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Our guest house is located near to the centre of
Lochinver which is in the county of Sutherland in the north west
Highlands of Scotland. The property stands in an elevated position
overlooking the village and harbour. In the photo to the right it is
the large white building in the centre of the picture.
Lochinver is a fishing village on the west coast and is the main
centre in Assynt. The main approach to the area is from the
south via Ullapool, to the north of which the various mountains of
Sutherland begin to appear. The first of these is Stac Pollaidh
(below left, centre of picture) followed by Cul Bheag, Cul Mor, Canisp, Suilven and
Quinag, the latter shown below right.
Assynt and Sutherland are an ideal holiday location for anyone who enjoys the
outdoors with plenty of opportunities for walking, climbing,
birdwatching, fishing, etc. Please see our
"Useful Links" page for more information. |
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The many mountains in Sutherland make the whole area ideal for
walkers and climbers, whether you enjoy the more energetic high-level hill walks or climbs or whether you prefer gentler low-level walks
between the mountains or along the coast.
Alternatively, if you want to have a lazy day on the beach, just
a very short distance up the coast from Lochinver is the lovely
white sandy beach at Achmelvich - see opposite. This is ideal for
families so make sure you pack your swimming costume and your bucket
and spade!
Assynt and Lochinver lie at the centre of the
North West
Highlands Geopark. This is Scotland's first European Geopark and
celebrates the important geological features of the area. The
spectacular rock and mountain formations throughout Sutherland were
formed millions of years ago and some date
back up to 3,000 million years. |
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One of the first main geological sites of interest to be seen on the
approach to Sutherland from Ullapool is
Knockan Crag (see
left). The
Moine Thrust runs through the crag and the
Visitor Centre (the entrance to which is just a short
distance from where this photo was taken) provides information
which
explains the background to the 'Highlands Controversy'
concerning the geology of the area.
The Moine Thrust Belt
is a fault line which extends for 120 miles from
Loch Eriboll on the north coast of Scotland south-west to the Sleat peninsula on the
Isle of Skye. 400 million years ago this geological feature
formed the edge of the Caledonian mountain belt and
subsequent erosion has left the fault exposed, thus making
it of great significance to all those with a passing
interest in the geology of the
Scottish Highlands.
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Above can be seen the outlines of the mountains in the
Assynt area of Sutherland which are, from the left: Quinag,
Suilven, Canisp, Cul Mor and Stac Pollaidh (the anglicized
version of which is Stac Polly).
Below are 2 views of Loch Assynt. The view to the left is at
the eastern end of the loch looking towards Inchnadamph
(about which, more below). The
other view is towards the western end of the loch showing a
couple of wooded islets. |
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Another
interesting geological feature in Assynt is the set of caves
at Inchnadamph. There are actually two separate sets of
caves about 2 - 3 miles apart. The
Inchnadamph Bone Caves are reached via a good footpath
starting from a car park 2 miles to the south of Inchnadamph.
They are one of Scotland's oldest historical sites and
contain the bones of various animals from many thousands of
years ago - large brown bear, arctic fox, arctic lemming,
lynx, reindeer and even the remains of a polar bear which
have been dated as 18,855 years old.
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The other set of caves is situated above Inchnadamph itself
in Gleann Dubh beside the River Traligill. Here there is an
extensive cave system with limestone springs and
disappearing rivers. There are also spectacular views of
Quinag and Loch Assynt. |
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To the north of Inchnadamph and Loch Assynt the A894
heads further northwards into Sutherland towards Scourie and
Laxford Bridge - and from the latter it is only about 19
miles to Durness and Cape Wrath, the "top left hand corner"
of the British mainland.
Between Inchnadamph and Scourie is the spectacular
Kylesku Bridge which has featured in a number of TV adverts,
usually for cars. The bridge, which was opened in 1984, crosses a narrows where once
there used to be a ferry and has the unusual feature of
being curved - quite a masterpiece of civil engineering.
Close to Scourie lies
Handa Island,
a bird reserve run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Further
north beyond Laxford Bridge is
Sandwood Bay, probably the most spectacular beach in the
British Isles. It can only be reached on foot, a round trip
of 8 miles, but is well worth every step. |
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Another excellent round trip
drive takes in the narrow coast road from Lochinver to Kylesku. A
side road from this road leads to Achmelvich where there is
a lovely clean, white sandy beach. With waters as clear as
this (see opposite), who needs the Caribbean!
Further up the coastal road is The Old Man of Stoer, an
impressive sea stack which can best be seen from Stoer
Point. There is a coastal walk of about 2.5 miles from Stoer
Lighthouse which takes you to Stoer Point. From here there
are excellent views of the Western Isles on a clear day and,
if you are lucky, you may spot dolphins and whales, too.
See our
"Useful Links" page for links to websites
giving more information about this lovely area.
For
more
local
views in and
around Assynt, please see
our
Photo
Gallery.
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