Gairloch in the Scottish Highlands

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.

Gairloch is perfect for families and you will find the sandy beaches (there are several) great for beach activities.

Wester Ross

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.

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 Travel

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.

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.

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

As you drive down into Gairloch on the A832 from Poolewe you will see the Gairloch Heritage Museum and the attached Steading Cafe & Restaurant on the right. The food served is excellent.

Loch Maree and Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve

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.

You can fish for trout and sea trout on Loch Maree (by permit) and the hotel at Kinlochewe will arrange permits and a boat, and gillie if requested. 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.

Scotland's Best Beaches

Gruinard Bay in Wester Ross

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.

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. What people 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.

Self Catering Cottages

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 prepare your own food. If you enjoy fishing you can also catch and cook trout from the many lochs, or go sea fishing.

Wester Ross Cottages

Telephone: Phone Mrs Annie Ross on (+ 44) 01854 633237 for cottages at Camusnagaul near Dundonnell. The cottages are approximately 30 miles from Ullapool and close to Poolewe, Aultbea and Gruinard Bay. One of the two cottages can be Booked online

e-mail: Mrs Ross on cottages@camusnagaul.com

Gairloch Area Cottages

Telephone: Frank and Dianne Buckley for prices and available dates of cottages in Gairloch. Tel: (+44) 01445 771 225

e-mail: highlandholiday@aol.com

... more Self Catering Cottages

Stay in a 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 Reigh 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 Centre at Big Sand, the Gairloch Camp Site and the National Trust camp site at Poolewe near the Inverewe Gardens.

Caravan & Camping Holidays

Gairloch Youth Hostel

Hotels in Gairloch

The Millcroft Hotel is one of several hotels in the Gairloch area.

Hotels in Gairloch & 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.

Sam's ears do not normally sit out like that (above) - this was a day in November and the wind was blowing! So always bring warm clothing and waterproofs if you want to enjoy Scotland in all weathers.

Beaches and 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.