestoryof Assynt, fromflora and award-winningvisitorcentre. back attitude,goodfacilities,strikingscenery a popularportof callfortourists,withitslaid- Thebusylittlefishing portis main settlement. moorland. Lochinver (population639)isthe landscape of peaksrisingfromthe spectacular The distinctive region of Assynt a comprises % Assynt & Lochinver a smallrusticplacewithbasicdorms. tothebeach, it’s rocky hillsandfoundclose and 4milesfromLochinver. Sheltered by from theLochinver–Drumbeg postbusroute, adult/child £12.50/9.50; Achmelvich YouthHostel and Lochinver, includingoneat Achmelvich. 370 Using locallandscapesasinspiration There are more Stoer goodbeaches between The Lochinver–Lairg road(A837)meets The mission (www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland). offices andproduced bytheForestry Com- of theFar North advicegrab a copyof walking that oncecarpeted thisarea. Fordetailed ofthe ancientforestsas wellsurvivors lights canincludewildlife andancientruins, change character withtheseason.High- often gentleinnature, andthesurrounds trailsthatexplore these forests,fine walking Therethough beautiful,isstarknaked. are Scottishlandscape, tion thatthenorthern ests andwoods,contrarytothepercep- isthenumberoffor- Highlands northern A pleasantsurpriseoftouringaroundthe NAKED NOLONGER 01571 OT ETCAT • uns oUlpo &WESTCOAST ••DurnesstoUllapool NORTH tourist office&visitorcentre tourist doctor h

10am-5pm Mon-Sat,10am-4pmSunJun- (

( % % brochure, free attourist h 844376; Lochinver) 844755) Apr-Sep)

(SYHA; . isabout1.5miles hasaninterpre- % Skiag Bridge Skiag 0870 0041102;dm The Forests ensure that

( % 0845 225 High- , by sprawling mansionhasgraciousroomswith days,this forherring;lessfishythese house old waterfront hotel wasformerlyasmoke- internet – it doesn’t work. internet –itdoesn’t don’t trybookingaccommodationover the uptosix).Tip:the numberof sleeps nights; dependingon cottage (£65to£85pernight lar withgroups.There’s alsoaself-catering The facilitiesare excellentandit’svery popu- lounge forlate partying. music/TV a separate Most roomsare spaciousandcleanthere’s bed lodge withlotsof rustic accommodation. ver–Lairg road,thisplaceisafriendly50- .co.uk; Inchnadamph;dm/d£15/22; views. Allroomsshare abathroom. choice withasmallcouch andlovely water from theguests’lounge. RoomNo8isagood rooms, adecent-sizedsingleandtopviews tradewithmodern bastion inthehospitality r perperson£22) Ardglas SLEEPING &EATING Walks: West Sutherland For amore in-depthguide,pickupacopyof in thearea called ofist officehasaleafletwithbriefdetails walks Assynt (846m).Thetour- (998m)andCanisp Moreas Suilven (731m),Quinag(808m),Ben popular withwalkers andincludepeaks such the loch. overderful summersunsets thecastleand stronghold, the ruinof thelate 15th-centuryMacLeod here dishes alsochurns outdelicious seafood wild boar andapricot–very Thebistro tasty. part of theworld: trythesmoked haddock,or hereparticular standout andare famousinthis made withlocalproduce, Lochinver piesare a of ensemble inventivean outstanding food St;pies£5.75,mains£10-13; 3 Main includesdinner). ommended (tariff organic, rec-uses wildproduce and ishighly sophisticated atmosphere. Therestaurant here found onlyinantiqueshops andademure, You’ll discover roaringfireplaces, furniture indulgence,nach issheer onagrandscale. didarroch, Lochinver;dperperson£120-165) your pocket tothetuneof £7. huge ensuites. Acooked breakfast willhit Lochinver Larder & Riverside Bistro Larder&Riverside Lochinver Albannach Inchnadamph Lodge Culag Hotel Culag The stunninglyshaped hillsof Assynt are

( % 844257; www.ardglas.co.uk; Inver,Lochinver; Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com

( % Ardvreck Castle Ardvreck

( The comfortable Ardglasisa The comfortable % 844407; www.thealbannach.co.uk; Bad- 844270; Lochinver;s/d£39/53) Walks AroundAssynt

( % (£3). 822218; www.inch-lodge h i . There are won- BytheLochin- 10am-8.30pm) ) TheAlban- ( % 844356; (50p). With This where issues thepostoffice itsownstamps. neply aue Reserve Nature Inverpolly they deliver Britain. throughout If youget addicted tothepies,don’tworry– includingmonkfishgoujons. in theevening, lonelyplanet.com rocky slopes are mirrored inthe glassy veneer perfect and,on a sunnyday,itssurrounding Ullapool’s harbourside façadeispostcard- % ULLAPOOL two dailyMondaytoFriday,oneSaturday). and Achiltibuie toUllapool(1½hours, oneor (halfamilefromthehostel) Badenscallie Reiff, one of thebestincountry. reach it.Itsremote, serene locationhastobe have themainroadto towalkhalfamileoff for walkers andoutdoorenthusiasts– you dm adult/child£12.50/9.50; Hostel the five-course dinner(£51). of like oryoumight everything), totuckinto (trytheplatter forataste speciality –seafood tothelocal to £12)rangingfromsandwiches dwelling. Thebarhasqualitymeals(£5 makes agreat spottotake abreak fromurban ing class,comfortandrusticsophistication.It is theRussiancaviar of countryhotels, exud- hotel.co.uk; Achiltibuie;s£85-165,d£135-200; and youget onehourashore on The 3½-hourtripscost£20/10peradult/child, somemagnificentislandscenery. you’ll see trips totheSummerIslesfromAchiltibuie – relaxation.for someserious idyllic Scottish beautyandistheperfect place skirtingthebay,thistownpersonifiestains just offthecoastandsilhouettes of moun- verges, thegorgeous SummerIslesmoored nibblingthegrassyroadsideWith sheep % Achiltibuie the carparkatLoch Lurgainn. takes justthree hours onaroundtripfrom crest.scrambling onitsnarrowsandstone It exciting walksinthearea, withsomegood (769m). Pollaidh(613m)andCulBeag (849m), Stac glacial lochs andthethree peaksof CulMor The Inverpolly Nature Reserve The rudimentary 20-bedThe rudimentary Summer IslesHotel Summer IslesCruises There are MondaytoSaturdayfrom buses 01854 /pop1400 01854 /pop300

(SYHA; Stac Pollaidh % 0870 0041101;Achininver,Achiltibuie; NORTH &WESTCOAST ••Ullapool NORTH provides oneof themost

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( % % h 622282; www.summerisles 622200) May-Sep) Achininver Youth Achininver operates boat

has numerous isdesigned Tanera Mor h Easter-Oct)

, access available. of booksonScottishtopics,andmapsthearea. Internet 9am-6pmSat,10am-6pmSun; 9pm Mon-Fri, during holidays)Free internetaccess.during 9am-5pm&6-8pmTue& Fri, &Thu, closedMon&Wed Has anATM. freebie guide tolocalwoodland walks. Ross at thetouristoffice include Goodwalkingbooks sold and mapsyouneed. office cansupply youwithalltheinformation many different routes are possible. Thetourist the inner endof Loch Broom.Ridge-walking on the topof A goodpathup Ullapool isagreat centre forhillwalking. Activities breathtaking. HisworkontheOuter Hebridestations. is adjust to,buttheyare wonderfulinterpre- vivid andreflective workstake amomentto porary landscapepainter James Hawkins. The theexcellentartofdisplays andsells contem- tails Oct-Mar) admission free; the historyof Loch Broomanditspeople. tive exhibitsandvariousotherdisplayschart church. Anaudiovisual interac- presentation, Apr-Oct) West ArgyleSt;adult/child£3/50p; Centre &Visitor Ullapool Museum Sights Ullapool Bookshop office Tourist Royal BankofScotland Library Laundrette Bank ofScotland Information watering holes. andacoupleofof good seafood delectable walking, pilesof accommodation,mountains There are few attractions,butheapsof great consistent tradeof overnighters initswake. Stornoway ontheIsleof churning a Lewis, linksUllapoolto of thebay.Aferry service Nov-Mar) Service standardshavedropped. Service Nov-Mar) callforhours 10am-5pmMon-Satmid-Sep–late-Oct, Sep, 9am-5pmMon-Sat,10am-4pmSunJun–mid- Apr-May, [email protected]; 6ArgyleSt; Ru Studio Rhue Fannichs (£2.50), or youcanpickup acopyof the isinaconverted Telford Parliamentary ( % (BroomfieldHolidayPark; wash£2.50) , 2.5milesnorthwestof Ullapool, 612543; Mill St; 612543; Mill Beinn Dearg isrelatively and straightforward h ( % ( % 10am-6pm Mon-Sat Apr-Sep, callforde- 10am-6pm Mon-SatApr-Sep, (WestArgyleSt)HasanATM. 613031, 08452255121; ( % Gleann naSguaib 612460; www.rhueart.co.uk; Rhue; Rhue; 612460; www.rhueart.co.uk; (cnrLadysmith&ArgyleSts) 612918; QuaySt; fromInverlael, atthe h 9am-5pm Mon,Wed h Walks inWester 10am-5pm Mon-Sat h

( % 9am-4.30pm headsfor h i 612987; 7-8 9am- ) Lots

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS doubles have TV andhot-drink facilities.It’s doubles have TV (some with ensuite) have comfy bunks,and northern Scotland. Small,spaciousdorms and oneofto stay thebestbackpackers in cottage£80; self-catering www.scotpackers-hostels.co.uk; WestArgyleSt;dm/d£14/35, scissors. laundrette) andlawnsmanicured withnail pesky midges, goodfacilities(including a of Loch Broom,thiscampinggroundhas camp sites£9-13; bookahead. answer: surchargepay ahigh (£35foraroom)–the tually impossibleunlessyouare willingto tricky –ifyou’re lookingforasingleit’svir- busy andfindingaccommodationcanbe Note thatduringsummer Ullapool isvery Sleeping wildlife cruises. child £24/12,fourhours), aswelltwo-hour Isles departingfromtheferry terminal (adult/ There are regular Tours 372 ULLAPOOL West House Broomfield HolidayPark

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( % Kyle ofLochalsh(150mi) 612524; edonan@ To Braemore(13mi); Inverness (60mi); Thistop- 22 21 20 19 18 17 The B3 B3 B2 B2 B2 B2 coffee nook for a light mealandareadcoffee nookforalight of the £2-5; 4); thealternative islookingatabrickwall. with aviewacrossLoch Broom(Nos1,3and summer. Bookinadvanceifyouwantaroom grubby corridors –get snappedupquicklyin tastefully furnished rooms–acontrasttothe is theliveliest placeintown.Thestylish, lonelyplanet.com board, choose the seafood sampler. theseafood board, choose Themotel decide from theextensive menu andspecials so comeforthefood notthebuzz.Ifyoucan’t tourists alike. There’s notmuch atmosphere, fine reputation andispopularwithlocals lobster, initslounge bar. Ithasadeservedly swordfish and cluding langoustine,salmon, in- medleyofan outstanding localseafood, 14; great of crosssection touristsandlocals. bar stoolandnurse alocalale. Itusually has a watering holeintownand £7-12; forfamiliesorgroups. good setup fully furnished room andanotherbarisa venture upstairs tothebistrowhere ataste- orformoreits boothseating, dining sedate inthebustlingpubdownstairs with Eat salad. withapplelangoustines andcrayfish tails homemade fish pie,aplatter of creel-caught dishes atthisplaceare growing,which include h ing vegetarian options). spuds andisalsogoodforbreakfasts (includ- newspaper. filledrolls,toasties,jacket Itserves and thefishisfreshly cooked. age greasy chippy –thechips are freshly sliced The grubhere really isacutabove youraver- previous winnerof award. abestUKtakeaway Chippy Eating &Drinking in Scotland. style dormswithreputedly thebestshowers Lane; dm£15-20) Nearby, season. –thereyou stay are goodspecialsintheoff size, position(view),facilitiesandhowlong exudes warmthandclass.Pricedependsupon rooms inthisnook-and-crannyhotel that your pickfromtheindividuallydesigned .co.uk; 14WestArgyleSt;rperperson£48-68; Morefield Motel Motel Morefield Ferry BoatInn Seaforth The Place Ceilidh Tea Store h lunch &dinner) h h

lunch &dinner) (Quay St;fish&chips£4.75; 8am-5pm Mon-Sat,10am-4pmSun) lunch &dinner)

( % hasupmarket, pokey, rustic-

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( % 612995; ArgyleSt;snacks&lightmeals Accolades for the seafood Accoladesfortheseafood % NORTH &WESTCOAST ••UllapooltotheEastCoast NORTH Ceilidh Clubhouse Ceilidh

612103; [email protected] This sedate motel serves motel Thissedate serves ( 612366; Shore St;barmeals£8,mains % 612122; QuaySt;mains£7.50-10; This cosypubisthebest 612161; North Rd;mains£8- 612161; North the h spottopullupa ( %

9am-9.30pm) Adecent 612103; West i Take Take ) A taurant of this hotel serves inventive of dishes taurant thishotel serves delicious. tic modernfusion. Interpreted: everything’s route and stop off at Contin, Garve and route andstopoff atContin,Garve Garve to Garve village andLoch tinues southeast,pastGarve dinner (mains£16 to£18) four-poster beds.Itsrestaurant isopenfor viewsand Luxury roomsincludemountain with blazinglogfire willenticeyoutolinger. vate wilderness,thischarming countryhotel initsownpri- mansion datingfrom1821.Set hotel.com; Contin;s/d£80/150) pleasant through tion where westto Gairloch the A832goes winter. bysnowin issometimesclosed This section with great Dearg viewsof ontheway. Beinn wild DirrieMore totheGlascarnoch dam, Braemore Junction, thencontinuesover the south fromUllapooltoThe A835goes ULLAPOOL TOTHEEASTCOAST ( opposite ). from theCalMac office. p390 Tickets fordetails. canbepurchased toStornowayontheIsleof see Lewis; service connecting withtheferry. CalMac runsaferry from Inverness toUllapool(£9,1½hours), MondaytoSaturday, has three dailybuses, 60 milesfromInverness. Scottish Citylink Ullapool is215milesfromEdinburgh and Getting There&Around for outdoorequipment. WestOutdoors North Shopping Rd. of Seaforth field supermarket nexttothecarparknorth pouring someexcellentlocalales. Ullapool’s mainentertainment centre and as but itcomestolife insummer,serving letstheplacedown, soulless setting taurant’s isvermouth.shiitake andthesauce Theres- catering for mostpalates. Themushrooms are £7, mains£14-20; (follow MillSt). theA835,amilenorthofis off theharbour Ullapool toInverness follow this buses Coul HouseHotel Five milessouthof Inchbae, there’s ajunc- Bikes canbehired Hostel fromWestHouse you’llfinda large Somer-For self-catering, Place Ceilidh Contin

( h % . breakfast, lunch&dinner)

( 612103; 14WestArgyleSt;lightmeals Strath Braan ( %

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373

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS Croft 9,Badrallach;bothyperperson£5,campsites2peo- Croft views. Adventurous menus(three-course mountain-facing premier roomshave great traditionally furnished rooms;theloch-and refuge fromtheelements andhaselegant, .com; Dundonnell;rper person£40-55) country. acquaint yourself withtherural beautyof this the perfect placetoget awayfromitalland as boats,bikes andfishing gear forhire. It’s has agoodrange of accommodation,aswell ple £9,rperperson£30) foul here. it’s amazinghowquicklytheweathercanturn map No19,food,water andwaterproofs – (OS) route-finding. OrdnanceSurvey Carry scrambling inprecarious placesanddifficult is amore proposition,withlotsof serious return). Traversing theridge toSailLiath southeast of theDundonnellHotel (six hours be reached lessthan500m byapathstarting summitcan –thehighest nificent mountain tiny settlement. ing ridges overlooking thelowlandsof this good soaking,withacombinationof impos- after a Dundonnell appears half-drowned % Dundonnell &Around forest borderingthefalls. intheplantation shame about thelogging ing fromthegorge are very impressive –a The thunderingfallsandmistyvapours ris- bridge, builtbySirJohn Fowlerof Braemore. cross fromsidetoonawobbly suspension and narrowCorrieshalloch Gorge. Youcan deep Gaelic) spill45mintothespectacularly the junction,Falls of Measach (‘ugly’in the A835,12milesfromUllapool.Justafter The A832doublesbacktothecoastfrom Measach of Falls allthewayalong. mountains fine viewsof beaches andbaysbacked by It’s adeliciouslyremote region andthere are road–butdon’tletthatputyouoff. coastal more like 150milesalongthecircuitous flies fromUllapooltoKyleof Lochalsh, it’s it’slessthan50milesasthecrow Although ULLAPOOL TOKYLEOFLOCHALSH Lochalsh stopatGarve. Aultguish. TrainsfromInverness toKyleof 374 Dundonnell Hotel Dundonnell Hotel Badrallach Bothy 01854 /pop200 OT ETCAT • laolt yeo ohlh &WESTCOAST ••UllapooltoKyleofLochalsh NORTH An Teallach

( ( % , 7milesfromtheA832, % 633204; www.dundonnellhotel 633281; www.badrallach.com; (1062m)isamag- provides good has audiovisual andinteractive displays,lots Rd, Charlestown;admissionfree; [email protected]; dm/d£10/30) the road),isanexcellenthostel andwillgive and 13milesfromGairloch (attheendof andminkeing sharks,porpoises whales. bask- during thetwo-hourtripsyoumaysee toOctober; (weather permitting)fromEaster the centre uptothree andsail timesdaily gairloch.co.uk; cruisesperadult/child£20/10) Cruises Marine Gairloch of charts andphotos,knowledgeable staff. main centre atStrath. wheremuseum, aroadbranches tothe off is atthecarparkinAuchtercairn, nexttothe fortheTorridonhillsandAnTeallach.base watching. Hill walkers Gairloch asa alsouse beaches, goodtrout-fishingsandy andbird- name. Thesurroundingarea hasbeautiful (compris- around theinnerendof aloch of thesame villages of group ing Auchtercairn, StrathandCharlestown) a is Gairloch % Gairloch &Around clam chowder orthelocalmussels. enjoyable culinaryexperiencetoo. Trythe dinner £18) and hasa lazy,chilled-out excel- vibe. Itsells & lunch) shop posite Gairloch Pier. variety.The inn isjustop- seafood delectable recommended barmeals(£7to£14)of the with thebestpintof aleintown,andserves is anatmosphericnook-and-cranny affair, with four-poster beds.Downstairs, thebar excellent snugrooms,some(such asNo4) oldinn.net; Charlestown;s/d£45/90) are ensuite. nexttoStrathStores. It’sright double andfamilyroomhave noviewbut rooms, which share abathroom.Another Strath; s/d£30/50) intown, the night also available. En-suite doubles,twinsandfamilyroomsare 3-mile walkalongtheroadtolighthouse. from Gairloch runasfarMelvaig, thenit’sa you ataste of life. alighthouse-keeper’s Buses The Mountain Coffee Company & Hillbillies Book- MountainCoffeeCompany&Hillbillies The The rustic LighthouseHostel Rua Reidh The The If you’re lookingforaplacetoholeup 01445 /pop1100

( % is a shrine to all things mountaineering isashrine toallthingsmountaineering Gairloch Marine LifeCentre Marine Gairloch tourist office tourist 712316; VillageSq,Strath; mains£3-6;

and attentive service ensure an and attentive service haswater views fromtwocosy Old Inn Wayside GuestHouse

( %

( ( % % 712071; h 01445-712006; www.the 712636; www.porpoise- 10am-4pm Easter-Sep) hasarange of lonelyplanet.com , byMelvaig, h

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% daily May-Sep) runfrom ( % ( 712636; Pier % h

771263; 712008; breakfast

There’s also a bunkhouse withoneno-frillsThere’s also abunkhouse linen hotel rooms(No8isthebestdouble). up itssocksandnowoffers big,soft, heavy- scones? cappuccino, NewYorkbagels andmountain amarscan yougopastaplacethatsells bar how Besides, conservatory. in theattached lent heartyfoodforwalkers, bestconsumed lonelyplanet.com Mighty, brooding mountains, often broodingmountains, Mighty, partlyob- is oneof themost breathtaking in Scotland. ach (1055m).Thedrive alongGlenTorridon (1010m)andLiath- Eighe including Beinn Glen Torridon Southwest fromKinlochewe, theA896follows Torridon &Around train station. continues toAchnasheen, where there’s a £6 to£13),exceptMondaynights. daily(barmeals Lunch anddinnerisserved bag. bathrooms. Bringatowelandsleeping 12-bed dorm,adecentkitchen andclean dm£10,rperperson£40) .co.uk; Kinlochewe; suite andlookoutover thegarden. have lovely, contemporary furnishings,are en hawk-flying roomshere displays.Thebright is anexcellent,friendlyB&Bthatorganises ( 1.5 milesnorthof thevillage. routes. raphy, ecology,floraandfauna,walking displays (goodforkids,too)onlocalgeog- mile northof Kinlochewe, withinteractive ( mer. Checkoutthe a shop/postoffice thatrunsacaféinsum- withatearoom andshop, apetrolstation activities. You’llfindanoutdoor-equipment Tiny foroutdoor Kinlochewe isagoodbase % Kinlochewe &Around Look forthe‘HydroPower’signstofindit. andTalladale. Slattadale to theloch between visit of Victoriain1877)tumbledown Queen alongside theloch. nating in980m-high ofseries peakslineitsnorthern shore, culmi- Loch Maree issprinkledwithislands,anda Falls Victoria & Maree Loch % % Kinlochewe Hotel Kinlochewe There’s abasic,free The VictoriaFalls (commemoratingthe East ofEast Kinlochewe, thesingle-track A832 01445 760204; www.kinlochewe.info; Kinlochewe; s/d£35/56) Kinlochewe; 760204; www.kinlochewe.info; 760254; admissionfree; , overlooked bymultiplepeaks, NORTH &WESTCOAST ••UllapooltoKyleofLochalsh NORTH

( % Beinn Eighe Visitor Centre Beinn EigheVisitor 760253; www.kinlochewehotel camping ground h Slioch 10am-5pm Easter-Oct) . TheA832runs haspulled ( % Hillhaven 760254) , a

be squirmingonyourplate. sofresh seafood thatitmaystill cally caught camp sitesfree) leave. woken wantto uptotheviews,you’llnever that,onceyou’vedon village, isaguesthouse rating space. with stunningviewsandwide-open,exhila- get agrassy patch topitch yourtent, along Loch Torridon; s/d£45/66) Loch Torridon; road climbs steeply tothe precipices).twists and balancesonsheer The scenery, nottheactual road,which windsand remote andincredibly rugged and spectacular best drives inthecountry(bestterms of the tinue abitfurtherdowntheA896to one of the village ofseaside Applecross. Oryoucancon- remotelow thecoastroadtodelightfully A longsidetripabandonstheA896 tofol- % Applecross 3-course dinner£43; Hotel street of whitewashed houses. Shieldaig for specialoffers. guests candinehere too. Checkthewebsite refined includedinner, butnon- way.Rates this propertyscreams luxury…inavery quiet, inScotland.Everythingplaces tostay about clock tower,isaclassactandoneof thebest s £160,d£300,4-coursedinner£48; ( by outdoorenthusiasts. mainly andisused the CountrysideCentre h % ranger. odds andendsputtogether byaprevious which acollectionof contains photosand Deer Museum walks intherugged area. There’s anunstaffed Sep) donationadult/child£3/2; Mains; ridon there isa the tiny,winding,single-trackroad. drawn totheirpeakslike magnets,loomover scured byclumps of passingclouds,seemingly % The A896continueswestwardstolovely Magnificent The modern,squat The roadreaches atTorridon,where thesea Ferroch The Mar-Oct) 0870 004 1154; Torridon; dmadult/child£13.50/10.50; 0870 0041154;Torridon; 01520 /pop200 offering informationonflora,faunaand 01445-791242; www.lochtorridonhotel.com; Torridon; 01445-791242; www.lochtorridonhotel.com;

( % camping ground , which boastsanattractive main

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( h 01445-791451; www.ferroch.co.uk; Annat, Loch Torridon CountryHouseHotel Loch Torridon h daylight hoursyear-round) lunch &dinner) , justsouthwestof Torri- Torridon YouthHostel Torridon

( % 01381-621252; Torridon; 01381-621252; Torridon; (

w % Bealach na Bapass h , complete with ) dishesoutlo- 01445-791221; Tor- Tigh anEilean 10am-5pm Easter- nearby, (SYHA; 375

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS [email protected]; Shore St;s/d£70/100; zas from£5)inaflower-filled conservatory. pizzarestaurantwhich also has alicensed (piz- &FlowerTunnelSite village gazingacross tothepeaksof Skye. winter. wooded isadelightful Applecrossitself in thearea. Note, in thisroadcanbeclosed This drive ispure magicandamustifyou’re (626m), thendropsdramaticallytothevillage. 376 The family-run You canpitch yourtent atthe For more information aboutbagging Munros,seetheboxed text, p62 . to enlistthehelpof theirrock-climbing friendsorhire aguide. willhave drop.MostMunro-baggers butvertical exposure, followedbyanabseil downashort in theCuillin onSkye. Hills It’saclamber upalongfinofrockwithsensational,tremble-inducing it though! The most difficulttechnically hastobetheaptlynamedInaccessiblePinnacleworth remote, andmostpeoplehave tobackpackinover twoorthree daystotickthisoneoff. Well .stevenfallon.co.uk) forthe10easiestMunro walks. it right,you’llbebackatthecaféin time forsomethingtoeat.Checkoutmywebsite (www forsimplenavigationover make thesetwopeaks,andifyoutimeGood pathsandski-tows the easiestMunroshave ( tobetheCairnwell resort andCarn AosdafromtheGlensheeski p230 ). Which istheeasiestMunro, andwhichisthehardest? summit isreally over quite disappointing,looking flatgroundinmostdirections. views,butthevistafrom The wonderful lastpullup tothesummitbuildsyouupexpect Hope. Itrisesabove adesolate area where thegroundiswet,tussockyandtiringtomove over. great viewsover aboutit! EiggtoSkyeandbeyond.I’mpiningjust thinking so beautifulthere. The mountainitselfiscomplexwithcorriesandridges,the summit has remote andtoreach itrequires alongwalk-in alongthesouthernshore ofLochHourn.It’sjust my most-most-favourite hastobeLadharBheinn( p349 Peninsula.) intheKnoydart It’spretty Five Sisters ( ofKintail p378 ); andallofthemountains intheCuillin ofSkye( p383 out SliochbyLochMaree ( p375 ). However, ); BeinnAlligin, LiathachandBeinnEigheinTorridon( p375 ); the couldfeature Highlands in thenorthwest –theytend tobepointywithgreat views. I’dsingle Do youhave afavourite, and/orleastfavourite Munro? my secondroundofMunrosand,well,therest ishistory. with theintention ofrepeating onlymyfavourite Munros. Butbefore Iknewitwaswellthrough visited otherwise,andonceI’d‘completed’ ontheCorbetts (iebaggedalltheMunros),Istarted ofScotlandthatIwouldnever have parts off onebyone. This tookmetosomanywonderful I hadn’trealised there were them somanyfabulouspeaksinScotland!SooffIwentandticked Christmas 1988myparents gave metheScottishMountaineeringClubguidebook How longhave youbeenbagging Munros, andwhatgotyouinterested inthefirstplace? 2999ft) aswell. offtheCorbetts(peaksfrom2500fttoto complete his14thround,andwashalfwaytoticking 3000ft andhigher)nofewer than13times. At thetimeofwriting,heonlyhad62more toclimb the world’smostprolificMunrobagger,havingclimbedallofScotland’s284Munros(peaks Steven Fallon, fell ahillwalker, runnerandqualifiedMountainLeader wholives inEdinburgh, is TALES FROMACHAMPION MUNRO BAGGER:STEVENFALLON OT ETCAT • laolt yeo ohlh &WESTCOAST ••UllapooltoKyleofLochalsh NORTH The hardestpeakdependsentirely onyourthinking. A’MhaighdeaninWester Rossisthemost My leastfavourite, withoutdebate, Munroafter hastobeBenKlibreck, Ben themostnortherly (

% Applecross Inn 744268; campsitesfor2from£12) Applecross Camp ApplecrossCamp

( % 744262; c ,

) plecross hills. Ap- sandstone views westwardstothesteep a general store andpostoffice, andspectacular south fromShieldaig to to holeup. tourists. Youcouldn’taskforabetter place andusuallyadecentmixoftap) localsand meals £8to£10),real ales(RedCuillenon all dayin.Youwillfindexcellentfood(bar is thekindof pubyoucouldeasilyspend Back onthemainroad,A896runsBack As tomyfavourites, anything practically With only430mofascentover 5km, Kishorn lonelyplanet.com The Munros , where there’s For – day. harbour andthetrip comeswithanexcellent swarms of theslipperyfellas justoutsidethe fresh andisrenowned seafood foritsscallops. permarkets, abank(withanATM), postoffice carron isaveritable metropoliswithtwosu- The appealing,whitewashed village of Loch- % Lochcarron lonelyplanet.com [email protected]; NessunDorma; dm£11-12) spotanotter.2pm and4pm.You mayeven Tripsleavecommentary. daily at10am,noon, £7/4.50) Rd) Frithard and (ienotinsummer). mend avisitoutof season cially popularwithover-55s andwe’drecom- mini islands–meansitgets cramped.It’sespe- the harbour–asmall,protected baydotted with is overrun withtouristsanditsdesignaround the grandeurandbeautyof Theplace thisset. by Hollywood,butthere’s nothingfake about Plockton isso idyllicthatitcouldbedesigned % Plockton £13), views. Openforlunch anddinner(mains£8to cheaper, andhave private facilitiesanddreamy 75) ( with seaviews. futon). Insidethere are three doubles,one three (onetwinandafold-out comfortably great privacybehind Itsleeps theguesthouse. son £20) chaletperper- St;d£50,self-catering guesthouse.co.uk; Main suit couples:it’smadeforsnuggling. quite andwouldreally luxuriousplacetostay deira-wood finish,of Thisisarefined, course). loves hiswhisky,especiallyGlenmorangie (Ma- larger andwellworththeextra£5.Theowner gorgeous andthetwinoverlooking thewater is in aprimelochside position.Roomsare simply beautifullyappointed and Scottish guesthouse ron.com; ChurchSt;s/d£25/50,twwithlochview£55) tunity forastrolltowalkoff breakfast. at theloch’s edge provides theperfect oppor- Alongshorelineand petrolstation. footpath % choose room Nos 1 or 2 – they are slightly roomNos1or2–theyare choose slightly Plockton Station Bunkhouse Trips Seal Calum’s Clisham Guesthouse Cycling isagreat waytoexplore thearea atthesmall,quiet If youstay OldManse The 01520 /pop950 01599 /pop450 722379; [email protected]; Main St;r£65- Main 722379; [email protected]; Plockton CycleHire

the hotel kitchen serves some wonderful some wonderful the hotel kitchen serves runs seal-watching cruises. There cruises. are runsseal-watching isvery friendlyandhasachalet with rents bikes for £9/14 per half-/full rents bikes for £9/14 perhalf-/full

( NORTH &WESTCOAST ••KyleofLochalsh NORTH %

722208; www.theoldmanse.lochcar ( %

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% ( % 544306; cruisesadult/child 544255; PlocktonCottages, 722995; www.clisham

Rockvilla Hotel Rockvilla ( % is a top isatop 544235; isin liam and FortAugustus,on Loch Oich. to Invergarry, FortWil- which liesbetween It’s 55milessouthwest viatheA87fromKyle KYLE TOTHEGREAT GLEN rail routes. to fourdaily)isoneof Scotland’smostscenic and Kyleof Lochalsh (£16.50,2½hours, up 5½ hours). fromGlasgow (£25.50, Scottish Citylinkbuses (£14, 2½hours), andbythree dailydirect fillet steak withfresh localprawns. combiningAberdeenland andsea, Angus trythetaste of place withexcellentservice; closed Thu). ( spa baththatare deliciouslydecadent. St; rperpersonfrom£40) Main this town. unlike someof themore soulless B&Bsin friendly environment.It’sallvery homely, en-suite roomsinarustic,down-to-earth, ( town ontheroadtoPlockton. on Skye. carpark,stocksinformation main seafront 10am-4pmSat&SunEaster-Oct) 5pm Mon-Fri, stopping. watch most of theirtradewhizpastwithout of Skye. itsmanyB&Bowners Now,however, pointfortripstotheIsle main jumping-off chalsh (normallyjustcalledKyle)wasthe theSkyeBridgeBefore opened,Kyleof Lo- % KYLE OFLOCHALSH evening. makes itthebestplaceforadrinkonwarm grazingtheloch shore seating ting. Bench think rusticdininginanelegantpubset- upclassypubfood– ing thebayandserves rooms (perperson £35to£50)overlook- £7-13; £4.50,mains www.plocktonhotel.co.uk; HarbourSt;starters the train. dorms. It’smodern,andvery convenient for clean facilitiesandcomfyfour-and six-bed buildingwithexcellent, the formerstation % % Kyle canbereached bybusfromInverness The bestplacetoeatisthe There’s astring of B&Bsjustoutsideof The black-painted The 82-mile train ride between InvernessThe 82-miletrainridebetween For abitmore luxury, The 01599 /pop750 534337; Main St; starters £6,mains £12-17; St;starters 534337; Main 530205; ChurchRd;s/d£35/55) h tourist office tourist Thissuperbrestaurant isanintimate lunch &dinner)

( % has a selection of hasaselection comfy has Plockton Hotel 534198, 534390;

deluxe doubleswith Kyle Hotel hastwoexcellent, Clais anTorrain , besidethe ( (

% % h Waverley Waverley h 544274; 534204; 9.30am- dinner, 377

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS If youwant abreak this fromMunrobagging, facilities and ato-die-for spotbyLoch Duich. a particularlygood hostel. It hasexcellent dmadult/child£12.50/9.50; Bridge; to Knoydart. withgreattacular, viewsacrossLoch Hourn nisdale ( p430 ) intheShetlands. broch inScotland,after Mousa preserved two fineruined IronAge Glenelg inthedirection of Arnisdaleto the great viewsof theFive Sisters. Continuepast of Lochalsh. atKyle thetouristoffice walks,contact these to10hours).(eight Formore informationon Glen Shiel battlesite andfinishatShiel Bridge tacular YouthHostel ( to GlenAffric p325 ), viaspec- routeincluding thelow-level fromMorvich Glenelg, where there’s stillaferry toSkye. overroad goes the of theroad.AtShiel Bridge, anarrowside peakssoaringuponbothsides 1000m-high Loch Duich GlenShiel, intospectacular with theA87follows From EileanDonanCastle, Glen Shiel& Glenelg castle andbythebridge atDornie. and Inverness toPortree stopopposite the and itwasrebuilt 1912and1932. between forces were defeated of attheBattle Glenshiel, tle wasruinedin1719after SpanishJacobite at thebattleof Cullodenin1746. Thecas- movie out forthephotosof castlescenesfromthe excellent introductoryexhibition.Keep aneye It’s very much are-creation insidewithan mainland byanelegant,stone-arched bridge. on anoffshore islet,magicallylinked tothe represented inmillionsof photoalbums.It’s castles,andmustbeland’s mostevocative ( Duich, nearDornievillage, Photogenically sited attheentrancetoLoch Eilean DonanCastle 378 the mid-Mar–mid-Nov, from9amJul&Aug) mid-Mar–mid-Nov, a height ofa height 10m,makingitthesecond-best- and Dun Troddan.Telve to stillstands too-easy expedition; start amileeastoftoo-easy expedition;start the % Ratagan Youth Hostel Ratagan there are Ratagain, From theBealach From Glenelgroundtotheroad-end at There are goodwalksinthearea, several fromFortWilliam Scottish Citylinkbuses 01599-555202; Dornie;adult/child£5/2; Five Sisters of Kintail ofKintail Sisters Five SEO KE ISLE OFSKYE , the scenery becomes even more, thescenerybecomeseven spec- Highlander Gleann Lichd . There’s alsoaswordused (17miles).Atraverse of Bealach Ratagain (SYHA;

isaclassicandnone- brochs % Eilean DonanCastle h isoneof Scot- 0870 0041147;Shiel May-Oct; May-Oct; – Dun Telve h (pass)to 10am-6pm i ) is Ar-

several mountain ridges, Munrosto mountain bagging several Fromtheinn,youcanwalkalong shot haggis. to £15)forhungrywalkers, includingfreshly lunch anddinnertimethere’s barmeals(£7 four-poster inhere. bed,spaandsauna At lar withoutdoorenthusiasts.There’s a even the elements.It’saclassylodge andvery popu- to it,providing shelter andgoodcheer from r perperson£32-60) ( the remote, butwelcoming, thetopof GlenShiel, theA87passes Beyond Cluanie Inn Shiel Bridge andGlenelg. except Sunday,fromKyletoArnisdalevia A87. There’s apostbusoperatingoncedaily, liam, Inverness andSkyeoperate alongthe food, are available forlunch anddinner. meals (£10),includinglocalvenison andsea- from aroominsidethehotel. bar Thetasty you’d beunluckynottoget adecentoutlook With 10of the12fineroomsfacingloch, catering sixpeopleeach. facilities,sleeping person £40-57) bed£13.50,rper lodgehotel.co.uk; bunkhouse ShielBridge; (half hour). day fromtheKyleof Lochalsh tothehostel is theplace. There’s atleastonelocalbusa Portree, Dunvegan and Trotternish, andit’s the hordes tendtions. However, tostick is oneof Scotland’s topthree touristdestina- cosy pubsandrestaurants toretire to. are plentyof castles,crofting and museums inthereattraction, butwhenthemistcloses Thestunningsceneryisthemain cliffs. ing sea sparklinglochsjagged mountains, andtower- 50-mile-long smorgasbord of velvet moors, Hills. It’sthebiggest of Scotland’sislands, a ence totheoften mist-enshroudedCuillin sky-a, Gaelic) takes itsnamefromtheoldNorse The Isle of Skye(an t-EileanSgiathanach in pop 9900 ISLE OFSKYE timesofat certain year. which takes three hours, butitgets very wet YouthHostel ( toGlenAffric through p325 ), your heart’scontent. There’s route alow-level % Along withEdinburgh andLoch Ness,Skye Scottish Citylink buses between FortWil- between Scottish Citylinkbuses LodgeHotel Kintail 01320-340238; www.cluanieinn.com;Glenmoriston; meaning‘cloudisland’,aVikingrefer- has two bunkhouses, withself- hastwobunkhouses, , which has agreat lived-in feel ( % 01599-511275; www.kintail lonelyplanet.com Cluanie Inn

department anddental surgeryhere. department 5pm Mon-Fri) Estate,Broadford;per15min£1.25; Industrial closed SunNov-Mar) per15min£1; Portree; it isn’t. it’s when fine it’svery butalltoooften fineindeed, weather: changeable for prepared in theisland’sfarther-flung corners. Come almost alwayspossibletofindpeaceandquiet lonelyplanet.com available, of including aseries fourwalking Scotland. There are guidebooks manydetailed –walkingin andmostdifficult the roughest Skye offers some of thefinest–andinplaces WALKING Activities limitedopening Oct-Mar) Sep, & &10am-4pm SatApr,May Jun-Aug, 9am-5pmMon-Fri Rd, Portree; office tourist Portree office tourist Dunvegan office Broadford tourist TOURIST INFORMATION exchange desk. ATMs. Portree’s hasacurrency touristoffice Only Portree andBroadfordhave bankswith MONEY Hospital MEDICAL SERVICES South SkyeComputers Sligachan Hotel limitedopeningOct-Mar) &Sep, Apr, May &10am-4pmSat 4pm SunJun-Aug,9am-5pmMon-Fri per20min£1; Portree; office tourist Portree Island Outdoors 4.30pm Mon-Sat) 611400; Staffin,Trotternish;per30min£1; Columba 1400CommunityCentre ACCESSINTERNET tion centres onSkye. Portree andBroadfordare themainpopula- Information May, limitedopeningNov-Mar) May, Apr& plus 10am-4pmSunJul&Aug, 10am-5pm Mon-Fri 2 Lochside,Dunvegan; co.uk; Sligachan;per15min£1) Apr-Oct) Park, Broadford; ( % h 01478-613200; Portree) There’s acasualty 01478-613200; Portree) h 9am-6pm Mon-Sat&10am-4pmSun ( ( % % ISLEOFSKYE••Information 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pmSat 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, h h h 01478-650204; www.sligachan. 01478-611073; TheGreen, ( ( ( % % 10am-5pm Mon-Sat Jun-Oct, 10am-5pm Mon-SatJun-Oct, 9am-5.30pm daily Apr-Oct, 9am-5.30pm dailyApr-Oct, 9am-6pm Mon-Sat&10am- % ( ( % % 01478-612137; Bayfield 01478-612137; BayfieldRd, 01471-898222; Old Corrie 01471-898222; OldCorrie 01471-822361; TheCar 01470-521581; ( % h 01478- h 10.30am- 10am- commodation. per person, of includingfournights hotel ac- three-day guidedwalkingholidaysfor£340 around £90aday. guide foroneortwoclientscanbehired for costs around£300,andaprivate mountain tours of Skye,covering history,culture and There are operators who offer several guided Tours instruction. kayakhire with around £25forahalf-day ment hire forbeginners andexperts.Itcosts kayaking instruction,guidingand equip- 13Camuscross,Isleornsay) .skyakadventures.com; Oct) Linicro,Kilmuir; 542414; www.white-wave.co.uk; opportunities. coast of Skyeprovide magnificentsea-kayaking The sheltered coves lochs aroundthe andsea SEA-KAYAKING co.uk) and lin Guides to theharderroutes. Agencies include and safely introduceinexperiencedclimbers guideswhocanprovidemountain instruction dition intheBritishIsles.There are several expe- lin Ridge isthefinestmountaineering climbers, andthetwo-daytraverse of theCuil- The CuillinHillsisaplaygroundforrock CLIMBING walks.co.uk; DuntulmCastleHotel,Trotternish) intimidating). in fine,dryweather,butsomewalkers findit thatyouhavesea toscrambleacross;it’seasy above Step is arockyslabpoised (the Bad the harder miles roundtrip)issuperbbutslightly Step’ (allowfivenary andthe‘Bad hours, 11 walk fromKilmarietoCoruiskviaCamasu- (2½hours, 6.5miles).The via Camasunary hours, 11miles);andfromElgoltoKilmarie (four Sligachan to KilmarieviaCamasunary Elgol road,allow1½hours, 4miles);from Sligachan road)toTorrin(ontheBroadford– Strath MorfromLuib(ontheBroadford– walks inbadweatherorwinter. maps 23and32.Don’tattempt thelonger You’ll need Ordnance Survey (OS)1:50,000 OrdnanceSurvey You’ll need atPortree. andthetouristoffice Aros Centre available fromthe guides byCharlesRhodes, Skye Walking Holidays Skye Walking routes low-level include:through Easy, and . Afive-day basicrock-climbingcourse Skye Guides Skyak Adventures

( % 01478-640289; www.cuillin-guides.co.uk) Whitewave OutdoorCentre Whitewave

( % 01471-822116; www.skyeguides. (

( % 01470-552213; www.skye 01471-833428; www organises organises ( provide %

h 01470- 379 Cuil- Mar-

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS 380 57°N 58°N (45mi) of StKilda To Islands SKYE &OUTERHEBRIDES Mingulay Monach Islands I L FSY • Sy OtrHbie ISLE OFSKYE••Skye& Outer Hebrides A TLNIC Balranald Reserve Nature Vatersay O CEAN Castlebay Barra FlannanIsles Sound of Monach MacDonald's Berneray Benbecula Golf Course Birthplace Askernish Eoligarry Sound of Howmore Pabbay Flora Balivanich Barra Baleshare Geirninis Daliburgh Gualann Liniclate Vallay Polochar Cladach Mhaoldonaich a'Bhaigh Ceann Clachan na Luib Ardmhor South Pabbay Milton nan Long Uist Fuday A865 Berneray North Locheport Kildonan Our Ladyof Museum Port Uist Mealisval (574m) National Nature Loch Druidibeg The Isles Mangersta Ludag Lochboisdale Breanais Reserve Langass Mealista Traigh Uige Bharpa Amhuinnsuidhe (Uig Sands) Beinn Mhor Scarp Eriskay Hushinish Northton (620m) Leverburgh Scarasta Castle Wiay Bays Loch Timsgarry Lochmaddy Griomaval Taransay Luskentyre (497m) Borve Sound of Reef Beach Harris Kneep Rodel 7°W Harris Dun Carloway North Harris South Suinaval (429m) Meadhonach Clisham Miavaig (799m) 7°W (397m) Drinishader St Clement’s Bernera Harris Beinn Tarbert Garenin Lighthouse Neist Point Great Ardvourlie Church Shawbost Flodabay Waterstein Boreraig Point Neist Stockinis Sea ofthe Hebrides Callanish Laxdale Standing Head Lochs Stones Bragar (261m) Carloway Breasclete Dunvegan A859 Minch Beinn Loch Garrynahine Little Beaches Carnach The Glendale Coral Waternish Ailein Rhenigidale Baile Duirinish Kyles Scalpay Lighthouse Healabhal Arnol To Oban Scalpay (488m) Bheag Lewis Bragar Colbost Beinn Mhor Mholach (292m) Beinn (572m) Stornoway Dunvegan Borve Stein Canna Barvas Dunvegan Castle Talisker Kershader Snizort Loch Bay Portnalong Sanday Lighthouse Castle Lews Kilmuir Glen Harris Skye Museum of IslandLife Crosbost Leumrabhagh Eoropie A857 Galson Talisker Griais Glenbrittle Bracadale O s Muirneag e Harport Lagan (248m) Coire Airport Butt of Ness Islands Quiraing Loch Isle of Lewis Shiant Carbost

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Askival (812m) Peinchorran Hills Staffin Coruisk Giúran Cuillin Sound na Cuilce Port nan Portree Loch Kilt Rock Eigg 20km 0 10miles 0 Coruisk Loch 6°W Raasay Cleadale Bheinn (928m) Isle of Raasay Sound Galmisdale Bla of Sconser Camasunary Elgol Museum of Inverarish the Isles (443m) Torrin Caan Point of lonelyplanet.com Kilmarie Brochel Rona Dun Luib Scalpay Minch Sleat Aultgrishan 6°W The Tokavaig Redpoint Tarskavaig Ruadh of Sleat Sound Broadford Reidh Inner Sound Applecross Toscaig To Ullapool Sleat Acharacle Arisaig Sound of Armadale; Arisaig Torridon Ardvasar Loch Alsh Gairloch A830 Ardmolich Loch Midtown Isleornsay Kylerhea Lochalsh 58°N Kyle of Kyleakin Mallaig Hourn Loch to sixpeople. tourforup around £170foraneight-hour 844440; www.isle-of-skye-tour-guide.co.uk) 612142) wildlife, including lonelyplanet.com and Portree). Kyleof (between Lochalsh one Sunday service are onlyafew onSaturdays,andonly buses road. Here, asinmuch of there theHighlands, away fromthemain Kyleakin–Portree–Uig can beapain,especiallyifyouwant to explore aroundtheislandbypublictransport Getting Getting Around vegan andUig. (open 24hours), Armadale,Portree, Dun- now free. were abolishedin2004andthecrossingis opened in1995.Thecontroversial bridge tolls to theScottishmainlandwhenSkyeBridge The Isleof Skyebecamepermanentlytethered CAR &MOTORCYCLE ness toPortree (£17,3½hours, twicedaily). Kyle of alsorunfromInver- Lochalsh. Buses and UigviaCrianlarich, FortWilliamand gow toPortree (£29,6¼hours, three daily) Scottish Citylinkrunsdirect fromGlas- buses BUS mid-May toAugust. October only,and10amto6pmSundayfrom to to 7pmMondaySaturdayfromEaster 20 minutes). Theferry operates from9am trian £1,bicycle£1.50,five minutes, every four passengers £8.50,motorcycle£5,pedes- Glenelg toKylerhea crossing(carandupto runs atinyvessel (sixcars only)ontheshort the Outer Hebrides, see p390 . by car. August, sobookaheadifyou’re travelling on Sunday).It’svery popularinJulyand dailyMondaytoSaturday,fiveeight toseven £3.40,car£18.40,30minutes,or passenger ates theMallaig toArmadaleferry (driver mainland. couple of ferry Skyeandthe linksbetween Despite there beingabridge, there are stilla BOAT Getting There&Away There are atBroadford petrolstations Skye Ferry CalMac For details ofFor details ferries fromUigonSkyeto and

( % Isle ofSkyeTourGuideCo

( 01471-844248; www.calmac.co.uk) % ISLE OF SKYE •• Kyleakin (CaolAcain) ISLEOFSKYE••Kyleakin 01599-522273; www.skyeferry.co.uk) Red Deer Travel DeerTravel Red . Rates are. Rates

( ( % % oper- 01478- 01471-

train station. train station. for thecartobewaitingatKyleof Lochalsh from around£35aday,andyoucanarrange is thevenue fortheannual location. looking theharbour,hasmostattractive and the mountains ontheother.and themountains Past line-ups ononeside pheric music gig,withthe sea at theendof May. It’sScotland’s mostatmos- (www.skyemusicfestival.co.uk) hospital Sun) supermarket Oct) The CarPark; village hasa straggling communities of southernSkye. Thelong, centre forthescattered Broadford isaservice % BROADFORD (AN T-ATHLEATHANN) Sunday) toBroadfordandPortree. and there are daily(except to10buses eight Kyle of Lochalsh andKyleakin(five minutes), £13) ( ity. Thehomely proxim- withfourhostelsghetto, in close byyachts andfishingboats. used peacefullittleplace,withaharbour a pleasant, bythemainroad.It’snow backwater bypassed went frombeingthegateway totheislanda under itwhentheSkyeBridge opened–it Poor wee Kyleakin hadthecarpetpulledfrom % KYLEAKIN ( CAOL ACAIN) Kyle Taxi Company (p301), Oban FlyertoFortWilliamandWest Highland be carried.AtMallaig, itconnectswiththe Portree (£15,1½hours, onedaily);bikes can laig withUigviaArmadale,Broadfordand ( line info,call days for£6/15.Fortimetable ticket gives unlimited bustravel forone/three the mainvillages andtowns.ItsSkyeRoverbus the mainbusroutes ontheisland,linkingall % % Ashaig Airstrip, 3mileseastof Broadford, A shuttle bus runs half-hourly between A shuttle busruns half-hourly orrentYou canorderataxi acarfrom From May the toSeptember, Country Highland The village issomethingof abackpacker , a 24-hour petrol station, alarge, a24-hourpetrolstation, 01471 /pop1050 01599 /pop100 , in a fine, old, pine-panelled house over-, inafine,old,pine-panelledhouse , alaundrette, abankwithATM, anda

07780 724248) ( 534087; www.skyerover.co.uk; CastleView;dmfrom % ( 0871 2002233) % h 822137).

( h 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pmSat Apr- 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, minibus service linksMal- minibusservice 8am-10pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pmSat& 8am-10pm Mon-Fri,

( % Dun Caan Independent Hostel Dun Caan

(www.rapsons.co.uk) . 01599-534323) , heldover aweekend tourist office tourist Skye Music Festival Skye Music . Rentals cost . Rentals (

operates Skye Flyer % 822361; Co-op Co-op Trave- 381

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS lovely castle gardens. Charlie. Theticket alsogives admission tothe byBonniePrince glass that wasonceused clude rare portraitsof clanchiefs, andawine of theLordship of theIsles.Prizeexhibitsin- as wellproviding aneasily digested history wantedyou ever toknowabout Clan Donald, Nov-Easter) Mon-Fri h oftheIsles Museum of LordMacdonald of Sleatandhometothe former seat the part-ruinedArmadaleCastle, and acoupleof Just along theroadis houses. rives, islittlemore thanastore, apostoffice, Armadale, where theferry from Mallaig ar- % Armadale Bla Bheinn. views of theIsleof Rum,theCuillinHillsand through the steep andtwistingminorroadthatloops magnificent sceneryoneitherside–take but itprovides foroglingthe agrandstand landscape of isnotexceptional, Sleatitself sula knownasSleat(pronouncedslate). The southern endof thelong,low-lying penin- from Mallaig youarrive inArmadale,atthe If youcrossover toSkyeontheferry thesea SLEAT Takeaway, forfishandchips (£4.50)togo. the backdoor,where you’llfindMa Doyle’s and ifyoucan’tget thenniparoundto atable gumbo.is arich, spicyseafood Bookahead, speciality onSkye;thehouse the bestseafood someof bustling, no-frills restaurant thatserves Harrapool; mains£8-15; but onereally out. stands the mainroad,nearCreelers restaurant. ivy-cladcottage.a delightful, Bothare justoff www.limestonecottage.co.uk; 4LimePark; rperperson£37.50) and neighbouring lovely, oldcroft withviewsover house thebay, .net; 3LimePark; rperperson£30; include ing southernSkyebycar. RecommendedB&Bs ford, andthevillage iswellplacedforexplor- There are lotsof B&BsinandaroundBroad- Sleeping &Eating Buzzcocks, aswellSkye-born DJMylo. Scream, Echo and theBunnymenand have includedartistssuch asKasabian, Primal 382 Broadford has several places at which to eat, placesatwhich toeat, Broadford hasseveral 01471 /pop150 9.30am-5.30pm Easter-Oct, gift shoponly11am-3pm gift 9.30am-5.30pm Easter-Oct, SEO KE • la ISLE OFSKYE••Sleat Berabhaigh Tarskavaig . The museum willtell youall . Themuseum h (

and Limestone Cottage % ( % noon-10pm Mon-Sat) 822372; berabhaigh@iselofskye 844305; adult/child£5/3.80; Tokavaig Creelers h closed Nov-Feb; ( %

forstunning 822281; Lower 822281; Lower ( is a small, isasmall,

% 822142; p , a ) , tish landscapeandculture. exhibits theworksof artistsinspired byScot- southwest from Armadale through Ardvasar Ardvasar southwest fromArmadalethrough or take away. chips, and coffees crab –youcansitin salads dishes, pizzas,fishand goodseafood It serves withsomeoutdoortables. little conservatory £5-10; Eriskay ponies. ferry, onafarmfullof cattleand Highland dm/tw/q £11/28/50; ( bour, whiletherustic location onthenorthsideof theferry har- % round trip). and pretty littlebeach at gallery provides agoodwalktothelighthouse ing of Peter McDermott. Thetrackbeyondthe village, exhibitsthepowerfullandscapepaint- Sep) colours.co.uk; admissionfree; in August2004. ahumpbackwhalewasspottedsharks –even of dolphins andbasking sightings bottlenose spotting minke whalesin summer,withrarer tripshave successrateson. These for ahigh boat)for£25/35perper-RIB (rigidinflatable two-/three-hour boattripsinahigh-speed south of is one of places Isleornsay, those www.skyehotel.co.uk; Sleat;rper person£75-85; son burger orvegetarian lasagne. batter,to £9)–trythehaddock inbeer veni- delicious,gourmet-stylebarmeals (£6 serves hotel’s cosy,wood-panelledAnPraban bar views.The luxurious rooms,manywithsea with logfires, anexcellentrestaurant and12 £120/140; free; AnTalla Gallery Dearg his much-loved memoir land, where Gavin Maxwell lived andwrote dale, is onthemain- opposite SandaigBay This pretty harbour,8milesnorthof Arma- Isleornsay and Portree. to Saturday)fromArmadaleBroadford % o EileanIarmain Hotel There aday(Monday are buses sixorseven The The no-frills Sea.fari Aird OldChurch Gallery 0870 0041103;dm£13; , attheendof thenarrowroadthatleads h 844272; www.skye-hostel.co.uk; The Glebe, Kilmore; TheGlebe,Kilmore; 844272; www.skye-hostel.co.uk; h Pasta Shed 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pmSat&SunApr-Oct) 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, p 9am-6pm)

( Toravaig HouseHotel % Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ) isacharming old Victorianhotel 844787, 833316;www.seafari.co.uk) , besidetheferry pier,isacute p ( % Armadale YouthHostel ) is3milesnorthof the

844264; ThePier, Armadale;mains (

% h ( h

( % % Flora MacDonald Hostel Flora MacDonald Ring of Bright Water 01767-650444; admission Point ofSleat 10am-5pm Mon-SatEaster- Apr-Sep) 01471-833266; froms/d 844291; www.skyewater

( % hasagreat 01471-820200; 01471-820200; p , 3 miles (5miles )

(SYHA; runs

. local fish,gameandlamb.After dinner,you (adult/child £18/6)fromElgolharbourto the lawnchairs inthegarden.Thespacious ing theviewacrossSoundof Sleatfrom sofas bythelogfire inthelounge, oradmir- athome,whetherrelaxingright ontheplump –assoonyouarrivehospitality you’llfeel where theowners knowathingortwoabout Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( range.lar mountain small instature Though The Cuillin Hillsare mostspectacu- Britain’s % CUILLIN HILLS Saturday). minutes, three dailyMondaytoFriday,two minke whalesontheway. colonies ofwiththechance of puffins, seeing andSandaytovisitbreeding to Rum,Canna There are longer trips (£38/26, fourhours) tion ontheislandof Soay(adult/child £18/12). Elgol toanabandoned shark-huntingsta- boattripsfrom runs 1½-hourhigh-speed £12.50/5 (noSundayservice). .mistyisleboattrips.co.uk) wooden launch en route. Theprettier andmore traditional get 1½hours ashore, colony andvisitaseal Coruisk ashore here tomake theshortwalkto rock slabs. Onacalm day,youcanclamber surrounded bysoaringpeaksandacres of bare the remote h of theentire Cuillinrange fromElgolpier. Loch Slapin (nearTorrin),andthesuperbview panoramas –theviewof BlaBheinn across scenic onSkye. Ittakes intwoclassicpostcard from Broadfordto Elgol isoneof themost On aclearday,thejourneyalongroad ELGOL ( EALAGHOL) grand inthecorner. your handatticklingtheivoriesonbaby theyachting magazines,ortry flick through can retire tothelounge withasinglemaltand open forlunch anddinner) the elegantIonarestaurant (mains£13to£18; to thehuge, high-pressure shower-heads, and equipped, fromtherich andheavy bedlinen bed–arewith itsenormoussleigh luxuriously bedrooms –askforroomNo1(Eriskay), Sgurr Alasdair Aquaxplore Bella Jane Bus 49runsfromBroadfordtoElgol (40 01478 Easter–mid-Oct) intheheartof theCuillinHills.You

Loch naCuilce (

( % % , the highest summit, isonly, thehighest offers athree-hour cruise 0800 7313089;www.bellajane.co.uk; Misty Isle Misty 0800 7313089;www.aquaxplore.co.uk) offers for similarcruises , animpressive inlet

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serves thebestof serves 01471-866288; www ISLEOFSKYE••Elgol(Ealaghol) Loch

playroom) andanadventure playground. tages, abigbarnof abar(complete withkids cot- self-catering priced hotel, abunkhouse, near villageencompassinganover- initself, knowntogenerationsbeen of climbers, isa especially late inthe day). ing 8miles toGlenbrittle(this canbeslow, there, you’llhave tohitch orwalkthe remain- viaSligachan (50 minutes);to Carbost from to Friday(onceon Saturday)fromPortree to reach. Bus53runsfive timesadayMonday easily accessiblebybus;Glenbrittle isharder Sligachan, onthemainKyle–Portree road, is Getting There&Away midges here canbediabolical. £5/3) camping ground dm£12.50; Glenbrittle; YouthHostel Glenbrittle the choice of theScandinavian-style, timber be warned–thisspotisamidge magnet. camping ground indifferent. canbeatad 200 maltwhiskies),butservice from itsownmicrobrewery (plusarange of real ales andserves and spicybeancasserole, steak andtatties, andalepie, neeps ing haggis, This placedishes updecentbarmeals,includ- gachan; dm/s/d£12/65/90; Sligachan Hotel Sleeping &Eating to thesouth. Cuillin – binoculars. ground forrockclimbers –bringalongyour arehardy!), andthesurroundingcliffs aplay- alochancorrie contains forbathing(forthe at leastthree hours). Theimpressive upper ground to is thesteep climbfromGlenbrittlecamping most walkers. Oneof thebest(onafineday) of hikes good,low-level withintheabilityof lin are off limitstothemajority of walkers. reaches thehigher mountaineers, of theCuil- While theyare forexperienced aparadise scree-filled gulliesandacres of naked rock. ter, withknife-edge ridges, jagged pinnacles, 993m), thepeaksare near-alpine incharac- Seamus’s Bar Seamus’s At thesouthernendof theCuillinyouhave Across theroad fromthehotel isabasic There are forexploringthe twomainbases The goodnewsisthatthere are alsoplenty down by the sea. As downbythesea. atSligachan, the Sligachan Coire Lagan Coire

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(SYHA; h ) TheSlig,asithas , ortheexcellent % food served 5-11pm) food served 0870 0041121; Glenbrittle , but 383

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS sites perperson£3) lage school. There’s atiny p commodation in bright B&Bbedroomsand commodation inbright 5.30pm Mon-Sat) Offers currency exchange. 5.30pm Mon-Sat) Offers Post office Island Outdoors Hospital h Bank ofScotland Information the localclans. James V,whocamehere in1540topacify Gaelic forKing’sHarbour) commemorates the surroundinghills.Itsname(from andtherepainted houses, are great viewsof It hasapretty harbourlinedwithbrightly Portree isSkye’slargest andliveliest town. % PORTREE ( PORT RIGH) via Sligachan. (one onSaturday)fromPortree toCarbost dm£12; Rd, Portnalong; IndependentHostel Skyewalker and toasted oatmeal). madewithcream,dessert whisky,raspberries homemade cranachan (traditionalScottish onion soupandhaddockchips, towicked excellent pubgrub noonand10pm,itserves port –andbetween at thebackwithgreat viewsover Loch Har- from Glenbrittle–there’s anoutdoorpatio bar isafavourite withwalkers andclimbers Thean appealingchalet-style bunkhouse. andwaterfall. stack beach,sandy sea Talisker guided tourincludesafree dram.Magnificent Easter). £5; at and smokyTalisker maltwhisky,produced lage of hometothesmooth,sweet Carbost, of Skye. Onitssouthernshore liesthevil- divides the Minginish peninsulafromtherest Loch Harport, tothenorthof theCuillin, % MINGINISH 384 equipment shop with internet access for £1 per 15 minutes. equipment shopwithinternet accessfor£1per15minutes. h department anddentalsurgery. department There are five adayonweekdays buses Three isthe milesnorthwestof Carbost The h Talisker Distillery ) 9am-5.30pm daily Apr-Oct, closed Sun Nov-Mar) Outdoor Outdoor closedSun Nov-Mar) 9am-5.30pm dailyApr-Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm Mon-Fri) HasanATM.9am-12.30pm &1.30-5pmMon-Fri) 01478 /pop1920 01478 is an atmospheric wee pub,offering isanatmosphericwee ac- SEO KE • igns ISLE OFSKYE••Minginish ThisistheonlydistilleryonSkye; 9.30am-5pm Mon-Sat Easter-Oct, 2-5pm Mon-Fri Nov- 2-5pmMon-Fri 9.30am-5pm Mon-SatEaster-Oct,

Old Inn ( Bay % ( % , 5 miles west of Carbost, hasa, 5mileswestof Carbost, 01478-613200; Portree) Hascasualty 01478-613200; Portree)

612533; Wentworth St; 612533; Wentworth ( outtheback. ( % % ( % 01478-611073; The Green, Portree; 01478-611073; TheGreen, Portree; 640205; Carbost;dm/s/d£12/34/65;

( (£5 to£10),fromFrench 0845 7203040;SomerledSq; % ) , housed intheoldvil- , housed 614308; Carbost;guidedtour camping ground (

% h 640250; Fiskavaig 640250; Fiskavaig 9am- (tent is acombinedvisitorcentre, bookandgift half amilewestof townontheB885,isan Wed) HasATMs. % exchange. Provides internetaccess(£1per20minutes)andcurrency limitedopeningOct-Mar) &Sep, 10am-4pm SatApr,May & Mon-Sat &10am-4pmSunJun-Aug, 9am-5pmMon-Fri Portree harbour to the Isle of Raasay (adult/ Portree harbourtotheIsleof Raasay .com) excellent café. bitions of contemporary art.Italsohasan appealing gallerythathostschanging exhi- .org.uk; StruanRd;admissionfree; an indoor,soft playarea forchildren. The centre rainy-dayretreat, isauseful with waiting fortheaerialshotsof theCuillin). video of Skye’simpressive scenery(it’sworth of astrangely commentary-free wide-screen eagleandheronnests,aviewing local sea images from at somefascinating,live CCTV visitor centre (adult/child £3/2)offers alook shop, restaurant, theatre andcinema. The Experience On thesouthernedge of Portree, the Sights &Activities office Tourist Royal BankofScotland .skyehostel.co.uk; Bayfield; dm £13; town ontheA87to Uig. bring yourownsupplies. It’samilenorthof ground toPortree; there’s no shop onsite, so son £3; Camping Torvaig BUDGET August, sobesure tobookahead. acter. Accommodationfillsupfast inJulyand are comfortable, though often lackinginchar- of themare inbland,modernbungalowsthat, Portree iswellsuppliedwithB&Bs,butmany Sleeping early August. .skye-highland-games.co.uk) The annual Festivals &Events eagles. lucky –white-tailed sea and–ifyou’re porpoises seals, chance tosee child £12/6, MondaytoSaturday),offering the o Centre Art Tuireann An The 9.15am-4.45pm Mon,Tue, 10am-4.45pm Thu&Fri, offers two-hourboatexcursions from h Lady B Boat Trips Lady BBoatTrips Apr-Oct)

Bayfield Backpackers Bayfield Backpackers ( % Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( % Isle of Skye Highland Games Isle ofSkyeHighland 613649; ViewfieldRd; ( This is the closest camping Thisistheclosest % 612137; BayfieldRd; 612209; Torvaig; tentsitesper per- 612209; Torvaig; ( are heldin Portree in % ( ( % % 612822; BankSt; h 613306; www.antuireann 612093; www.skyeboats 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) iw ( % h h 612231; www 9am-5.30pm) 9am-6pm ) Clean,

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.co.uk; Bayfield;rperpersonfrom£20; go inSkye. a fontof adviceonwhattodoandwhere to owner really makes youfeel welcome,andis best backpacker accommodationintown.The central andmodern,thishostel provides the Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com stinting hospitality makestinting hospitality thismodernB&B, location, withviewsacrossthebay,andun- hotmail.com; ViewfieldRd;rperperson£25-30) Woodlands B&B MIDRANGE this priceandlocation,it’sabargain. views, andbathroomswithpowershowers. At andmountain clean rooms,somewithsea butsparklingly withspartan modern house Kyleakin (50mi) Sligachan (11mi);Dunvegan(22mi);Broadford(30mi); Aros Experience(1mi);PeinmoreHouse(1.8mi); To Woodlands B&B(0.3mi);AnTuireann ArtCentreCafé(1mi); PORTREE (PortRigh) Bayview House Sea Breezes...... BenTianavaig B&B...... Bayfield Backpackers...... Lady BBoatTrips...... Tourist Office...... Royal BankofScotland...... Post Office...... EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Café Arriba...... Bistro attheBosville...... (see 10) Rosedale Hotel...... Bosville Hotel...... Bayview House...... Island Outdoors...... (see19) Bank ofScotland...... Prince ofIndia...... Lower Deck...... Hospital......

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% The Rosedale TheRosedale 613306; StruanRd; Thishotel Cullen in), try by theharbour. Foracurry(takeaway orsit- a goodrange of equipment,clothing,books shop that specialises inhandmadesoapsand shop thatspecialises with colourful knitwear, tweeds andcountry with colourfulknitwear,tweeds adjoining Nextdoor. enware andallkindsof interesting inthe stuff kitch- designs,withlighting, rics withCeltic wood,jewelleryandbatikfab- such ascarved arangegift shop, selling of interesting crafts Oct-Apr) 9am-9pmJul&Aug,9am-5pmMon-Sat Jun&Sep, 6pm May, Skye Batiks&Nextdoor Shopping nautical-themed waterfront bar. most guarantee aweekend sing-songatthis and tourists. in alively mixof younglocals,backpackers with itsflagstonefloorandopenfires, pulls atmospheric thanmost.TheJacobean bar, are nothingspecial,buttheIslesInnismore Isles Inn Drinking Oct-Jun) £6-10; Lower Deck often hardtoget atable. crab, oysters andlobster. Bookearly,asit’s to Saturday only)runfrom Portree to Broad- (£10, onehour)and ontoUig. Sundays, fromKyle of Lochalsh toPortree are sixScottish aday,including Citylinkbuses The mainbusstopisinSomerled Sq. There Getting There&Around books onlocalsubjects. the shelves here forCDsof Gaelicmusicand h aromatherapy oils. cosmetics madeusingnaturalingredients and 9am-5pmSat) 5.30pm Mon-Fri, kayaking; italsohaspublicinternet access. and mapsforclimbing,walking,camping closedSunNov-Mar) 5.30pm Apr-Oct, and allkindsof interesting gifts. and casualclothing,aswellglassware, crafts Highland Country Buses services (Monday services Country Buses Highland Gadelica Carmina Isle ofSkyeSoapCo Island Outdoors theRainbow Over Pier Hotel Portree’s favourite fish-and-chip shop is 9am-5.30pm Mon-Sat,9am-8pmJul&Aug) h . Skye Batiks isacutabove SkyeBatiks youraverage Prince ofIndia Prince ( noon-midnight Jul-Sep, noon-2pm&5-11.30pm noon-midnight Jul-Sep, %

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% % ( noon-2.30pm &6-9pm) 612555; QuayBrae) % 611073; TheGreen; 611350; SomerledSq; A sweet-smelling gift Asweet-smelling 613331; TheGreen; 612585; 4 Wentworth St; 612585; 4Wentworth 612681; BayfieldRd;mains Thisstore stocks Portree’s pubs Youcanal- Crammed Browse Browse h h h down 9am- 9am- 9am- six daily);andtoDunvegan (40min- Castle (40 minutes, fourdaily);toUig(30minutes, necting withtheferries toMallaig); to Carbost (15 minutes); toArmadale(1¼hours, con- ford (40minutes, atleasthourly)viaSligachan Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com and colourful stoneware. can watch potters at work creating beautiful in1971,whereworkshops, established you Sun Nov-Easter) Edinbane; bane-pottery.co.uk; you’ll pass skeletons of corallinealgaeknownasmaerl. white of beaches composed thebleached exo- leads tothe vegan entrance,aneasywalk of Castle 1mile ‘without setting down orfallingdown’. the contents inoneminute and57seconds – the29thchief, whodiedin2007–downed the familytraditionin1956,John Macleod room with Flora MacDonald’s share granddaughter, a waistcoat andalockof hishair,donated by and 7thcenturies.BonniePrinceCharlie’s that dates the4th fromsometimebetween being the are some interesting artefacts, mostfamous swords, silver andfamilyportraits–there to 19thcenturies. dungeon, butmostof itdates fromthe17th oldest partsare the14th-centurykeep and most famously,FloraMacDonald ( p388 ). The host toSamuelJohnson, SirWalter Scottand, of thechief of ClanMacLeod. Ithasplayed £7/4; is one of itsmostpopulartouristattractions, Skye’s mostfamoushistoricbuilding,and % DUNVEGAN ( DUN BHEAGAIN) full day. The Green; the mainland. minutes). See p381 of from fordetails buses minutes), Kilmuir(1¼hours) andUig(30 (in bothdirections) inFlodigarry(20 taking day onacircularroute aroundTrotternish Saturday). There are alsofive a orsixbuses utes, five dailyMondaytoFriday,three on could holdhalfagallonof claret. Upholding design that ful 16th-centuryvessel of Celtic Dunvegan Castle Castle Dunvegan On thewaytoDunvegan fromPortree From theendof theminorroadbeyondDun- – In additiontotheusualcastlestuff You canhire bikes at 01470 h 10am-5pm Easter-Oct, 11am-4pmNov-Easter) 10am-5pm Easter-Oct, h Fairy Flag Edinbane Pottery 9am-5pm Mon-Sat) , oneof theisland’s originalcraft Rory Mor’s Drinking Horn Rory Mor’sDrinking Coral Beaches

( , adiaphanoussilkbanner % 521206; Dunvegan;adult/child h – a pair of blindingly –apairof blindingly Island Cycles for£8/12perhalf-/ 9am-6pm, closedSat&

( % 582234; www.edin ISLEOFSKYE••Dunvegan(DunBheagain) ( , abeauti- % 613121; , seat , seat restaurant intheevenings. note thatyoungkids are not welcomeinthe nextdoor.house Bookwellinadvance, and lery withagoodrange of colourandmono- place moved toSkyein1971andnowraise retreat combiningagourmetrestaurant ina and Waterstein, isanothersuperbromantic .co.uk; Colbost,Dunvegan;3-courselunch/dinner£28/48; & 6-9.30pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-4pm & 6.30-9pm Sun Easter-Oct; & 6-9.30pmMon-Sat,12.30-4pm6.30-9pmSunEaster-Oct; five-star rooms(double£255) candle-lit crofter’s cottage withsumptuous p h forlunch.sandwich of SkyeBrewery, anexcellentcrab anddoes real alesfromtheIsle loch. Thebarserves suntrap onsummerafternoons –besidethe garden–areal beer tle bar,andadelightful views,alively lit- £26 to£36)allwithsea and hasahandfulof bedrooms(perperson p Stein, Waternish;barmeals£6-9; o Sleeping &Eating knitwear aswellyarns. shop behind finished thestudio, which sells You cansee the dyeingprocessinwork- a range of woolsandsilksusingnaturaldyes. hand-spinwoollenyarn,andhand-dye sheep, h dair Yarns and crafts. by LizMyhill,andarange of handmadearts chrome landscapephotography,linoprints h DandelionDesigns Hebrides. Point lighthouse Head Waterstein of cliffs sea thespectacular peninsula tosee Dunvegan tothewestsideof theDuirinish them all. tourist officeprovides afree bookletlisting ists’ studiosandcraftsworkshops.Portree restaurants, plusaneclecticrange of art- some of Skye’smostatmospherichotels and vegan, and The % DUIRINISH &WATERNISH Three Chimneys Three A few milesnorthof Stein you’llfind At Stein ontheWaternish peninsulais It’s worthmakingthelongdrive beyond 12.30-2pm Mon-Sat Mar-Oct, 6.30-9pmdailyyear-round; 12.30-2pm Mon-SatMar-Oct, ) 10am-6pm Apr-Oct) 11am-5pm Easter-Oct) 01470 ) In Colbost, halfway between Dunvegan InColbost,halfwaybetween Thisoldcountryinndates from1790 Duirinish Stein Inn Stein

( % 592297; www.shilasdair-yarns.co.uk; Carnach; Waternish peninsulatothewestof Dun- withitsviewstotheOuter , andtowalkdown

( ( % . Thecouplewhorunthis ( % % , aninteresting little gal- 592218; Captain’sHouse,Stein; 592362; www.steininn.co.uk; 511258; www.threechimneys tothenorth,boasts h food served noon-4pm food served

in themodern

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS restaurants, kitchen with acosyfarmhouse the Stein Innisoneof Skye’smostromantic in halfanhour. Theadventurous (andener- and UigyoucanwalknorthtotheQuiraing est pointof Staffin theminorroadbetween landscapes. Fromaparkingarea atthehigh- constitute oneof Skye’smostremarkable pressive andpinnacles land-slippedcliffs escarpmentofbasalt the to thepleatsof akilt. verticalwhose ribbingisfancifullycompared Rock Kilt isspectacular (Stamhain), again, nearStaffin DonWhillans.North by English mountaineer unclimbable pinnaclewasfirst scaledin1955 (roundtrip2miles).Thisseemingly Leathan park inthewoodsatnorthernendof Loch of Portree. Walkuptoitsfootfromthecar Storr of knownasthe crumblingbasalt First potbelliedpinnacle upisthe50m-high, East Coast and bizarre –scenery. Portree hassomeof Skye’smostbeautiful– The Trotternish peninsulatothenorthof % TROTTERNISH to bookahead. orlive inashell. either swiminthesea Best and amenuthatincludesmostthings tilesandawood-burningterracotta stove, Sat, 6.30-9pmMon-Sat) Waternish; mains£10-21,lobster£30-40; 388 Lochbay Seafood Restaurant Lochbay Seafood Staffin Bay isdominated bythedramatic Bay Staffin in thesheet onwhichbothBonnie PrinceCharlie andDrJohnson hadslept. to Kingsburgh onSkyewhere churchyard, wrapped she diedin1790.ShewasburiedKilmuir Carolina.family toemigrate to North There herhusband wascaptured by rebels. Florareturned Johnson stayedwith herin1773duringhistriptotheWestern Isles,butlater poverty forced her in theTowerofLondon.Shenever saworheardfromthe princeagain. before settingsailforRaasay. containing hisportrait managed tolandsafely where theprince toPortree andFloraescorted hegave heragoldlocket With apriceontheprince’sheadtheirlittleboatwasfired on,buttheyher Irishmaidservant. the site ofoneherearlychildhoodhomes. at theBattleofCulloden, inSouthUist,where wasbornin1722atMilton amemorialcairnmarks Flora MacDonald,whobecamefamousforhelpingBonniePrinceCharlieescapeafter hisdefeat FLORA MACDONALD 01470 , prominentabove theroad6milesnorth SEO KE • rtens ISLE OFSKYE••Trotternish In 1747,shereturned toSkye,marryingAllanMacDonaldand havingninechildren. DrSamuel Waylaid onthewayhome,boatmen admitted everything. Florawasarrested and imprisoned hiswayfromBenbeculatoSkyedisguisedasIn 1746,shehelpedBonniePrinceCharlie make , a stupendous cliff of columnarbasalt , astupendouscliff Justalongtheroadfrom Quiraing

( % h , whose im- , whose 592235; Stein, 11am-2pm Tue- Old Man of Old Man MacDonald (see below ) lived inafarmhouse nounced oo-ig),thepicture-perfect bay, Behind the museum is Kilmuir Cemetery, isKilmuirCemetery, themuseum Behind adult/child £2.50/50p; at inthatched cottages 19th centuriesispreserved The peat-reek of crofting life inthe18thand West Coast lobster, lambandvenison. featuring localproducesuch aslangoustines, lunch anddinner the InnerSound,andserves bistro (mains£9to£18) modern Thebright, rooms inthehotel itself. are twobedrooms),orinthemore spacious (there inthecottagehotel itself –youcanstay pretty gardenare nowpartof thisdelightful nish from1751to1759.Thecottage andits cottage atFlodigarryinnortheastTrotter- www.flodigarry.co.uk; Flodigarry;d£100-190; it’s onlya100mwalkaway. can stillvisitthehotel barforafternoon tea – hostel shares superbviews,andyou thesame hotel istooexpensive foryou,thisnearby .co.uk; Flodigarry;dm/tw£12.50/28; Dun FlodigarryHostel SLEEPING &EATING fragment wasremoved bytourists’. 1955 toreplace theoriginal,of which ‘every MacDonald crossmarksthe where Celtic atall grass-topped plateau knownasthe pinnacle calledthe getic) canscrambleuptotheleftof theslim Whichever wayyouarrive at Flodigarry CountryHouseHotel

Skye Museum ofIslandLife Skye Museum (see (see below ); thecrosswaserected in Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com h (

% 9.30am-5pm Mon-SatEaster-Oct) Needle 552212; www.hostelflodigarry

has great views over

tofindahidden, ( i % ) 552206; Kilmuir; 552206; Kilmuir; Ifthelocal

grave ofFlora grave ( Uig % p Table (pro- 552203; Flora ) . . bottled beers. Fri) Brewery to theOuter Hebrides, visitthe If you’ve timetokillwhilewaitingforaferry ringed hills,rarely bysteep failstoimpress. Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com the picturesquely situated forexploring theisland. a goodbase a fairwalkfromthe ferry pier(2.5miles)but is on thehilloverlookinghigh Skye,thishostel is Cottage; dm£13.50; activity courses andhostel accommodation. 2009, whenitwillonceagainprovide outdoor major renovation. Itshould reopen inspring nity ownership in2007andisundergoing a more than20years, wastaken intocommu- Outdoor Centre hometo which hasbeen House, Raasay Sleeping island. murder, rapeandpillage theirwayacrossthe government forcesarrived to andproceeded for theirJacobite sympathieswhenvictorious men and26pipers, butthepeoplepaiddearly nie PrinceCharliewitharound100fighting suppliedBon- of Cullodenin1746,Raasay an early-16th-centurypirate. Atthebattle GarbhMacLeod, washometoCalum Raasay, perched onapinnacleatthenorthernendof est trails. of Lochalsh) withsuggested walksandfor- from thetouristofficesinPortree orKyle publishesEnterprise afree leaflet(available topped conicalhillof good walkshere, includingonetotheflat- Skye’seastcoast.Therelies off are several istherugged, 10-mile-longislandthat Raasay % RAASAY OF ISLE from £50/100; coaching inn,the Uig; dm£13.50; as the roadside lochan. hills, rockytowers, ruinedcottages andatiny ing naturallandscapeof miniature conical so tothe ‘Sheader leadsinamileor andBalnaknock’) , which sells locallybrewed, which sells caskalesand Other island accommodation includes YouthHostel Raasay The extraordinaryruinof Just southof Uig,aminorroad(signposted There’s acluster of B&BsinUig,aswell 01478 /pop160 Uig YouthHostel ( % Fairy Glen p 542477; ThePier, Uig; h

) h . (www.raasayoutdoorcentre.co.uk) late-Apr–Oct) May-Sep) , astrange andenchant- Uig Hotel (SYHA;

Dun Caan Dun Caan

(SYHA; Set in a rustic cottage inarusticcottage Set % andalovely old Isle of Raasay Hotel Isle ofRaasay 0870 004 1146; Creachan 0870 0041146;Creachan

( % % h (443m). Forest Brochel Castle 542205; Uig;s/d 0870 0041155; 9am-5pm Mon- OUTER HEBRIDES Isle ofSkye Raasay Raasay for ,

living memory. turf roofs andearthen floors) are still within blackhouses speakers. Therigours of life intheoldisland no lessthan60%of thepopulationare Gaelic istered crofts are inthe Outer Hebrides, and divide –more thanathirdof Scotland’sreg- cultural the Western Islesmarksanimportant causeways. ‘the Uists’)are connected byroad-bearing The middlethree (often referred tosimplyas SouthUistandBarra. North Uist,Benbecula, often describedasiftheyare islands), separate Harris (twopartsof asingleisland,although five maininhabited islandsare: and Lewis There are of 119islandsintotal, which the lying off thenorthwestcoastof Scotland. Gaelic –are a130-mile-longstringof islands Western Isles,orNah-EileanananIarin on Sundays. andHarrisin Lewis down atleast–closes arrive intheafternoon – andalmosteverything Hebrides, aplacewhere themorningpapers the Gaelic-speakingcommunitiesof theOuter the slowerpaceof life youcanexpecttofindin of urgency’.sense Gaelic awordthatconveys such apressing replied, ‘No, Idonotthinkthatwehave in Hebridean professor forawhile,then thought the Spanishphrase fessor, ‘doyouhave aGaelicequivalentfor languages. ‘Tell theSpanishpro- me,’said cussing therelative meritsof theirrespective Gaelic metata conference andbegandis- A professor of Spanishandaprofessor of pop 26,500 OUTER HEBRIDES tions ontheisland. twice dailySunday).There are nopetrolsta- (15 minutes, hourlyMondaytoSaturday, to Broadford,thesouthernendof Raasay ontheroadfromPortreeruns fromSconser, A CalMac Getting There&Away person £35) and s/d£50/80; Inverarish; ( % The ferry crossingfromUllapool orUigto The Outer Hebrides –alsoknownasthe An oldjoke perhaps,butonethathintsat 660222; www.isleofraasayhotel.co.uk; BorodaleHouse, Churchton GuestHouse , halfamiletothenorth. ferry (low-walledstone cottages with

(bicycle/passenger/car £1.10/2.75/10.70) p ) justabove theferry pier, mañana, mañana (

% 660260; Suisnish;rper ?’ The 389

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS Benbecula) some hotels andshops offer cashback facilities. Elsewhere, (Barra). (South Uist) andCastlebay Lochboisdale (Benbecula), Uist), Balivanich Tarbert(Lewis), (Harris), Lochmaddy (North There are bankswithATMs inStornoway MONEY Rd, Stornoway,Lewis) IslesHospital Western Uist &BarraHospital haveBoth hospitals casualtydepartments. MEDICAL SERVICES Taigh Chearsabhagh Free access.Wed &Sat,10am-6pmThuFri) 19 CromwellSt,Stornoway,Lewis; Stornoway PublicLibrary Community Library ACCESSINTERNET Information provide alist. and craftsstudios–thetouristoffices can As withSkye,theislandsare dotted witharts preserved west coastof withitsprehistoric Lewis sites, and folkmemoriesof theClearances( p360 ). croftsstones, Vikingplacenames,deserted It’s apastsignalledbyNeolithicstanding and mystery intheislands’fascinatingpast. esty intherugged hillsandsprawlinglochs, dunes) anddazzlingwhite-sandbeaches, maj- in themachair (grassy,wildflower-speckled less landscapes.Butthere isbeautyhere too, characterise theislands’often bleakandtree- that ofalluding tothebroadvistas skyandsea edge –hasamuch of more ring, thesea’ poetic vation fromtheNorse name fortheislands.Butalternative deri- probably acorruptionof Ebudae,theRoman little more relaxed things. aboutthese southisa the Sabbath.TheRomanCatholic viders prefer guestsnottoarrive ordeparton on Sundaysandsomeaccommodationpro- north where theirdoors shopsandpubsclose lic andprivate life, especiallyintheProtestant 390 12.30pm Sat)Free access. 9am-4.30pm &6-8pmTue 10am- &Thu,9am-3.30pmFri, School, Castlebay,Barra; North Uist;per20min50p; North & Sep-Dec, 10am-5pmMon-Thu& Sep-Dec, Jul&Aug) &Sat,to8pm Fri If yourtimeislimited, forthe headstraight The nameHebrides isnotGaelic,and Religion stillplaysaprominentpartinpub- UE ERDS • nomto OUTER HEBRIDES••Information blackhouses ( ( % % ( h % h ( % 01871-810471; Community 01876-500293; Lochmaddy, 01876-500293; Lochmaddy, 9am-4.30pm Mon&Wed, ( andbeautifulbeaches. havbredey 01870-603603; Balivanich, 10am-5pm Mon-SatFeb-Jun % 01851-704704; MacAulay 01851-704704; MacAulay h 01851-708631; 10am-5pm Mon- –‘islesatthe Fri, 9.30am-5pmSat,9-9.30pmTueFri, &ThuApr-Oct) Rd, Lochboisdale,SouthUist; .britishairways.com) 8-9pm Satyear-round) Mon, Tue 9am-5.30pm& &Thu,9am-8pmWed & Fri, 26 CromwellSt,Stornoway,Lewis; Apr-Oct) 9.30am-1pm &2-5.30pmSat,8-9pmMon,WedFri Uist; Lochmaddy, North the timetable dependsonthetides. the timetable beach atlowtide,so land onthehard-sand theplanes AtBarra, andBenbecula. Barra StornowayandBenbecula. only) between There are aday(weekdays alsotwoflights inburgh, Inverness, GlasgowandAberdeen. andBarra. on Benbecula There are and airportsatStornoway(Lewis), AIR Getting There&Away office tourist Tarbert Stornoway office Lochmaddy tourist office Lochboisdale tourist office tourist Castlebay TOURIST INFORMATION Uist). andLochboisdale (Barra) Castlebay (South Uist) andTarbert (Harris); andfromObanto from Uig(Isleof Skye)toLochmaddy (North ferries fromUllapooltoStornoway(Lewis); CalMac Ferry BOAT airways.co.uk) Airways Highland ways.com) Airways Eastern Airways/Loganair British Thu &SatApr-Oct) Tarbert, Harris; 4pm SunApr-Oct) Castlebay, Barra; bnLcbidl ¾r 7 £22 £79 Oban-Lochboisdale 6¾hr 4¾hr Oban-Castlebay £79 Uig-Tarbert 1½hr £22 £15 Uig-Lochmaddy 1¾hr £73 £47 £47 Ullapool-Stornoway 2¾hr £10 £10 Crossing Duration Car Driver/ Passenger There are fromGlasgowto dailyflights There are toStornowayfromEd- flights Airlines serving the Western Isles: Airlines serving

( %

tourist office tourist 0870 5650000;www.calmac.co.uk) h h ( 9am-5pm Mon-Sat,plus8-9pmTue, % ( 9am-1pm &2-5pmMon-Sat,noon- % h 0870 3669100;www.easternair ( % 01851-701282; www.highland ( 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm &2-5pmMon-Fri, ( % h ( ( % 01859-502011; Pier Rd, % % ( % 01871-810336; Main St, 01871-810336; Main 9am-1pm &2-5pmMon- 01851-703088; h 0870 8509850;www 01876-500321; Pier Rd, 01878-700286; Pier lonelyplanet.com 9am-6pm &8-9pm runscar to Tarbert andStornoway.Youcanalsotake bay, Lochboisdale andLochmaddy, butnone there are ferries frequency) (same toCastle- andLochboisdale;to Castlebay onSundays day toTarbert andLochmaddy, andoneaday three ferries adaytoStornoway,oneortwo From MondaytoSaturdaythere are twoor lonelyplanet.com and Stornoway. Eriskay atvariouspoints between up service Cycles (Barra). (South Uist)and Castlebay (Harris), Leverburgh (Lewis), Howmore inStornowaya dayor£35to£45week main roadjustnorthof Tarbert. climbonthe few hills,exceptfora stiff serious north isusuallytheeasierdirection. There are direction isfromthesouthwest–sosouthto and freewheeling uphill),andthe prevailing may hearstoriesof peoplepedallingdownhill remember thatthewindisoften strong(you of thearchipelago, butifyou’re oneof them, Many visitingcyclistsplantocyclethelength BICYCLE .cne-siar.gov.uk/travel. Timetables canalsobefoundonlineatwww intheOuter Hebrides.ferry andairservices thatlistallbus, the otherUistsandBarra) of (onecovering timetables andHarris, Lewis (Barra). Castlebay andLochboisdale(Barra), (SouthUist)and maddy (NorthUist),EriskayandCastlebay Tarbertand Berneray, (Harris) andLoch- are (Harris) carferries Leverburgh between linked There byroadbridges andcauseways. SouthUistandEriskayare all Uist, Benbecula, North ris are actuallyoneisland.Berneray, andHar-Despite names, Lewis their separate Getting Around valid foronemonth). offering asaving of around10%(tickets are tickets routes intheOuter forset Hebrides, cle is£2.20ontopof fare. thepassenger should have noproblems.Thefare forabicy- July andAugust;footbicyclepassengers and Sunday). Lochboisdale (onedailyWednesday,Friday to Tuesday andThursday) andfromCastlebay £36/6,1½hours,passenger onedailyMonday, the ferry fromLochboisdale (car/ toCastlebay Bikes canbehired foraround£8to£10 The localcouncilpublishes twobooklets in Advance bookingforcars isessential CalMac has12different IslandHopscotch

(www.rothan.com) OUTERHEBRIDES••Lewis (Leodhais) offers adelivery andpick- Rothan .lewis-car-rental.co.uk; 52BayheadSt,Stornoway)

across themachair dunesthat (thegrassy sand asfertiliser), used (with its valuable seaweed, good andbadsoil, runningfromtheforeshore of land,designed togive allanequalshare of times,withnarrow strips back tomedieval crofts stillfollowatraditionalpattern dating are beingrestored asholidayhomes.Most abandoned,butanincreasingbeen number found here. –are Museum alsotobe Arnol Blackhouse and Stones,Dun Carloway, lanish Standing Hebrides’ historicsites mostevocative –Cal- of TheOuter thenorthwestern Highlands. hill, loch strandisreminiscent andsandy to Mealista, where therugged landscapeof southwest is onthewestcoast,fromBarvas finestscenery road.ButLewis’ way–Barvas clearlyfromtheStorno- tering lochans, seen vast, undulatingpeatbogdimpledwithglit- ofthe desolate expanse theBlackMoor,a The northernpartof isdominated by Lewis % LEWIS ( LEODHAIS) Liniclate, Benbecula) Car Hire day from onBarra. and Castlebay Lochboisdale andDaliburgh onSouthUist; Howmore, onBenbecula; Uist; Balivanich Harris; Lochmaddy andCladach onNorth Ness, Tarbert and onLewis andLeverburgh Uig,Breacleit (Great vas, Borve, Bernera), the mainland. fuel isabout 10%more expensive thanon andHarrisLewis are onSunday),and closed arestations farapart(almostallof on those ontheroad.Petroldering about orsleeping wan- bysheep track. Themainhazardisposed Tarbert andStornoway,mostroadsare single- Away fromthefast,two-laneroadbetween CAR &MOTORCYCLE formation. Stornoway busstation orcall fromthetouristoffices, up timetables are atallonSundays.Youcanpick nobuses a dayonallthemainroutes; there however, in theislands,witharoundfourtosixbuses The busnetworkcovers village almostevery BUS The old canbehiredCars fromaround £26per There are atStornoway,Bar- petrolstations 01851 /pop18,600

( % Lewis Car Rentals Lewis Car blackhouses 01870-602818; [email protected]; 01870-602818; [email protected]; .

( % of thisregion may have 01851-704327)

( % 01851-703760; www and forin-

391

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& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS h Post office Baltic Bookshop office. There are bankswithATMs near thetourist INFORMATION isatchurch.12.30pm whenalmosteveryone 11amandon Sundays,especiallybetween Itturnsintoabit of town stations. aghost and radio Siar) andtheislands’GaelicTV Western IslesCouncil(ComhairlenanEilean istrative andcommercialcentre, hometothe corner of thecountry. introductiontothisremote enough a pleasant any prizesforbeautyoratmosphere, butit’s natural harbour,thetownisn’tgoingtowin onabeautiful centre set Though onweekdays. place, withcars andpeopleswampingthe archipelago. It’sasurprisinglybusylittle Hebrides andtheonlyreal towninthewhole ofStornoway isthebustling ‘capital’ theOuter pop 6000 Stornoway ( Steornabhagh) fish farms. ing, tweed-weaving, andworkonoilrigs islanders supplementtheirincomewithfish- few crofts are economicallyviable, somost landonhillormoor.sheep-grazing Today, provide thebestarableland)topoorer 392 Stornoway istheOuter Hebrides’ admin- to protest attheferry’s arrival,asthatwouldhave theSabbath). meantbreaking despite strongoppositionfromtheresidentsSunday service, ofHarris(ironically,theywere unable booze.takeaway Then in2006theCalMac ferry fromBerneraytoLeverburgh a inHarrisstarted petrol stationbegantoopenonaSunday,andnowdoesroaringtradeinSundaypapers tering thatthiswasthethinendofwedge. They were probablyright–in2003aStornoway Societysplut-and Inverness toStornowayin2002,withmembersoftheLord’sDayObservance everything closesdownonaSunday.Butfew crackshave beguntoappear. and Biblereading. intheUK,almost OnLewis andHarris,thelastbastionofSabbathobservance talist approachtotheirreligion, withSundaybeingdevoted largely toreligious prayer services, psalm singing. Visitors are butduerespect isessential. welcometoattend services, Gaelic) fromcentralpulpits,andprecentors leadthecongregation inunaccompaniedbutfervent no ornaments,organ musicorchoirs. Their ministers deliver uncompromisingsermons(usuallyin established ChurchofScotlandin1843and1893respectively, are permitting deeplyconservative, damentalist Free Presbyterian ChurchofScotland(the‘WeeWeeFrees’), whichsplitfromthe Harris where bymembersofthe‘free theSabbathisstillwidelyobserved churches’. Religion stillplaysamajorroleinislandlife, especiallyonpredominantly Protestant Lewis and KEEPING THE SABBATH 9am-5.30pm Mon-Sat)Goodforbooks andmaps. UE ERDS • ei Lohi) OUTER HEBRIDES••Lewis (Leodhais) There wasoutragewhenBritishAirways/LoganairintroducedSundayflightsfromEdinburgh The Protestants oftheOuter Hebrideshave succeededinmaintainingadistinctive fundamen- The Calvinist Free ChurchofScotland(knownasthe‘WeeFrees’), andtheeven more fun- ( % 0845 7223344; 16FrancisSt) ( % 702802; 8-10Cromwell St; free; 10am to 4pm); the Sunday papers arrive around2pm. 10am to4pm);theSundaypapersarrive Rd) Theonlyshopintownthat’sopenonaSunday(from walk fromtheferry pier. 9am-5.30pm&8-9pmSat)Ashort 9am-8pm Wed&Fri, 26 CromwellSt; Free internetaccess. St; Tourist office Tourist Stornoway PublicLibrary Sandwick RdPetrol Station spinning andweaving demonstrations. 40-minute guidedtour (£2.50extra)includes exhibition onthehistory of Harris the Tweed; adult/child £1/50p; inflicted byprogress andtechnology. ploring traditionalislandlife andthechanges some 9000years agotothe20th century, ex- Hebrides fromtheearliesthuman settlements historyofstrings together aloose theOuter mission free; source of informationoncultural events. bitions of contemporary art,andisagood town’s culturallife; ithostschanging exhi- cinema andrestaurant, isthecentre of the 10am-1am Fri) tre The modern,purpose-built SIGHTS h The The ( % h 10am-5pm Mon-Wed & Sat, 10am-6pm Thu & Fri) 10am-5pm Mon-Wed&Sat,10am-6pmThuFri) 703307; www.lanntair.com; St;admission Kenneth 10am-11pm Mon-Wed,10am-midnightThu&Sat, Museum nanEilean Museum Lewis LoomCentre h , complete withartgallery,theatre, ( h 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, shorter winterhours) 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat,shorter % h 9am-6pm &8-9pmMon,Tue &Thu, 703088; www.visithebrides.com; 9am-5.30pm ( % ( (

% % ( % 708631; 19Cromwell

Mon-Sat) An Lanntair Art Cen- An LanntairArt 703773; FrancisSt;ad- 702304; Sandwick lonelyplanet.com 704500; 3Bayhead; houses an houses

miles eastof townontheEye peninsula,fea- 40 years, buthaslainemptysince1997(the in 1923andwashometothelocalcollege for gifted tothecommunitybyLordLeverhulme Matheson family,thenowners of Itwas Lewis. the harbour,wasbuiltin1840sfor Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com (1503). clan chief (around 1498),andhisdaughter tures thegrave slabs of 7th RoderickMcLeod, Columba’s Church Hebridean Festival Celtic ( right ). grounds are opentothepublic,andhost andhotel. Thebeautiful ment asamuseum castle grounds);itisnowslated fordevelop- college nowoccupiesmodernbuildingsinthe STORNOWAY (Steornabhagh) Lw Castle Lews The roofless ruinof the14th-century 8 Post Office...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Stornoway PublicLibrary...... Lews Castle...... Lewis LoomCentre...... An LanntairArtCentre...... Sandwick RdPetrolStation...... Museum nan Eilean...... Baltic Bookshop...... Tourist Office...... , the Baronial mansionacross , theBaronial

(Aignish; admissionfree; 16

o Point St

h 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

B C2 A1 B1 B3 B2 B3 D3 B2 B3

e OUTERHEBRIDES••Lewis (Leodhais)

a c 1 13 h C romw h ell St 14 15 EATING SLEEPING HS-1 Café-Bar...... (see 13) Digby Chick...... Co-op Supermarket...... An LanntairArtCentreCafé..(see 6) Thorlee...... Royal Hotel...... Park GuestHouse...... Heb Hostel...... Fair HavenHostel...... 4 7 Bayhead

18 24hr)

20 Scotland St Church St 22 St Kenneth 6 11 , 4 St 19 21

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S t Barvas (11mi);PortofNess(26mi) neth St;dm£15; openyear-round.stays pitch.a level that There’s alsoabunkhouse area ismostly onaslope–get there earlyfor sheltered thetent though woodlandsetting, 1.5 milesnorthof theA857,hasa townoff £12/45; 6LaxdaleLane;tent£5-7plusperperson£2,dm/d park.com; Laxdale HolidayPark Budget SLEEPING halfofmusic heldinthesecond July. is afour-day extravaganza of folk/rock/Celtic The FESTIVALS

Western IslesHospital(700m); Lewis St Lewis Laxdale HolidayPark(1.5mi); To LewisCarRentals(50m); 10 Cabarfeidh Hotel(500m); Heb Hostel Hebridean Celtic Festival Celtic Hebridean h 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

Francis St

Garden 17 C3 B3 B2 B3 B2 ParkGuestHouse B2 C2

James St Apr-Oct; 9

i (

% TRANSPORT Bus Station...... Alex Dan'sCycleCentre...... Somerfield Supermarket...... Restaurant...... (see12)

CalMac Ferry Terminal...... Thai Café...... Stornoway BaltiHouse...... Rd

M 12 Rd atheson ) Therecently opened Heb isa 709889; www.hebhostel.co.uk; 25Ken- p ( ) % Thiscampingground, 200m 0.1miles 0 0 703234; www.laxdaleholiday

(www.hebceltfest.com) Sandwick Rd Sandwick St Columba'sChurch(4mi) The Nicholson To BraigheHouse(3mi); Institute 22 21 20 19 18 17 B3 B3 B2 B2 B3 C3 393 3

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS is themostappealingof Stornoway’shotels – licence, so BYOB (bring yourownbottle). Asian food intheHebrides. There’s no liquor someof themostdelicious, best-value serves little restaurant hasagenuine Thaichef, and the heartof Stornoway. Thisspick-and-span –authentic,inexpensivesurprise Thaifoodin £5-7; o EATING fashioned character. for thegolfcourse, butlackstheRoyal’s old- is bigger andmore luxuriousandishandy companyastheRoyal,Cabarfeidh same .co.uk; Park; Manor s/d£92/125; room first, assomeare though, abitcramped. Ask Castle. your the harbourtoLews tosee such aswoodpanelling,andenjoyaviewacross the roomsatfrontretain periodfeatures Cromwell St;s/d£69/99; mornings. weekday overlooking themainroadcanbenoisyon advantage of anexcellent restaurant. Rooms Park andcentralhasthe iscomfortable luxuriousrooms(mostlyensuite), the eight and ing Victorianvillawithaconservatory house.co.uk; 30JamesSt;s/dfrom£44/76; bedrooms andagreat location. seafront town centre ontheA866,hasstylish,modern 3mileseastof guesthouse, comfortable the Braighe Rd;perpersonfrom£35; Braighe House Midrange &TopEnd be openbyspring2008. renovations atthetimeof research, butshould hostel, aimed mainlyatsurfers, for wasclosed .com; 28FrancisSt) ery nextdoor. Bak- askattheStag answer attheguesthouse, harbour –anabsolute bargain. Ifthere’s no a great central locationwithviewsover the andcheerful roomsand hasbright Thorlee Cromwell St;dfrom£35; to doandwhere togo. who canprovide allkindsof adviceonwhat room withpeatfire, andawelcomingowner with comfywoodenbunks,aconvivialliving friendly, easy-going totheferry, hostel close 394 Park GuestHouse Fair Hostel Haven Thorlee Royal Hotel Cabarfeidh Hotel Cabarfeidh h UE ERDS • ei Lohi) OUTER HEBRIDES••Lewis (Leodhais) Thai Café Thai noon-2.30pm &5.30-11pmMon-Sat)

( %

( Thissociableandwell-equipped % ( 705466, 706300;www.thorlee.com; 1-3 %

705287; www.braighehouse.co.uk; 20 p ( 702109; www.royalstornoway.co.uk;

( %

% ( ( % p % ) The 19th-century Royal The19th-centuryRoyal 701811; 27ChurchSt;mains 702604; www.cabarfeidh-hotel 705862; hebsurf@madasafish ) Thefamily-oriented 702485; www.theparkguest pw p Thisspaciousand ) Ownedbythe ) p Acharm- ) Here’s a supermarket rant atthePark in specialises GuestHouse market meal includethe Sundays, butthefew optionsforasit-down (5.30pm to6.30pmonly). to 2pm),andathree-course dinnerfor£15 can get atwo-course lunch for£8(11.30am seared scallops,roastlambandsteak. You dishessuch asgrilledlangoustines, serving candle-lit gourmetrestaurant intheevening, intoa time, theDigbyChickmetamorphoses atlunch- frittata broccoliandgoatcheese tato, chips, honey-glazed po- porkbellyorsweet dishes upbistrocuisinesuch ashaddockand h 5pmand6.30pm. ner for£16between Itoffersitself. agood-value, three-course din- allowing theflavour of thefoodtospeakfor or twovegetarian dishes), simplyprepared, andgame(plusone beef Scottish seafood, St; mains£14-18; or nutroastfordinner. andGuinnesspie lunch, toThaicurry,beef burgers, for baguettes orminceandtatties baconrollsatbreakfast,dishes, fromtasty to abroadrange oftre freshly serves prepared and family-friendly restaurant attheartcen- noon-2.15pm, dinner5.30-9pmMon-Sat) snacks £2-6,mains£8-11; ( costs £6.50. in aday.Aone-day WestsideRover ticket means youcanvisitoneortwoof thesites Garenin Carloway, andArnol;thetimetable Callanish, lar route fromStornowaythrough (two hours). daily MondaytoSaturday)andLeverburgh Stornoway toTarbert (onehour,fourorfive to theferry terminal. BusW10runsfrom isonthewaterfront, nextThe busstation THERE&AROUND GETTING curry restaurant. Beach; mains£7-13; and the Hotel, CromwellSt;mains£6-10; % You canhire bikes from The WestsideCircularbusW2runs a circu- Digby Chick Park GuestHouseRestaurant Café Centre An LanntairArt Most restaurants inStornowayare closed For details onCalMac ferries,For details see p390 . there’s a For self-catering, noon-10pm Mon-Sat) 704025; www.hebrideancycles.co.uk; 67 Kenneth St) 704025; www.hebrideancycles.co.uk; 67Kenneth

(Ferry Rd; Stornoway BaltiHouse

Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com (Cromwell St;

h ( % h h 6.30-8.30pm Tue-Sat) HS-1 Café- Bar HS-1 Café- 700026; 5BankSt;mains£16-19; 8am-8pm Mon-Sat) noon-2.30pm &6-11pm) Amodernrestaurant that h h breakfast 10am-noon,lunch 8am-8pm Mon-Sat) h (

Alex Dan’s Cycle Centre % (

(

% % noon-4pm &5-9pm) Somerfield 703307; Kenneth St; 703307; Kenneth

( % 702485; 30James Thestylish 706116; 24South Therestau- anda 702109; Royal , adecent

. Co-op Co-op super- .

by booking only. preserved fragment of alostworld.Builtin preserved lighthouse, poundingsurfandlargelighthouse, colonies windswept andrugged, withavery imposing the extreme northerntipof theHebrides –is The Butt of (nosnickering, – Lewis please) Butt ofLewis( Rubha Robhanais) lonelyplanet.com £3-6; Taigh anChocair Restaurant the the village’s history, whileanotherhouses a traditional1955 adult/child £2.20/1; is hometothe Atlanticcoast.Oneofexposed thecottages thatch-roofed Village Blackhouse The picturesque andfascinating Gearrannan) (Na Garenin the centre. harpoon thatkilledthewhaledanglingfrom form anarch bytheroad,withrusting west of Barvas. theA858,about isjustoff 3miles museum feel likemight you’ve kippered! been The and door–spendtoolonginsideyou theturfroof,own wayoutthrough windows there’s no chimney, andthesmoke findsits you canexperiencethedistinctive peat-reek; kindle thecentralpeatfire morningso every moved faithfullyre-inhabitant out.Thestaff changed1964 andhasnotbeen sincethelast byre, barnandhome–wasinhabited until 1885, thistraditional w lastadmission30minbefore closing; 4.30pm Mon-SatOct-Mar, adult/child £5/2.50; the buildings, One of historic Scotland’smostevocative Arnol ture playground nearby. is popularwithsurfers andhasakidsadven- the village beach isthesandy of Nis) withitsattractive harbour. Tothewestof hereThe mainsettlement is bytheEpiscopalChurch. tury butstillused structure todate believed fromthe12thcen- (Teampull Mholuidh),anaustere, barn-like opie (Eoropaidh),you’llfind the grey youandCanada. Atlanticbetween of isolationhere,bleak sense withnothingbut There’sof nestingfulmars cliffs. a onthehigh At nearby Just before theturn-offtoButtatEor- ) is not so much a museum asaperfectly isnotsomuch amuseum h 11am-5pm Mon-Sat, dinnerThu-Sat) Bragar blackhouses h Arnol Blackhouse Arnol Blackhouse h OUTERHEBRIDES••Lewis (Leodhais) Blackhouse Museum Blackhouse isacluster of ninerestored 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat Apr-Sep, to 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-SatApr-Sep, blackhouse 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-SatApr-Sep) , apairof whalebones blackhouse ( % perched above the 643416, 710506;mains Port ofNess Port withdisplayson St Moluag’sChurch (HS; Traigh –acombined . Dinner is Gearrannan Gearrannan

( % % , which 710395; 643416; (Port , and anexcellentcafé oflates ontheoriginsandpurpose thestones, design. Insideisa small circles in Britain andarecircles inBritain oneof themostat- road, formoneof themostcomplete stone choice of of choice to 4pmMon-SatOct-Mar) mission free, exhibition£1.85; contemporary withthepyramidsof Egypt. 3800 to5000years ago,thestonesare roughly chambered tombatthe centre. Datingfrom the shapeof across,withtheremains of a 40 smallerstonesradiate fromthecirclein centralmonolith.Some around a4.5m-tall banded gneiss are arranged, as if inworship, ing Loch Roag,13large stonesof beautifully promontoryoverlook-a wildandsecluded beauty leave alastingimpression. Sited on less mystery, impressive scaleandundeniable mospheric prehistoric sites anywhere. Itsage- free) The (Calanais) Callanish and thelife of thepeoplewholived there. and exhibitionsabout thehistoryof thebroch May–mid-Sep) ( skills of itsIronAge architects. ofheight 9mandtestify totheengineering toa stillstand walls (withinternal staircase) brochs inScotland,itsdouble best-preserved mile southwestof village. Carloway Oneof the posted theA858,a along aminorroadoff oftains NorthHarris. Thesite isclearlysign- above abeautifulloch withviewstothemoun- year-old, dry-stonebroch, perched defiantly Carloway Dun (Carlabagh) Carloway from JunetoAugust. and lounge. There’s aminimumfive-night let modernised the chance inauniqueandluxurious, tostay .gearrannan.co.uk; perweekfor2people£273-385) as self-catering matter). hostels inScotland(oranywhere forthat else houses, adult/child £9/6) % If you plan to stay the night, youhave thenight, If youplan tostay a The nearby The tiny,turf-roofed Hostel Crofters’ Garenin The other houses inthevillage areThe otherhouses letout , 15mileswestof Stornowayon the A858 643338; admissionfree; Callanish StandingStones Callanish andisoneof themostatmospheric Eshcol Guest House nearbyhasinterpretative displays occupiesoneof thevillage blackhouse (Dun Charlabhaigh) isa2000- (Dun Charlabhaigh) Calanais Visitor Centre Visitor Calanais holiday cottages isa

(snacks £1to£5). h tour deforce h with attached kitchen withattached exhibition 10am-6pm Mon-Sat Apr-Sep, 10am-6pm Mon-SatApr-Sep,

10am-5pm Mon-Satlate- ( (www.gatliff.org.uk; dm Doune BrochCentre

% (

% 621357; www.eshcol (

621422; admission % ( thatspecu- %

of discreet 643416; www offering 621422; ad- black- 395

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS day) to spot seals and nesting sea birds,and andnesting sea day) tospot seals trips (adult/child £30/20; MondaytoSatur- Iron Age village attheheadof thebeach. Af- more-adventurous, all-day trips(£90perper- Pier) Miavaig www.seatrek.co.uk; person £2) of land’s moststunningbeaches. At scenicwilderness tosomeofthrough Scot- hine toTimsgarry (Timsgearraidh) meanders road)fromGarryna- Stornoway–Callanish The B8011road(signposted Uig,ontheA858 ( Mealasta) Mealista & (Miabhaig) Miavaig coastal walk quest. Alternatively, there’s asignposted 5-mile or three onre- adaywillcontinuetoBosta two Monday toSaturday)onGreat Bernera; noway andthehamletof Breacleit (one hour, and wellworththetrip. domestic arrangements –trulyfascinating, be smoked, whilethecustodianexplains the fire, above which stripsof muttonhangto May-Sep) ( tion, butareconstruction of an terwards, the village wasre-buried forprotec- beachlittle sandy of island’s northerntipforapicnicattheperfect day, it’sworthmakingthelongdetourto Onasunny rial tobuildtheirowncauseway. small hillwithexplosives themate- anduse islanders hadoriginallyplannedtodestroya bridge builtbythelocalcouncilin1953– bya This rockyislandisconnected toLewis Bernera Great lops. Bookingsare essential. dishes, includingnot-to-be-missed localscal- steak andvegetarianmenu featuring seafood, in asculpture garden,offers à lacarte atasty h is very knowledgeable aboutthelocalarea. friendlyownerwho bungalows withthesame a milenorthof Bothare Callanish. modern .lochroag.com; 22aBreascleit; rperperson£33-44; bouring .com; 21Breascleit; rperperson£37; 396 Estate tothepretty, mile-longwhite strand loop roaddetours theBhaltos norththrough % Reef Beach Reef From April to September, From ApriltoSeptember, In 1996archaeologists excavated anentire There are Stor- five adaybetween buses Tigh Mealros 7-9pm Mon-Sat) 612331; Bosta;adult/child£2/50p; UE ERDS • ars(aHaah (NaHearadh) OUTER HEBRIDES••Harris now sits nearby. Stand aroundthepeat now sitsnearby.Stand inthemachair behindthebeach. Loch RoagGuestHouse fromBreacleit toBosta. ; there’s abasic

( % , aprivate familyhomeset 621333; Garrynahine; mains£9-15; 621333; Garrynahine; Bosta runstwo-hourboat (Bostadh). camping ground p Sea Trek Sea h

( % ) Iron Age house Iron Age andneigh- noon-4pm Mon-Fri noon-4pm Mon-Fri 621357; www ( Miavaig %

p 672464; , half ) (per , a

pared by theresident French chef/owner –and lambandvenison pre-superb –localseafood, cove 3milesnorthof Timsgarry. Thefoodis Atlantic perched above awild,cliff-bound a converted, prefab pine-cladmilitary that’s French restaurant in inEurope. It’shoused daily, closedNov&Feb) turelewis.co.uk; AirdUig;3-coursedinner£27; cial, headto somewherefancy diningorstaying really spe- toiletonly,noshowers). Ifyou ‘Ardroil Beach’; son £2) the island. you canbuyreplicas atvariousoutletson of11 inEdinburgh’s Museum Scotland( p86 ); are inLondon,with intheBritishMuseum dunesheresand in1831.Ofthe78pieces,67 made of walrus-ivorywere discovered inthe the famous12th-century chesspiecesLewis of expanse vast, sandy arockydefiletoTimsgarrythrough andthe peared withouttraceinDecember1900. of keepers thethree whodisap- lighthouse but theislesare mostfamousforthemystery 7th-century chapel are themainattractions, andaruined seals northwest of Puffins, Lewis. group of tiny,uninhabited islands25miles RIBtothe high-speed son; twopermonth,JuneandJulyonly)ina to theeast. the west, andaconvoluted rocky coastline fringed bybeautiful white-sand beaches on point; SouthHarrishighest islower-lying, south of Stornoway –Clisham (799m) isthe forbiddinglyaboverise thepeatmoors tothe North Harris isdominated that bymountains isthmus atTarbert splitsHarris neatlyintwo– machair andbarren rockylandscapes.The pristinebeaches, flower-speckledmountains, Outer Hebrides, blendof aspectacular rugged in thenecklaceof the islandsthatcomprise Harris, tothesouthof isthescenicjewel Lewis, % HARRIS ( NA HEARADH) treacherous. ware, –thesurfcanmake though swimming white-sandbeaches;but stillspectacular, be- Timsgarry to double rooms(from£25perperson). there thenight, want tostay are three comfy unique. Ifyou Bookingisessential. the setting The minorroadthatcontinuessouthfrom There’s avery basic From Miavaig theroadcontinueswest 01859 /pop2000 onthesouthsideof thebay(signposted Bonaventure Mealista ,

possibly themostremote camp site passes afew smaller, passes Traigh Uige Flannan Isles

( % 672474; www.bonaven lonelyplanet.com (

% (UigSands)– 672248; perper- h , aremote 6.30-9pm stocks awiderange of booksonthe Hebrides lage bank, facilitiesincludeapetrolstation, park justuphillfromtheferry terminal. Vil- Main St;dm£10) Main ferry; ifthere’s noanswer,askatthe postof- dorms andairof tothe neglect,butit’sclose the harbourisabitcell-like withitscramped tions of family,Harris the Cameron Hotel is Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Estates. It hasspacious,comfy roomsand for deer-stalkers visiting theNorth Harris a 19th-centurysporting hotel, originallybuilt £60/110; bet foralonger stay. hostelfice. ( TheRhenigidale right ) isabetter Bunkhouse Rockview SLEEPING &EATING itself. gifts,craftsandthefamouscloth and sells Shop ATM andtwogeneral stores. The Mon-Sat, plus8-9pmTue, Thu&SatApr-Oct) connections toUigonSkye. that linksNorthandSouthHarris. Ithas ferry location, tucked intothenarrowneckof land Tarbert isaharbourvillage withaspectacular pop 480 Tairbeart) (An Tarbert you canvisit. tell youaboutweavers andworkshops that 400 weavers; atTarbert staff touristoffice can landers’ homes.Theindustryemploysaround quality woollenclothstillhand-woven inis- Harris Hotel Harris The Harris isfamousfor Harris ahigh- Tweed, can causeblisters even onhandsthatare usedtomanuallabour. are cutusingalong-handledtoolcalled from roadsidebogs,where thecuttingsare atleastametre blocksofpeat deep.Rectangular the norm,manyhouseshave heldontotheirpeatfires fornostalgia’s sake. the mainsourceofdomesticfuelformanycenturies. Althoughoil-fired centralheatingisnow In theOuter Hebrides,where trees are few andfarbetweencoalisabsent,peathasbeen FOR PEAT’S SAKE smell of peat smoke thatwaslongassociatedsmell ofpeatsmoke withislandlife. to mentiontheinhabitants’clothesandhair,henceexpression ‘peat-reek’ –theever-present in theold out itisstored inashed. on topoftheotherinagridpattern thuscreating maximumairspace. Oncethepeathasdried

( The peatblocksare carefully assembled intoa Peat initsraw state isextremely acoupleofmonthstodryout.Itiscut wetandcantake Peat burnsmuchmore slowlythanwoodorcoalandproducesanotunpleasantsmell,but % tourist office tourist p 502493; Main St; 502493; Main ) Runsince1903 by fourgenera- blackhouses Thishostel onthestreet above

( % 502154; www.harrishotel.com; s/d 502154; www.harrishotel.com; ( %

( % 502011; Pier Rd; h (whichhadnochimney)itpermeated every cornerofthedwelling,not 502081; [email protected]; 502081; [email protected]; 9.15am-5.30pm May-Sep) isinthecar OUTER HEBRIDES •• Harris (NaHearadh) OUTERHEBRIDES••Harris Harris Tweed Harris h 9am-5pm tairsgeir

office –handywhileyouwaitforaferry.office a cosylittlecottage tearoom nearthetourist shot inHarris. in the house closest totheshore. closest in thehouse the eastern sideof theglen;warden lives white above buildingstanding theroadon maps). Thehostel isa on OrdnanceSurvey on asignposted trackacrossthe hills(marked Lochs, veerjust beyondLaxdale totheleft off Scalpay for2milesand,atabendin theroad tive clothingetc).Take theroadtowards Kyles hikefor amountain (map,compass,protec- supplies cellent walk,buttake allthenecessary Tarbert (6miles, allow three hours). It’sanex- dm adult/child£9/6) the movie mail byrocket in1934,astoryrecounted in Scarp of Hushinishistheuninhabited islandof Castle impressive shootinglodge of there’s alovely silver-sand beach, passing the climbing, walkingandbird-watching. are few roads,butmanyopportunitiesfor regiontainous of theOuter Hebrides. There Magnificent NorthHarris isthemostmoun- Harris North 7-9pmTue-Sat May-Aug) 4.30pm Mon-SatApr-Sep, the roadnorthtowardsStornoway. The hotel isonthewayoutof thevillage, on (the authorof initials scratched onthedining-roomwindow a goodrestaurant; lookoutforJMBarrie’s cruach-mhonach (peat-iron); thisisextremely hardworkand Rhenigidale Crofters’ Hostel Hostel Crofters’ Rhenigidale The B887leadswestto Firstfruits , thesceneof bizarre attempts tosend , nowanexclusive hotel. Justnorthwest The Rocket Post ( % Peter Pan canbereached onfootfrom 502439; Pier Rd;mains£3-10; (peatstack),eachbalanced visited inthe1920s). (2001),which was Hushinish

(www.gatliff.org.uk; Amhuinnsuidhe , where h Thisis

10am- 397

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS of Unilever), who bought Lewis andHarris Lewis of whobought Unilever), in (the creator of soap, and thefounder Sunlight burgh.co.uk) ing askull. including StClementclutch-various saints, show huntingscenes,acastle,galleon, and for thechurch’s construction.Crudecarvings of AlexanderMacLeod, themanresponsible Inside theechoing nave istheimpressive tomb abandoned in1560after theReformation. Church theimpressivestands 16th-century May toSeptember. hour wildlife (adult/child £12/6)from cruises bour halfwaydowntheeastcoast,offers three- www.scenic-cruises.co.uk) The as ‘TheBays’. 1930s to link allthetinycommunitiesknown money itcostpermile. Itwasbuiltinthe Golden Road way alongthiscoastisknownlocallyasthe ing lowover theeastcoastof Harris. Space Odyssey depicting thesurfaceof Jupiter in willknowthatthepsychedelic sequences buffs around thefew crofting communities.Film bytheoccasionalsplashoflightened green gneiss pocked withtinylochans, thebleakness want totracetheirHebridean ancestry. genealogical research centre forpeoplewho in Northton,justsouthof alsohasa Scarasta, meshow you’.Thecentre,for ‘Let which is £2.50/2; Centre Visitor Seallam! are celebrated inthefascinatingexhibitionat they’re usuallydeserted. to somewhere withawarmclimate; asitis, major holidayresorts iftheywere transported waters of andturquoise ris. Theblindingwhite sands the wait tillyousee If youthinkScotlandhasnodecentbeaches, South Harris in advance( Monday toSaturday),butyou’llhave tobook there from Tarbert (30minutes, twoaday be reached byroad;busW11willtake you 398 west –astrange, rockymoonscapeof naked The remote hamletof canalso Rhenigidale The village of The narrow,twistingroadthatwindsits At thesouthernmosttipof thiscoastline The The culture andlandscapeof theHebrides UE ERDS • ars(aHaah (NaHearadh) OUTER HEBRIDES••Harris

h (Rodel/Roghadal; admissionfree) east coast isnamedafter LordLeverhulme 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) Luskentyre , because of, because thevastamount of % were shotfromanaircraftfly- 502250). isacomplete contrasttothe Leverburgh MV LadyCatherine , based at Flodabay har-, based ( % and west coast 520258; Northton; adult/child 520258; Northton; . Scarasta Seallam

(An t-Ob;www.lever of SouthHar- , which was wouldbe ( isGaelic

% St Clement’s 2001: A 530310; few B&BsinHarris thatisopenallyear,the and cream sauce. steamed inwhitemussels winewithafennel andgame,withdishes such aslocal seafood .com; 1aStrond,Leverburgh; s/d£45/58; breakfast table. and thelatest weatherforecast posted onthe a tinof chocolate biscuitsinthebedroom, nice littletouches such ashandmadesoaps, of theferry fromthediningroom,andlotsof three comfyguestbedrooms.There’s aview with isamodernhouse welcoming Carminish vegans are happilycatered for. be provided (£16ahead),andvegetarians and of theferry Evening atLeverburgh. mealscan is apretty crofter’s about1.5mileswest house, 2 Glen,Leverburgh; rperpersonfrom£23) views over thecreek. where youcanenjoymorningcoffee with tel hassmall,neatdormsandagreat porch dm £15; Am Bothan SLEEPING &EATING station. with anATM, ageneral store andapetrol backwater.to asleepy There isapostoffice in1925andthevillage revertedLeverhulme tion of 10,000,buttheplansdiedwithLord was tobeamajor fishing portwithapopula- wasthenknown.It for Obbe,asLeverburgh 1918. He had grandplans of the Soundof Harris to fromLeverburgh A CalMac carferry thereefs zigzagsthrough THERE &AROUND GETTING (try themarmalade andginger cake). is afavourite), cakes sandwiches, anddesserts homemade soups(broccoliandroast almond delicious doubles asanexcellentcaféserving the GoldenRoad,thisneatlittleart gallery 11am-4pm) 22 Dec,lunchserved h rant (mains£14to£16) dinner from5.30pmto9pm,thehotel restau- best view,acrossthelittleharbour. Openfor ous bedrooms;theonecalledIonahas andoffers standard high fourlarge, luxuri- hotel refurbished –theinterior hasbeen toa rather grey andgrimexterior of thisremote s/d from£70/100; Skoon Art Café Skoon Art Rodel Hotel Carminish GuestHouse Carminish Cottage Sorrel 10am-5pm Tue-Sat Mar-Oct, noon-4pmWed-SatNov- 10am-5pm Tue-Sat Mar-Oct, pw

( % Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com )

Thisattractive, chalet-style hos- ( % 520251; www.ambothan.com;Leverburgh; p

(

% ( 520210; www.rodelhotel.co.uk; Rodel; % ) Don’tbeputoffbythe 520319; www.sorrelcottage.co.uk; 530268; 4 Geocrab; mains£3-7; 530268; 4Geocrab;

(

% serves deliciouslocal serves Set halfwayalong Set for the islands,and 520400; www.carminish p Sorrel Cottage ) Oneof the office and meeting place.office and meeting Thecentre’s lively and isalso athrivingcommunity centre, post displays thehistory andculture of theUists, andarts centre and a museum thatpreserves houses ster Pot ster tage for£10aday. day). Youcanhire bicyclesfromSorrel Cot- hours, three orfourdailyMondaytoSatur- (pedestrian/car£5.60/25.50,1¼ Berneray Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Sep-Dec, 10am-5pmMon-ThuSep-Dec, Jul&Aug) &Sat,to8pmFri tion requested formuseum; apostoffice andapub. petrol station, Apr-Oct) 9.30am-1pm&2-5.30pmSat, 8-9pmMon,Wed&Fri Mon-Fri, a after arrivingontheferry fromSkye. There’s Little Lochmaddy isthefirst village youhit Lochmaddy ( Loch namMadadh) subtleappeal. a sleepy, thanHarris,wild andmountainous butithas to red-necked phalarope. Thelandscapeisless ranging fromredshank tored-throated diver with regular of sightings waders andwildfowl For bird-watchers thisisanearthlyparadise, nificent beaches onitsnorthandwestcoasts. is famedforitsfishing butalsohassomemag- bylochs, North Uist,anislandhalf-drowned % NORTH UIST( UIBHIST ATUATH) (Harris),ferries toLeverburgh see opposite . ofsix dailyMondaytoSaturday).Fordetails and Harris ferry) toLochmaddy (30minutes, information. ( Sunday).The closed causeway; Ardmarree Stores (agroceryshop nearthe person £5) (www.gatliff.org.uk; Baile;dmadult/child£9/6,campingper Loch ontheeastcoast. inBays seen andotters andseals canbe unspoilt inBritain, west coastare someof themostbeautiful and and beautyof theisland.Thebeaches onits tober 1998,butthathasn’taltered thepeace was linked inOc- toNorthUistbyacauseway (www.isleofberneray.com) Berneray % BERNERAY ( BEARNARAIGH) h tourist office tourist In summer,snacksare available atthe Tih Chearsabhagh Taigh Hostel (Gatliff Bus W19runsfromBerneray The basicbutatmospheric 01876 /pop1550 01876 /pop140 11am-3pm Mon-Fri Jun-Aug) 11am-3pm Mon-Fri , acoupleof stores, abankwithATM, a right by the sea, istheplacetostay. bythesea, right

( , housed inapairof, housed restored h Mon-Sat) (

% 500321; Pier Rd; , the tearoom attached to , thetearoom attached (

h % 10am-5pm Mon-SatFeb-Jun & 500293; admissionfree, dona- provides tourist h 9am-1pm &2-5pm Nurses Cottage Gatliff Hostel Gatliff OUTERHEBRIDES••Berneray(Bearnaraigh) black- Lob- is

to Saturday. boisdale runfive orsixtimesadayMonday andLoch- gass, Clachan naLuib,Benbecula vides internet accessat50pfor20minutes. andcakes,made soups,sandwiches andpro- .co.uk; Lochmaddy;rperpersonfrom£25; the Protection of Birds(RSPB) nature reserve, Bird- watchers flocktothis Royal Societyfor Balranald Nature Reserve andgame. fine seafood /three-course dinner£24/29),noted forits one of theHebrides’ bestrestaurants (two- views,and appealing rooms,manywithsea furbished andextended, itnowoffers adozen lation overlooking Recentlyre- Loch Langais. is aformershooting lodge insplendidiso- set s/dfrom£50/90; www.langasslodge.co.uk; Locheport; andotters.you maybeable tospotseals There are lovely viewsover theloch, where both are reckoned tobearound5000years old. the stonecircleof Neolithic burialtombof west of Lochmaddy) leadstothechambered Lodge Hotel (justofftheA867,6milessouth- A waymarked circularpathbesidetheLangass Bharpa Langass& Pobull Fhinn place toeat. venison andking-sizesteaks. pub grub(mains£7to£12) excellent glers, localsandtourists,serves harbour views.Thelively hotel barpullsinan- comfy, recently refurbished rooms,manywith hotel (you can buyfishing permitshere) with .co.uk; s/d£51/95; kippers are onthemenutoo. porridgeCentre. Excellent forbreakfast, and ferry, ontheroadthatleadstoUistOutdoor ofrooms andiswithinwalkingdistance the charming, Georgian-style villahasfourguest ing anddiving. rockclimb- activities includingsea-kayaking, with four-bed dormsand offers arange of side activitycentre hasasmartbunkhouse .co.uk; CearnDusgaidh;dm£12; Uist OutdoorCentre SLEEPING &EATING café (mains£2to£5) Buses from Lochmaddy to Berneray, Lan- fromLochmaddy toBerneray, Buses The delightful The delightful Taigh Chearsabhagh (see left ) isalsoagood Old Courthouse Lochmaddy Hotel p

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( Langass LodgeHotel ( %

% ( Pobull Fhinn %

500480; www.uistoutdoorcentre 500358; oldcourthouse@tiscali dishes uplovely home- 500331; www.lochmaddyhotel ip

Bharpa Langass including seafood, including seafood, (Finn’sPeople); ) Thisshore- p (

% ) This 580285; pw 399 and

) & ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS cupied by the watery expanses of Loch Bee and and ofcupied by thewatery expanses Loch Bee The northern partof the islandismostly oc- The North the presence of many roadsideshrines. radomes on itssummit),and with themilitary Lady oftheIsles transition marked bythegraniteof statue south,areligiousmostly RomanCatholic northern halfof theOuter Hebrides intothe cross fromthepredominantly Protestant tacular large lochs, sea ishillyandremote, withspec- trout fishing. Theeast coast,riven byfour multitude of inlandlochs provide excellent beach and flower-flecked machair, whilethe is analmostunbroken stretch of white-sand north–south road.Thelow-lyingwestcoast whoexplorefor those awayfromthemain Outer Hebrides, andsaves itschoicest corners South Uististhesecond-largest islandinthe pop 1900 SOUTH UIST( UIBHIST ADEAS) 12.30-6pm Sun) a large has abankwithanATM, and apostoffice ing thetroopsandtheirfamilies.Thevillage the machair –isthecommercialcentre serv- plantedgow housingestate incongruouslyon a’Mhanaich) –lookinglike acornerof aGlas- source of employment,and western tipof SouthUist)istheisland’smain Hebrides (located onthenorth- MissileRange the prince’sescapein1746. Prince Charlieand Flora MacDonald during to betheroute taken tothecoastby Bonnie road; parkbesidethelandfillsite) thatissaid side of thehill(signposted fromthemain point.There’shighest apatharoundthesouth from thesummitof lochan-studded landscapeisbestappreciated flat, isalow-lyingislandwhose Benbecula % BENBECULA ( BEINN NAFAOGHLA) centre 10amonTuesdays,May toAugust). fers 1½-hourguidedwalks(£3,departvisitor h There’s a hearing thedistinctive callof thecorncrake. spotting therare red-necked phalaropeor 18 mileswestof Lochmaddy, inthehopeof 400 As you youdrive southfromBenbecula The controlcentre fortheBritisharmy’s Apr-Sep; Apr-Sep; 01870 /pop1200 UE ERDS • ebcl BinN agl) OUTER HEBRIDES••Benbecula(BeinnNaFaoghla) Beinn Mhor Co-op supermarket Co-op w visitors centre . ) with aresident wardenwhoof- ontheslopesof (thehill Rueval (620m) the highest point. (620m)thehighest Rueval Rueval

( %

( (124m),theisland’s h 510372; admissionfree; Balivanich 8am-8pm Mon-Sat, (Baile (Baile Our Sun) .co.uk; rperperson £25; h Oban, see Oban, see p390 . by thelegendary TomMorrisin1891,was site of a milesouthof acairnmarksthe themuseum, also anexcellenttea roomandcraftshop. counts of harsh Hebridean conditions.There’s and-white photographyandfirst-hand ac- of artefacts –anabsorbingexhibitionof black- the lives of localcrofters itscollection through seum Six milessouthof Howmore, The South leaves themainroad. week from£8/35) ( Hostel one of the which houses restored,with several thatched attractive hamletof office onthemainroadbesideloch). up aleafletfromtheScottishNaturalHeritage (pick thereserve walkthrough mile self-guided greylag andcorncrake; goose youcantake a5- birds such as dunlin,redshank, ringed plover, Reserve Loch Druidibeg. from itsown troutloch. and asun lounge barely afishing-rod’s length miles westof the ferry, hasroomswithaview Lochside Cottage Sleeping &Eating supermarket Co-op a grocerystore There’s andapetrolstation. a Sat, 9am-9.30pmTue &ThuApr-Oct) ( land’s largest witha settlement, The ferry portof Lochboisdale istheis- % LOCHBOISDALE ( LOCH BAGHASDAIL) again insummer2008. shouldbeopenforplayoncelinks course being restored, andthisclassic,old-fashioned South Uist.Atthetimeof research itwas recently rediscovered amongtheduneson % % For details ofFor details ferries fromLochboisdale to GolfCourse Askernish Amid theruined You canrent bikes from Two milessouthof Loch Druidibegisthe 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 2-5pmSunEaster-Oct) 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 01878 atDaliburgh, 3 miles westof thevillage. 01870-620283; www.rothan.com;9Howmore; perday/ 700286;

(

% (www.gatliff.org.uk; dmadult/child£9/6) Flora MacDonald’s birthplace Flora MacDonald’s is an important breeding ground for breeding isanimportant groundfor 01878-710343; Kildonan; adult/child£1.50/free; 01878-710343; Kildonan; h Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com where theroadtohostel 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-5pm 9am-1pm &2-5pmMon-Fri,

( %

Loch Druidibeg National Nature Loch DruidibegNationalNature ( p h 700472; loch-side_cottage@tiscali blackhouses ) Howmore 8am-8pm Mon-Sat,12.30-6pm This friendlyB&B, 1.5 , originallylaidout , abankwithATM, Tobha Mor Crofters’ Tobha MorCrofters’ ( Tobha Mor), Rothan Cycles of Milton,half Kildonan Mu- Kildonan . blackhouses, tourist office tourist explores .

.co.uk; Polochar;s/d£45/70; lonelyplanet.com (Coilleag a’Phrionnsa). ferry terminal) stillknown as beachthe sandy (immediately northof the in Scotlandonthe westcoastof Eriskay, on In 1745,BonniePrince Charliefirst foot set % ERISKAY ( EIRIOSGAIGH) (£8 to£12). decentbarmeals it alsoserves music sessions; ing fire inwinter, andhostsregular traditional across theMinch. Thelounge barhasaroar- rooms, manyof which have stunningviews and-fishin’ hotel hasspacious,modernised .com; s/d£50/90; way toEriskay. is 7milessouthwestof Lochboisdale, onthe andUistlamb.Polocharchips, localsalmon that includesfishchowder, haddockand restaurant andbarmenu(mains£7to£13), There’s toBarra. anexcellent across thesea hotel with astunninglocationlookingout transformed intoastylish andwelcoming ret this18th-centuryinnhas been Campbell, by localsisters MoragMcKinnonandMarga- Lochboisdale Hotel o on Canna oncemore. Anypublicoutcry?Notasqueak. returned totheirislandhomein2006,andbysummer2007theManxshearwaters were nesting before wipingouttheratswithpoisonbait.The planseemstohave The worked. woodmicewere Zealand, whotrappedallthenative woodmice andsentthemforaniceholidayonthemainland, birds –theisland’spopulationofburrow-nestingManxshearwaters hadceasedtonestthere. rodent raidersnumbered more than10,000,forcingoutnative speciesincludingwoodmiceand cidentally introducedtothetinyisland(population14)byashipcenturyago–2005 have beendifferent, astheinhabitantsofCanna, were intheSmallIsles,willconfirm.Rats ac- hedgehogs tothemainland. mainland forrelease live intothewild.The cullwasendedin2007favouroftransporting campaign groupswere offering £20aheadforlive tothe hedgehogs,whichtheytransported Societyandotherlights, hog-spotters theBritishHedgehogPreservation andlethalinjections, culling teams andanimalrightsorganisations. WhileSNHcombedthefieldsatnightwithflash- fewthe birdpopulation,andfornext yearseachsummersawabattlebetweentheSNH birds –eggsare afavourite hedgehogfood. But what’smore, coloniesofrare threat theywere ground-nesting toimportant posingamortal by 2002,itwasestimated thatthere were around5000ofthespinyslug-munchersinUists. the incomerswaddledinnocentlyintoavacantecological niche. They spread wildfire, like and tempt tocontroltheslugsinhisgarden.Hedgehogshadnever beennative totheislands,and In 1974,acoupleof hedgehogs were introducedtoSouthUistbyalocalgardenerinanat- INVASION OFTHEKILLERHEDGEHOGS 01878 /pop170 Canna’s owner,theNationalTrustforScotland,calledinacrackteam ofrat-trappers fromNew If theUistinvadershadbeenratsratherthancute MrsTiggywinkles, thepublicreaction might In 2002,ScottishNaturalHeritage(SNH)announcedthatacullwastheonlywaytopreserve Polochar Inn p OUTER HEBRIDES •• Eriskay (Eiriosgaigh) OUTERHEBRIDES••Eriskay ) Thisold-fashionedhuntin’-

( p % ( % ) 700332; www.lochboisdale Recentlytaken over 700215; www.polocharinn Prince’s Strand Prince’s office and two grocerystores.office There’s free noon-4pm Sun Apr-Oct) ( is thelargest village. There’s a east of Castlebay. up tothetopof miniature. Foragreat viewof theisland,walk in circumference –istheOuter Hebrides in community, diminutive –just14miles Barra ofdunes, rugged littlehills and strongsense With itsbeautifulbeaches, wildflower-clad % BARRA ( BARRAIGH) daily). destrian/car £6/18,40minutes, fourorfive Ardmhor atthenorthernendof (pe- Barra into afamousfilm. his comicnovel bySirComptonMackenzieimmortalised in of theislanders landedinjail.The storywas andanumber portions, thepoliceintervened % of whiskyand,after abinge of dramaticpro- much of itscargo of around250,000bottles theislandin1941.Theislandersoff salvaged A CalMac carferry linksEriskaywith Castlebay 01871 /pop1150 More recently, theSS 810336; Main St; 810336; Main ( a’Chaisteil), in thesouth, Bagh Heaval Whisky Galore, , abank with ATM, apost h 9am-1pm &2-5pmMon-Sat, (383m),amilenorth- Politician tourist office tourist later made sank just sank 401

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS the 19thcenturyandrestored inthe20thby Neil claninthe11thcentury.Itwassold manages arestored 19th-centurythatched art exhibitionsandatearoom. Thecentre also Gaelic-themed displaysabout theisland,local Apr&Sep) Mar, 11am-4pmMon,Wed&Fri Sat May-Aug, Castlebay;adult/child£2/1; heritage.com; malt, ifyou’re interested). of £1andabottleof whisky(Talisker single Historic Scotlandin2000foranannualrent came the45thclanchief; hegifted thecastleto American architect RobertMacNeil, whobe- h (HS; takes itsnamefrom Castlebay Sights &Activities 10am-12.30pmSat). Fri, Mon &Wed,9am-4.30pm6-8pmTue &Thu,9am-3.30pm ( internet accessatthe 402 % The applications is31January. WorkParties,Kilda NTS, BalnainHouse,40Huntly St,Inverness IV35HR.The closingdate for accommodation). To getanapplicationform,sendastamped, self-addressed envelope toSt fromObaninaconverted lifeboat£555 to£645(including transport andfullboard in dorm prepared Andyou have topayfor the privilege–from to workforupto36hoursperweek. workinandaroundthevillage ruins –youhave tobephysicallyfitandcal andconservation frommid-MaytoAugust.that visitStKilda The NTS charges volunteers fordoingarchaeologi- for around£600perperson. Uist)ates leisurely, fromBerneray(North six-day expeditions ona12msailingyachtdeparting website www.kilda.org.uk. Forafulllistingoftouroperators,checkoutthe areBoat tourstoStKilda amajorundertaking. Visiting StKilda menhadunusuallylongbigtoes.a geneticpeculiarity–StKilda the cliffs barefoot theireggs. to catchseabirdsandcollect thecenturies,thisresulted Over in here sheep,fishing,growingafewsurvived bykeeping basiccropssuchasbarley,andclimbing and the35remaining islanderswere evacuated, attheirownrequest, in1930.The peoplehad tional wayoflife. Bythe1920s,diseaseandemigrationhadseenislands’ economycollapse, the arrivalofchurchmissionariesandtouristsbegangradualbreakdown tradi- ofStKilda’s populationofaround200untilthe19thcentury,when was inhabited byaGaelic-speaking Hirta History to more thanamillionbirds. Unesco WorldHeritagesite andare Atlantic, home the biggestsea-birdnestingsite intheNorth cliffs alongmostofitscoastline. OwnedbyNationalTrustforScotland(NTS), theislandsare a measures Uist.The only2milesby1mile, withhuge largest45 mileswestofNorth island,Hirta, (www.kilda.org.uk)St Kilda seastacksandcliff- ofspectacular isacollection bound islandsabout THE EVENFURTHEROUTERHEBRIDES 9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Sep) % 810471; CommunitySchool,Castlebay; UE ERDS • ar Brag) OUTER HEBRIDES••Barra(Barraigh) The NTS onlywaytospendanytimeintheislandsisjoinoneoftwo-week workparties 810313; Castlebay;adult/childinclferry £4.50/2.25; Barra Heritage Centre Barra Heritage , first builtbytheMac- (

Community Library % Western EdgeCharters 810413; www.barra h Kisimul Castle Castle Kisimul h 11am-4pm Mon- 9am-4.30pm has

friendly, family-runhostel justfive minutes’ 4pm Mon-Fri May-Sep) 4pm Mon-Fri on thewestsideof theisland. a half-/full day. a half-/full tours for£25/40 can organise sea-kayaking walk fromtheferry terminal. Theowners .co.uk; Castlebay;dm/dfrom£11/30; on theisland. before committingtoanight a reservation islimited, somakeAccommodation onBarra Sleeping &Eating sport. popular spectator little TwinOtter aircraftcomeandgoisa Watchingthat handlesscheduled the flights. ‘runways’), theonlybeach airportintheworld forthreeacross atlowtide,andbigenough airport(amile asBarra’s thatserves sand ofthe island,isavastexpanse firmgolden cottage, the

( % Traigh Mor Dunard Hostel 01506-387633; www.westernedge.co.uk) Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com (theBigStrand),inthenorthof Black Shieling

, 3milesnorthof Castlebay ( % 810443; www.dunardhostel

(adult/child £2/75p; p Dunardisa ) oper- h 1- This B&B is a modern house withspacious, This B&Bisamodernhouse west of ontheroadtoVatersay. Castlebay totheisleof Mhaoldonaich; it’samile Beag roomsandgreatcomfortable viewsover Bagh donaich.com; Nasg;rperperson£23-25; the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright theterms and conditionsonoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake northern endof toEriskay. Barra, see p401 fortheferry fromArdmhor,atthe totheScottishmainland; Uist) andflights toObanandLochboisdaleCastlebay (South See p390 of fordetails CalMac ferries from Getting There&Around cockles gathered fromtheairportbeach. specialityis the islandssouthof the house Barra; to £11) restaurant (mains£7 rooms andaconservatory .html; Castlebay;s/d£55/80; OUTER HEBRIDES••Pabbay &Berneray(Bearnaraigh) (Pabaidh), (Miughalaigh) Mingulay Faire Mhaoldonaich Craigard Hotel

with grand views across the harbour to with grandviewsacrosstheharbourto (

% 810200; www.isleofbarra.com/craigard p

( % The Craigard has snug TheCraigardhassnug ) 810441; www.fairemhaol h Mar-Oct; Mar-Oct; p

) early August. lastsfromJuneto season Thepuffin details. £15 per person; ask at Barra touristoffice £15 perperson; askatBarra weatherforaround insettled Barra, Castlebay, petrel. There are and Arctictern, great andstorm skua,puffin cies such asfulmar,blackguillemot,common are breeding important sites spe- forsea-bird in2000, National TrustforScotland(NTS) three uninhabitedThese islands,gifted tothe ( BEARNARAIGH) BERNERAY & ( MIUGHALAIGH) MINGULAY (PABAIDH), PABBAY ( airport. attheisland, andalsoconnectswithflights %

You canhire bikes from Bus W32makes aregular circuitof the 810284; 29StBrendan’s Rd,Castlebay)

for

& ISLANDS ISLANDS & NRHR HIGHLANDS NORTHERN