Gairloch and Wester Ross in the Highlands of Scotland for Holidays in Scotland
Gairloch
Gairloch is a perfect Scottish holiday destination for everyone wanting to experience a holiday in the Highlands of Scotland.
Once you have visited Gairloch you will want to come back, year after year. Many people have had some of their happiest holidays in Gairloch, so join them and you will discover one of the best holiday locations in Scotland.
What we love about Gairloch is the wide open seascapes with views of the Outer Hebrides and Skye; the feeling of space is exhilarating. The ever changing weather and clouds provide a background to the majestic mountains and sea lochs to create an unforgettable landscape.
Gairloch's beautiful Sandy Beach next to golf course
Wester Ross & Gairloch
Gairloch and Wester Ross on the north west coast of Scotland in Highland Scotland is perfect for families and you will find the sandy beaches (there are several) great for beach activities.
Gairloch Golf Course with mountains in the background
At Gairloch there is plenty to do. The Gairloch Golf Course is open to visitors, rarely will you play golf in such beautiful surroundings, the clubhouse is also open to the public for lunches and snacks so even if you don’t play golf drop in and have a coffee. Gairloch also has several sandy beaches where families can enjoy lazing about or playing in the water. In fact Gairloch has many other things available, from pony trekking, sea, river and loch fishing, hill walking, sailing and wildlife watching. You will find plenty to do on holiday at Gairloch.
Holidays in Gairloch
Gairloch caters well for visitors and you can find holiday accommodation to suit most requirements - Gairloch has hotels, self catering cottages, caravans, camp sites, bed and breakfast accommodation as well as a Youth Hostel.
This area of the Highlands is very popular during the peak summer months of June to September so it is advisable to book your holiday as early as possible. You can always get last minute deals where people have had to cancel, however it is not a good idea to rely on this for your holiday in Scotland.
Waterfalls near Camusnagaul in Wester Ross
One of the reasons to stay in Wester Ross is the number of truly brilliant places to visit; we love the peninsula of Applecross where you can drive over the spectacular mountain pass from the A896 – Torridon / Sheildaig to Kishorn road. An alternative route is to drive around the peninsula past Kenmore and Fearnmore. This road requires care and you can expect to drive at less than 30 miles an hour for a fair bit of the journey. Applecross has a campsite for the adventurous as well as cottages and bed and breakfast accommodation.
Highland Roads and Scotland Traffic
When you choose the Highlands of Scotland for holidays and vacations you will need to drive carefully as many roads in the Highlands are still single track with passing places - sometimes the "traffic" on the road do not appreciate the "rules of the road" and as this Highland Cow says "I was here first".
So please drive carefully and watch out for animals, cows, sheep and deer, as well as cyclists and walkers. The more care you take the more you will enjoy the scenery.
Scotland Traffic Calming Measures
No speed bumps needed in Wester Ross they use Highland Cattle
We recently received an anonymous message saying "that's no highland cow" well we disagree, we photographed the cattle it in the Gairloch area and just because it does not have big horns does not mean it is not a highland cow!
I suppose everyone expects hairy cattle with big horns and that is correct, so we wanted to make it up to our anonymous commenter with some pictures of proper Scottish Highland Cattle, some are even photographed in Wester Ross.
Long Empty Beaches
If you love long, empty sandy beaches then take the road to Badachro, past Opinan and South Erradale to Redpoint. The other large beach is in the opposite direction towards North Erradale, called the Big Sand. The camping and caravan park at Big Sand has caravans to rent as well as space for touring caravans and campers. On this road you will also come to the Youth Hostel. Beyond Big Sand is Melvaig and at the end of the road is the Lighthouse at Rua Reidh.
Rua Reidh Lighthouse for holidays in a Lighthouse
When enjoying a beach holiday anywhere you must also be careful to keep a close eye on children when they are playing near the water as accidents can and do happen. With care you should be able to enjoy a happy and safe time at the beach, so remember to supervise children of all ages at all times when they are playing in or near the water.
Gairloch Heritage Museum and Steading Restaurant
Gairloch Museum
As you drive down into Gairloch on the A832 from Poolewe you will see the Gairloch Heritage Museum which is a must see visitor attraction in Wester Ross.
Loch Maree and Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve
Loch Maree
Loch Maree is one of the most beautiful lochs in Scotland; it may not be as famous as Loch Ness with its monster, the Loch Ness Monster – Nessie, or Loch Lomond, yet Loch Maree is steeped in history and with beautiful scenery, mountains and wildlife that you will love. When you drive along the A832 near Slattadale there is unusual landscapes with large rocks left scattered about as if thrown by a huge giant.
The islands on the loch have remnants of the ancient Scots Pine forest – Pinus Sylvestris. When you visit Loch Maree and Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, Britain’s first National Nature Reserve, you will be able to observe wildlife including red deer, golden eagles, otters, pine martins, and on the loch Black Throated Divers. The area has a wide range of dragonflies. This area is a hill walkers and naturalist paradise, if you are a dog lover it should be noted that dogs are not allowed in the nature reserve. Find out more on Scotland's National Nature Reserves.
Loch Maree and Beinn Eighe in winter
You can fish for trout, salmon and sea trout on Loch Maree (by permit) and the Loch Maree hotel can hire boats as well as provide permits for Loch Maree. The Kinlochewe hotel can arrange permits for some of the hill lochs. Kinlochewe is a small community at the south - eastern end of Loch Maree. Kinlochewe has a shop and a café where you can stock up with provisions or have a snack. Kinlochewe is also an ideal location for exploring the area around Torridon, Beinn Eighe and Shieldaig or slightly further away – Applecross.
Gruinard Bay in Wester Ross
Gruinard Bay for wonderful clean sandy beaches with eagles flying overhead
Wester Ross has many beautiful and clean sandy beaches, Gruinard Bay is shown above and this is within easy driving distance of Gairloch and Poolewe.
To visit the Outer Hebrides (Harris and the Isle of Lewis) you need to go over by Ferry from Ullapool, or from the Ferry from Uig on Skye where you can also go to Uist. You really need to plan for 3 or more days to see the Outer Hebrides and would be better to plan this as a separate holiday of a week or more.
Fishing in Gairloch
The hill lochs around Gairloch are full of wild brown trout; there are also certain lochs with pike fishing, as well as salmon and sea trout available locally. Fishing these lochs is by permit and you can buy these from the local tackle shop.
Scottish Highlands Cottages
Poolewe Riverview Cottage sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms. Pets are welcome (3 dogs). Sitting room with wood/coal burner and arch to dining room with patio doors to garden. The cottage overlooks the magnificent River Ewe and is close to Inverewe Gardens and the Poolewe village.
Lochside House sleeps 8 in 4 bedrooms. Sorry not suitable for pets. Set beside Loch Duich with magnificent views from most rooms. Sitting room with oak floors and loch views. Glass doors through to kitchen with island unit, oak floor and dining area. Sun room with doors to garden and spectacular views.
Scottish Holidays and Cottages
Torgorm in Strath, Gairloch sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms, pet are welcome. With views across Gairloch this newly built property makes an ideal base for enjoying the surrounding area's lovely coastal scenery and excellent hill walking and bird watching.
Camus Na Harry is a delightful self catering property sleeps 4.
book online with Cottages4you.
Camusnagaul cottages sleep 6 and two pets are welcome. We have had many happy holidays at Camusnagaul, staying in the caravans and also in the very comfortable self catering cottages. The cottages are on the coast overlooking Little Loch Broom. Close to both Ullapool and Gairloch and of course the beautiful beaches of Gruinard Bay. You can book online or visit the Camusnagaul website.
Letterfearn By Kyle sleeps 4 in two bedrooms. Sorry not suitable for pets. Sailing and fishing (boat hire and launching facilities are available just across the road) they offer an ideal holiday base. A shop post office and pub serving food can be found in Shiel Bridge 5 miles.
Logie View in Poolewe sleeps 5 in 3 bedrooms, pets are welcome. Poolewe self-catering is close to Inverewe Gardens and set in spectacular mountain and coastal scenery with views towards the River Ewe. Golf is 5 miles away at Gairloch.
Cuckoo Croft sleeps 4, sorry not suitable for pets. Located in the beautiful hamlet of Aultbea it is only a few miles drive from Poolewe and Gairloch. We can recommend Autlbea as a holiday base.
Chrissies Croft sleeps 6, also suitable for 1 pet. This croft is near Port Henderson, Gairloch and has beautiful clear views of the surrounding countryside.
Udrigle House in Laide sleeps 6, 3 pets are also welcome. Situated just metres from the shore and a small sandy beach this property is ideal for perfect family holidays in the Highlands of Scotland, and your dogs are welcome to.
Ach-na-Clachan sleeps 6 with views of the Gairloch. The property is close to beaches and shops. It has an enclosed garden and off road parking.
Poolewe self catering cottage sleeps 6 and is welcomes pets. The property overlooks Loch Ewe and is only a short walk from the gardens at Poolewe.
Park House sleeps 5-6 people, pets welcome. Located in North Strome near Lochcarron this holiday cottage has wonderful views over Lochcarron and the surrounding area. This must be one of the most beautiful locations in Scotland for a holiday and is close to the Isle of Skye, Eilean Donan Castle, Inverewe Gardens or the villages of Plockton and dramatic mountain pass to Applecross.
Applecross self-catering - Milton self catering sleeps 8. It is not suitable for pets. Milton has views across the Inner Sound to the Inner Hebridean Islands of Raasay, Rona and Skye.
Scotland Holidays
Scottish Highlands Cottages
Scotland cottages, boating and adventure holidays and caravan parks.
Scotland Lochs for Boating Holidays in Scotland
You will find a number of self catering cottages and accommodation available with Cottages4you in the Gairloch and Wester Ross area. They also have cottages throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Scottish Cottages for cottages throughout the UK, many cottages welcome pets.
Scotland Hotels
Gairloch & Wester Ross
Gairloch is a short scenic drive from Inverness, the highland capital of Scotland; you can travel to Gairloch in under 2 hours.
Holidays in Scotland
Wester Ross and Gairloch is perfect for holidays and one way you can enjoy a relaxing vacation is to rent a self catering holiday cottage. This allows you to organise your holiday in the way you want. You can get up as early (or as late) as you like and eat when the mood takes you. There are several excellent restaurants and hotels where you can eat out if you wish, or relax in your self-catering cottage and prepare your own food from the local shops. For good quality food in Gairloch consider the Melvaig Inn a few miles from Gairloch.
Old Inn Gairloch
The Old Inn where we have eaten many times. Myrtle Bank Hotel in Gairloch also offer lovely meals.
If you enjoy fishing you can also catch and cook trout from the many lochs or go sea fishing. You can hire a boat from the Gairloch harbour for sea angling, or just to potter about on the sea exploring the Gairloch.
Wester Ross Bed and Breakfast
Gairloch, Wester Ross, Sutherland and Caithness can be explored conveniently by car and this allows you to stay in different places during your holiday. Many people have discovered Scotland and the friendly Highland people by staying in local homes - bed and breakfast (or b&b) and while the cost of this varies you can often find accommodation at about £20-30 per person per night, dinner is sometimes available and dinner, bed and breakfast can cost you around £30-40 per person.
Lighthouse Holidays
The Rua Reidh Lighthouse is available for holidays and is provided on a room by room basis or for the whole lighthouse. The Rua Reidh Lighthouse is approximately 12 miles from Gairloch along a single track road. If you love out of the way holidays in a lighthouse then you should check out this holiday location.
Caravanning and Camping
Camping holidays are a very popular way of seeing Scotland and experiencing the wonderful Highlands of Scotland. It is ideal for families, individuals and groups. It is a relatively cheap way of having a holiday in the Highlands and there are a number of excellent Caravan and Camping sites in Wester Ross including the Sands Holiday Cent re at Big Sand, the Gairloch Camp Site and the National Trust camp site at Poolewe near the Inverewe Gardens.
Gairloch Hotels
The Millcroft Hotel is one of several hotels in the Gairloch area.
Wester Ross Churches and Faith
Gairloch has a number of churches of different faiths and you are always welcome to visit and join in the Sunday service.
War Memorial
Gairloch, as did many highland communities, lost men in the First and the Second World War, the memorial overlooking Gairloch Bay is a poignant reminder of all the lives lost in war.
Pet Friendly Holidays
Dogs are also welcome on the beaches as long as you keep them under control and clean up after them. In some locations you will often find sheep (and sometimes cattle) roaming around the beach, or more likely nearby on the grass hills, so you do need to be aware that you must never allow your pets to chase sheep, keep them on the lead when farm and wild animals (deer) are around.
Our dogs ears do not normally sit out like that (above) - this was a day in November many years ago and the wind was blowing! So always bring warm clothing and waterproofs if you want to enjoy Scotland in all weather.
Views of Skye
From Gairloch you can get distant views of Skye and the Outer Hebrides. For a day trip to the Isle of Skye you will need to drive down to Kyle of Lochalsh and the Skye Bridge to visit Skye, and while it is possible to do in a day it would not leave you much time to explore the island. You could of course stay in Gairloch, in a cottage or caravan and then pop over to Skye for a couple of days and stay in a bed and breakfast or Youth Hostel to allow you time to explore the island.
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