Discover

Just a two hour drive North West from Inverness through the spectacular Highland scenery of Wester Ross lies the Coigach Peninsula. A number of small townships, dotted along the coastline, make up the traditional crofting and fishing community of Coigach which is set against a backdrop of dramatic mountains with wonderful views to the Summer Isles and open sea beyond. 


Wester Ross, Assynt and Sutherland are renowned for their outstanding natural beauty, wildlife, outdoor activities, dramatic mountain ranges, pristine beaches, world-class seafood, fresh local produce and creative communities. Whether you are seeking a calming environment in which to relax, are searching for artistic inspiration, interested in sampling the best quality produce, or want to indulge in outdoor activities, then this area is worth a visit.


The residents of Coigach are enterprising, self-sufficient and extremely creative. They have a great resource in the Coigach Community Hall where musical, creative and social events take place. In advance of a trip to Coigach, it is worth checking out what is on, at Visit Coigach.

Shop



Everyday grocery staples including; milk, bread, fruit and veg can be purchased from Achiltibuie Stores, also available; a fantastic selection of fresh local produce, for which the North Cost of Scotland in famous for.

Orders can be placed for Shellfish, caught by locals Duncan and Hamish. Baskets of delicious hand-made Scottish tablet, Shortbread and Brownies, made by Linda, are hard to resist. Local craft gins from Ullapool based Highland Liquor Company and Rhidorroch Distillery are well worth a try. Bags of salad leaves, herbs and edible flowers from local growers Achiltibuie Gardens can be ordered or picked up in the store.


For a gift or little something to take back home which evokes memories of the area then check out Ali Mac Candles. Natural wax candles and room diffusers, born from a love of the highlands with scents curated to awaken memories and bring vibes of the mountains and sea to your home. Fisk Gallery with it's creative art space, gallery and craft shop is located in picturesque Polbain. It stocks a selection of hand-crafted items from local makers and artists.

Eat


In an area renowned for the quality of its produce you will find many picturesque places serving delicious food. Reiff Steading benefits from having some of these close by. There are a few gems further afield too that are well worth a visit when exploring the region.


Coigach

Summer Isles Hotel offers a range of delicious seasonal dishes making the most of the areas wonderful ingredients and local suppliers. They offer informal dining in the bar and smart yet relaxed dining in the restaurant. A beer garden makes the most of the stunning views.


Am Fuaran is a traditional cosy West Coast bar serving home cooked food featuring fresh local produce. Raised decking with views overlooking Isle Ristol is the perfect spot for a cooling drink after a day exploring.


Self-catering in North West Scotland is the perfect time to cook with and taste the finest local ingredients.

You can buy from the producers themselves, visit farmers markets or drop in to the village store. Being able to eat from farm to fork and sea to plate using the freshest of ingredients means dining-in, is also a treat.


South of Coigach

Ullapool has a great selection of coffee shops and restaurants to suit all palates and dining styles. You can dine alfresco at the Seafood Shack; tasting the delights of the daily catch. Enjoy some good wholesome dishes in The Ceilidh Place, or fish and chips on the harbour side from one of the award winning fish shops, located a stones throw from where the catch is landed. Looking for some supplies to picnic on then West Coast Delicatessen is the place to go, with it's extensive range of quality local Highland produce, sourced from small artisan suppliers.


North of Coigach

Heading North for the day you can stop off at Elphin Tearooms for fresh home baked cakes and breads. Alternatively, maybe stop in Lochinver where you could pick up one of the famous pies from the Lochinver Larder. They are also working to create an unforgettable go-to destination in the heart of Lochinver that celebrates the unique qualities of the natural area and community. A quiet evening meal or alfresco lunch at Delilah's or Peet’s is also an option. 


If venturing further North towards Kylesku, the restaurant and bar at the Kylesku Hotel is worth making a stop for. Enjoy a drink and bite to eat or coffee and cake and take in the view down Loch Gleann Dubh.


Beaches


Coigach

Around fifty paces from the front door of Reiff Steading lies Reiff Beach with its impressive backdrop of the lichen shrouded Parliament Rock. First impressions of the beach, at high tide, may not seem promising but as the tide goes out a sheltered expanse of fine white sand is revealed between a scattering of Torridonian sandstone boulders. The amount of sand varies from year to year, but on a sunny day the beach is a wonderful place to be with the comforts of home are only a step away!


If relaxing on a beach after a stroll seems more of an adventure, take a walk up the eastern shore of the Loch of Reiff along the sheep path for about a kilometre to Camas Eilean Ghlais, a fabulous little “secret beach” with stunning views of the Reiff sea cliffs and Eilean Ghlais, which the bay is named after. With the sheltered nature of the bay, sometimes the sea can appear like glass, and just when you think you have the place to yourself, you may be joined by sea kayakers exploring the coastline!


Between Polbain and Achiltibuie lies Badentarbat Bay. The beach is mainly stony, but at low tide a stretch of reddish sand is revealed.  Badentarbat, with sheep cropped grass behind and a magnificent view of Tanera Mor is a great place to take in the ambience.  Mobile reception can also be found here, so you may be briefly joined by people intent on keeping in touch with the wider world!  The Coigach skiff rowers are often in the bay, practicing for skiff rowing regattas which take place around the country, through the summer months. 


A hidden gem of a beach can be found at Acheninver.  Drive through Achiltibuie and past Badenscallie then half a kilometre after the Acheninver Hostel car park, take the right fork in the road. After about 400 metres you will find a small area for parking on the left-hand side, just before the road bends to the left and crosses a small bridge. Park here, take the track to the right towards East Acheninver.  Before the houses, turn left off the track onto a path across heather towards the shore. The ground can be a little boggy in places and it is rocky as you reach the shore, so sturdy footwear is recommended. Similarly to a lot of the beaches along the coastline, Acheninver is best appreciated at times other than high tide.


Achnahaird is a fabulous expanse of white sand that can be enjoyed at all times, regardless of tides. This sheltered bay looks over the wider expanse of Enard Bay to Assynt. The walk from the car park to the beach itself features a spectacular backdrop of the mountains of Coigach and Assynt. Unsurprisingly, the beach can get relatively busy on sunny days, but there are numerous options to find a quiet spot amongst the rocks and dunes that back onto the beach.


Assynt

If you venture North of Lochinver, two fabulous beaches are very popular; Achmelvich and Clachtoll.  A little further north along the road, Clashnessie beach tends to be a little less busy.  Achmelvich, situated next to a Youth Hostel and a campsite, can get relatively crowded, but a 10-minute walk north east along the grass above the rocky shore is a smaller and quieter “secret beach” worth the walk if you crave stunning peaceful surroundings. There are toilets at the beach carpark, and an Assynt Ranger’s hut which contains information and leaflets on the flora and fauna that can be seen in the area.

Similarly, Clachtoll beach is adjacent to a campsite and has toilet facilities and a Ranger’s hut. The beach itself lies in a narrow bay flanked by an old salmon netting station on the northern side and the impressive “split rock” geological feature on the southern side.  If you take a walk over to the split rock, across traces of the old crofting “lazy beds” then continue around the shoreline, another little beach can be found where you are more than likely to find yourself alone with only the seabirds for company!


Sutherland

For the more adventurous, who don’t mind a couple of hours driving through amazing scenery, there are some absolutely stunning beaches to be found in Northern Sutherland. Just Beyond Kinlochbervie lie the beaches at Oldshoremore and Oldshore Beg.  This area is also the starting point for the 9 mile round trip to Sandwood Bay, cared for by the John Muir Trust which is arguably one of the finest beaches in the British Isles and is definitely well worth the walk for those who feel up for the adventure. 


Durness, the most North Westerly village on mainland Britain, is another fabulous place with numerous white sand beaches, kept scrubbed clean by the power of the North Atlantic Ocean.  The sands at Balnakeil Bay stretch for just over a kilometre along Faraid Head point. Close by is the Balnakeil Craft Village; if you have made the effort to drive to Durness, you must stop by Cocoa Mountain to stock up on fantastic handmade chocolates and indulge in a very delicious hot chocolate! 


As you pass through Durness, the village is flanked to the north by the white expanses Sango Sands, into which rocky fingers cut to make a number of smaller beaches at high tide. Further East, Smoo Cave is well worth investigating; this large cave is quite unique in the UK; the huge entrance chamber was formed by the action of the sea, while action of rainwater has dissolved the Durness limestone rock to form smaller inner chambers.  If there has not been too much rain, tours by small boat to the inner chambers are available.

Beyond Smoo Cave, Sangobeg beach fills a small crescent shaped bay; access to this beach is not overly straightforward and it is best to continue for another mile and a half or so until you reach Ceannabeinne Beach with ample car parking available. The beach is split in two, by a rocky outcrop which is passable at very low tides, although it is easy to reach the western half of the beach, from a small lay-by about half a mile back towards Durness.  This approach, albeit longer, makes for an interesting walk as you pass through the low ruins of the abandoned Ceannabeinne Township along a purpose-built trail, with information boards and boardwalks over patches of boggy ground.





Explore


The North West of Scotland offers an almost countless choice of things to see and do. Some local attractions are listed below.


Summer Isles Cruises

A boat trip around the Summer Isles offers an amazing opportunity to view wildlife; including seals, numerous seabirds, island scenery, as well as the landscape of Coigach. You may also be lucky enough to spot porpoises, dolphins or even whales.


Booking is essential.


Knockan Crag

At Knockan Crag, you can bridge 500 million years of history with your bare hands. Knockan Crag holds the key to an amazing story of colliding continents and scientific intrigue. The low cliff of Knockan exposes rocks that set the scientific world ablaze in the 19th century, with the discovery that a slice of old rock sits on top of much younger ones. To see this for yourself is a short walk along the well made paths from the visitor centre. Complete a circuit along the top of the escarpment for spectacular mountain views. 


Bone Caves

To find the Bone Caves at Inchnadamph you will take a beautiful walk up a limestone valley. The cave openings which are on a steep slope at the foot of a cliff have been excavated and were found to contain the remains of species such as lynx, reindeer and polar bear which once roamed the area. 


Pay a visit to the North West Highlands Geopark Visitor Centre and find out more about the geology of the area at The Rock Stop. Travel further North to Durness and experience Smoo Cave. A spectacular combined sea and freshwater cave set into limestone rock with one of the largest sea cave  entrances in Britain. The cave is open to public access all year. Want to venture further inside the cave, tours can be booked through Smoo Cave Tours.



Nature


You can find an amazing variety of wildlife in the immediate surroundings of Reiff Steading; including seals, otters, dolphins, orcas and whales. Stoats can be glimpsed trying to catch out the wary rabbit population that live in the sandy banks above the high-water mark on Reiff beach. In the air and on the water, almost countless species of birdlife thrive; including gannets, skuas, geese, black guillemots, eider duck and divers.


Slightly further afield, The Scottish Wildlife Trust operate a number of reserves in Ross-shire and Sutherland and the Trust’s largest reserve, covering over 5,000 hectares, is almost on the doorstep of Reiff Steading!


Ben Mor Coigach Reserve 

Ben Mor Coigach Reserve dominates the landscape around Achiltibuie and combines a mixture of high peaks and spectacular coastline with crofted and wild land. The reserve is a great place for some excellent hill walking and lower level walks including the spectacular six-mile Postie’s Path coastal walk from Blughasary, hugging the steep coastline to Achduart. Both golden eagles and white tailed sea eagles, as well as seals and otters can be spotted if you are lucky.


Handa Island 

Hand Island is a very pleasant drive of about 1 ½ hours northwards along the A835 into Sutherland and just past the village of Scourie, a ferry to the Island of Handa can be taken from Tarbert.   Each summer, nearly 100,000 seabirds breed on, or close to the magnificent Torridonian sandstone sea cliffs that rise from the Atlantic on the north west coast of the island. The birdlife include fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, arctic and great skuas, and from late May to July, puffins nest in burrows on the cliff tops. After a days exploring the island, why not book a table at the perfectly located Shorehouse Restaurant, just beside the ferry slipway.


Loch Fleet 

Loch Fleet in Easter Ross is a large tidal basin with sand dunes, mudflats, coastal heath and pinewoods. The pinewoods support Scottish crossbills, crested tits and pine martens, as well as woodland plants, such as one-flowered wintergreens. The reserve is great for a combination of both coastal and woodland walks with a huge variety of woodland plants to be seen in spring and summer and wading birds in winter.


Tollie Red Kites 

Tollie Red Kites, operated by RSPB Scotland, in partnership with Brahan Estate is located just off the A835, fifteen miles north of Inverness. You are able to get close-up views of graceful birds of prey, with a backdrop of Easter Ross to Ben Wyvis. Time your visit well and you can see volunteers feed the birds every day from a specially-converted farmstead building.


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