The north and northwest Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scotland - page 433

The north and northwest Highlands
Come to the north and northwest Highlands, the area beyond the Great
Glen, to sample the soul of the Highlands. This is a region of spectacular
scenery: a combination of bare mountains, remote glens, dark lochs and
tumbling rivers surrounded on three sides by a magnificent coastline.
Although the inspiring landscape, along with its tranquility and space, are
the main attractions, so too is the sense of remoteness, even today. The vast
peat bogs in the north are among the most extensive and unspoilt
wilderness areas in Europe and some of the west coast crofting villages can
still be reached only by boat.

Different weather conditions and cultural histories give each of the three coastlines a
distinct character. For many visitors, the Highlands' west coast is the reason to visit
Scotland. he Vikings, who ruled the region in the ninth century, called it the “South
Land”, from which the modern district of Sutherland takes its name. After Culloden,
the Clearances emptied most of the inland glens of the far north, and left the population
clinging to the coastline, which is the main draw here. Cut by jord-like sea lochs , it is
scalloped by white-sand beaches or waterfalls in high, shattered cliffs, with mountains
sweeping up from the shoreline. Weather fronts roll over rapidly but when the sun
shines, the sparkle of the sea, the rich colours in the clear light and the clarity of the
views to the Hebrides are pure magic. With exhilarating scenery everywhere you look,
this is superb touring country. It also provides some of the best cycling , walking and
sea-kayaking in Britain, superlative trout and salmon fishing , and wildlife by the ton. In
fact the only issues are the west coast's predictably unpredictable weather , and the
midges that drive even the locals to distraction from June to August.
he most visited part of the west coast is the stretch between Kyle of Lochalsh and
Ullapool. his is Wester Ross , with quintessentially west-coast scenes of beautiful coast
set against some of Scotland's most impressive mountains and Skye and the Western
Isles on the horizon. he obvious highlights are the mountainscape of Torridon ,
Gairloch 's sandy beaches, the botanic gardens at Inverewe , and Ullapool itself, a bustling
fishing town and launch pad for the Outer Hebrides. However, press on north or south
and you get a truer sense of the isolation that makes this coast so special. Traversed by
few roads, the remote northwest is wild and bleak. Villages in the southwest tend to be
more sheltered, but they are separated by some of the most extensive wilderness areas in
Britain - lonely peninsulas like Ardnamurchan , Glenelg or Knoydart , a magical
peninsula with no road access and the remotest pub in mainland Britain.
he other coasts receive fewer visitors and of the two the north coast is more popular.
Stretching from Cape Wrath at the very northwest tip of the mainland to John O'Groats ,
it is even more rugged than the west, its sheer cliffs and white-sand bays bearing the
brunt of frequently fierce Atlantic storms. he only town here is Thurso , jumping-off
point for the main ferry service to Orkney.
All of this makes the fertile east coast of the Highlands such a surprise. Stretching
north from Inverness to the old herring port of Wick , it is a place of rolling moors, green

12

The West Highland Railway p.444
Walking into Knoydart p.446
Hiking in Glen Shiel p.449

Walks around Torridon p.453
Ceilidhs p.461
The Flow Country p.469