The north and northwest Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 234

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
lay-by 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.234), 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, Thurs & 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. The 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.
Mid-May to mid-June is the best time to see the rhododendrons and azaleas, while
the herbaceous garden reaches its peak in July and August, as does the wonderful
Victorian vegetable and flower garden beside the sea. Free guided walks depart from
the visitor centre.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

4

POOLEWE

By bus There's a daily bus to Poolewe from Gairloch (15min), currently at 7.45am.

ACCOMMODAT ION 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 too. 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 & Carvanning Club and largely
occupied by motorhomes. Facilities are well maintained

and a few pitches in a shady c orner all ow campers to wake
up to loch views. Easter-Oct. £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 surpr ised if you struggle
to leave the lounge. Easter-Oct. £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 of 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 160ft
Falls of Measach plunge through the mile-long Corrieshalloch Gorge , formed by