The north and northwest Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 211

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. The 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 reason to come. Cut by fjord-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
tonne. In fact the only issues are the west coast's predictably unpredictable weather , and
midges that drive even the locals to distraction from June to August.
The most visited part of the west coast is the stretch between Kyle of Lochalsh and
Ullapool. This 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. The obvious highlights are the mountainscape of Torridon ,
Gairloch 's sandy beaches, the botanic gardens at Inverewe , and Ullapool itself, a bustling
fishing town and launchpad 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 place
with no road access and the remotest pub in mainland Britain.
The 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 ,

4

The West Highland Railway p.222
In the footsteps of Bonnie Prince
Charlie p.223
Walking into Knoydart p.225
Hiking in Glen Shiel p.228
Walks around Torridon p.233
Walks and hikes around Ullapool p.239
Ceilidhs p.242
Walks in Coigach and Assynt p.244

Power to the People p.245
North-coast walking and cycling p.250
Jacobites in the Kyle of Tongue p.251
The Flow Country p.252
The Pentland Firth and Stroma p.255
Walks and rides around Strathpeffer
p.258
A Scottish safari park p.261
Walking and cycling around Wick p.267