Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Poolewe
It's a short hop over the headland from Gairloch to the village of
POOLEWE
at the
sheltered southern end of Loch Ewe. During World War II, the Arctic convoy
embarked from here and the deep-water loch remains one of only three berths for
nuclear submarines. One of the area's best
walks
begins nearby, signposted from the
layby viewpoint on the A832, a mile south. It takes a couple of hours to follow the
easy trail across open moorland to the shores of
Loch Maree
(see p.454), then the car
park at Slattadale, seven miles southeast of Gairloch. Double-check timetables
(
T
01445 712255) but you should be able to continue along the loch shore to catch
the Wester bus from Inverness back to Poolewe from the
Loch Maree Hotel
at 7pm
(Tues, hurs & Fri only).
Inverewe Gardens
Half a mile north of Poolewe on A832 • Daily April, May & Sept 9.30am-5pm; June-Aug 9.30am-6pm; Oct 10am-4pm; Nov-March
10am-3pm • £10 •
T
0844 493 2225,
W
nts.org.uk
Most visitors arrive in Poolewe for
Inverewe Gardens
, an oasis of foliage and
riotously colourful compared to the wild coast. he gardens were the brainchild of
Osgood MacKenzie
who collected plants from all over the world for his walled
garden, which still forms the nucleus of the complex. Protected from Loch Ewe's
salt breezes by Scots pine, rowan, oak, beech and birch trees, the fragile plants
flourished on rich soil brought as ballast on Irish ships and by the time MacKenzie
died in 1922, his garden sprawled over the peninsula, surrounded by a hundred
acres of woodland. Today a network of paths and walkways wander through more
than a dozen gardens featuring exotic plant collections from as far afield as Chile,
China, Tasmania and the Himalayas.
12
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
POOLEWE
By bus
There's a daily bus to Poolewe from Gairloch (15min), currently at 7.45am.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Bridge Cottage Café and Gallery
Main road
T
01445
781335.
Delicious home baking and freshly prepared
snacks like scrambled eggs and smoked salmon (£7) and
soups (£3-4) have earned this welcoming café a superb
local reputation. The gallery part upstairs displays art and
crafts.
Easter-Oct daily 10.30am-4.30pm.
Inverewe Gardens Camping & Carvanning
Main
road
T
01445 781249.
As trim a site as usual from a
member of the Camping & Caravanning Club and largely
occupied by motorhomes. Facilities are well maintained
and a few pitches in a shady corner allo
w camp
ers to
wake up to loch views. Closed Nov-Easter.
£16.75
/pitch
Ì
Pool House Hotel
Main road
T
01445 781272,
W
poolhousehotel.co.uk.
Once the residence of
Inverewe Gardens' Osgood MacKenzie, the Harrison
family home remains one of the Highlands' most
romantic small hotels - think rich fabrics, family
antiques and art, loch views and a serene sense of calm.
Don't be surprised i
f you
struggle to leave the lounge.
Closed Nov-Easter.
£160
Poolewe to Ullapool
At
LAIDE
, ten miles north of Poolewe, the road skirts the shores of
Gruinard Bay
. It's a
great drive, offering fabulous views and, at the inner end of the bay, some excellent
sandy beaches before you swing east, tracking high above Little
Loch Broom
, with
gorgeous views to mountains opposite -
Badrallach
, seven miles from a left-turn at the
head of the loch, is a magical spot to drop off the radar.
Inland, the route joins the A835 at
Braemore Junction
, above the head of Loch
Broom.
Easily accessible from a lay-by on the A835, the spectacular 160ftm
Falls of
Measach
plunge through the mile-long
Corrieshalloch Gorge
, which was formed by
glacial meltwaters. A Victorian suspension bridge spans the chasm for a view of the
falls and gorge, whose 197ft vertical sides are draped in wych elm, goat willow and
bird cherry.
