Ullapool

A picturesque Fishing Village

Ullapool on the shores of the beautiful long sea inlet of Loch Broom is a busy fishing port with lots to offer visitors. It nestles unobtrusively in the landscape, sheltered by mountains on all side and has a natural harbour which was carved by glaciers during the last ice age. Unusually for a Highland village it is set out in a grid system and according to some sources was designed by Thomas Telford, and presents itself as a collection of orderly, traditional, white -washed buildings. However, you should never be deceived into thinking you are entering some sleepy backwater.

The village itself is a dynamic place where Highland culture thrives alongside well run restaurants and shops. Visitors can choose to eat award winning fish and chips, café style food or gourmet meals created from local produce. Many of the pubs offer bar meals and some have live music in the evenings. Every type of accommodation is on offer and it is quite often booked almost to capacity during one of the many popular festivals that take place here. There is a yacht club by the shore and a golf club, which also welcomes visitors, within walking distance.

Ullapool has a Leisure Centre and swimming pool with all the activities to ensure your fitness and enjoyment. There is a Theatre which seats several hundred and rooms for hosting cultural and commercial events. An Talla Solais is a community run art centre where you can take part in workshops or view the work of local artists –some of whom are well known internationally. There are often art exhibitions at privately owned establishments and hardly a week goes by without a visit from a dance, theatre or opera company. Locals know they are lucky to live in Ullapool and many have dedicated lots of their spare time over the years to making sure it has facilities to rival those of much bigger places.

When you venture into the Lochbroom area you will be richly rewarded by nature. It is a place where you can always claim space for yourself and enjoy a sense of protection from the surrounding hills. It is also a place to bring your friends and make new ones.

Ullapool is the main ferry port to the Western Isles and there are bus services which create links north and south. Entering from the south you pass Corrieshalloch Gorge, and them through the Leckmelm and Inverlael Forests with their super refreshing walks below magnificent pines. When you leave the village and venture through the Coigach mountain range you will pass the distinctive jaggy peak which is Stac Pollaidh. Within forty minutes of leaving Ullapool you come across Achiltibuie which another important stop on the discerning visitor’s agenda. Here you will find award winning cuisine and accommodation which offers breathtaking views of the Summer Isles. There are a number of boat trips which leave daily from both Ullapool and Achiltibuie and will take you on a tour of some interesting islands (including the Summer Isles) and caves. You will see seals and sea bird colonies and may be treated to the sight of porpoises, whales or dolphins. Throughout Coigach you will find stunning examples of north highland beaches where there is an endless sweep of golden sand surrounded by smooth rock. Others are rocky and littered with smooth pebbles which lend themselves to skimming contests.

Early settlers were drawn to this area because of its proximity to major sea routes and abundant fishing. There is a wealth of archaeological evidence which has survived millennia and Ullapool has a museum where you can go to uncover the past or find out about historic walks, and about how the area was decimated during the clearances, as was the whole of the north, with many Clans folk forced to emigrate to Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.

The fishing industry has been at the heart of Ullapool since it was founded by the British Fisheries Society in 1788. Whilst fishing has suffered periodic declines over the years, it experienced a boom period during the Second World War. The 1960’s and 1970’s saw the arrival of foreign factory ships which fished on an industrial scale. Although they have all left now, Ullapool maintains its position as one of the ten major fishing ports in the UK. Nowadays it is mainly white fish and shell fish which are unloaded.