Another interesting fact about this area is that bad weather is often very localised. When rain and mist shroud the hills, a trip out onto one of the west coast headlands – such as Rubha Stoer or Rubha Coigeach – can often find brighter skies and no rain, although this fact is no consolation if your aim is to ascend the inland peaks!
Inverpolly
Winter climbing is not much practised in the area covered by the guide because of the rarity of good conditions. Snowfall is not uncommon during winter, but rarely stays for long on the coastal hills. Inland peaks such as Ben Hee and Ben Klibreck generally hold more snow, but the winter climbing conditions found in the Cairngorms, for example, are not common in the guidebook area.
Access problems due to snow are rare, unless you intend to attempt to reach some remote location in a particularly bad winter, but notes on the accessibility of the roads in a severe winter are given below in ‘Roads within the Area’.
Plants, Birds and Animals
Plant life in the far north is much the same as you might find in areas further south, such as the moorland of northern England. Some of the hills have a thick covering of heather, particularly on their lower slopes, and elsewhere there is rough moorland grass and sedge – often waterlogged – on a base of peat. Due to the scarcity of paths on the less popular hills, this can make for arduous approaches.
Apart from a few isolated exceptions, there is little forest in the guide area. The most extensive tree-covered area is the Dalchork Forest, north of Lairg, which is a remote man-made plantation of conifers. There are remnants of the natural forests which once covered this land, most notably around sea inlets near Lochinver, Inverkirkaig and Loch Nedd.
Birds are quite plentiful in the summer months – grouse are an obvious example, along with other moorland natives such as curlew and skylark. The characteristic songs of these birds are very atmospheric on a warm spring day in the hills. Birds of prey such as hen harriers, kestrels and owls may be seen, but are less common here than further south.
Along the coast, sea-birds such as guillemot, kittiwake, razorbill, fulmar and puffin, along with various gulls and gannets, abound. There is a bird sanctuary on Handa Island (ferry from Scourie or Tarbet), which is a must for anyone with an interest in ornithology.
Seals are another sight to look out for in coastal areas. Both common seals and the much larger grey seal are quite numerous around the north-west coast, and colonies of them can be seen in sea lochs such as Glencoul and Glendhu, either in the water or basking on the shore.
You may spot other wildlife such as fox, hare, red squirrel, badger, wildcat, otter and various species of vole and shrew. The north-west highlands is the last stronghold of many species which have all but disappeared from the areas further south. Deer are of course plentiful, and their numbers are controlled by an annual cull. Access to many of the far north hills is curtailed if there is ‘stalking’ going on, and it is always a good idea to check before setting out.
Bases
There is no shortage of accommodation available in the far north. The area boasts a multitude of hotels, B&Bs, campsites and self-catering cottages, chalets and hostels. In fact, there is such a wealth of choice that a comprehensive list would fill this book and probably a couple of others too! It is possible to obtain hotel or self-catering accommodation at any time of year, but most campsites are are only open from Easter to the end of September. Check before travelling. The best sources of information are the tourist offices/visitor centres listed in Appendix A.
Below is a summary of the main walking centres and the facilities to be found there. The list is not comprehensive, but short lists of convenient bases are given in the introductions to each area in the walks section of the guide.
Ullapool
This is the largest community in the area. A major fishing and ferry port, the town boasts a number of restaurants, hotels, guest houses and self-catering accommodation, as well as a campsite and youth hostel. Other amenities include a bank with cashpoint, supermarkets, a filling station, an excellent hardware store selling most camping utilities, and even a fish and chip shop!
Ullapool (photo: Andy Walmsley)
Boat trips to the Summer Isles during summer, and a car ferry to Stornoway in the Western Isles, are available.
Four miles (6.6km) north is the excellent campsite at Ardmair, on the shores of Loch Kanaird. This is a clean and well-equipped site with showers, laundry room, shop and restaurant. Chalets are also available for hire. The site has a very short season however: Easter to September at best.
Ullapool makes a good base for the Coigach peaks.
Bonar Bridge
This is a small village at the head of the Dornoch Firth. The iron bridge here replaced Telford's original, which used to carry the main A9 northwards before the building of the new bridge linking Tain and Dornoch.
The village has shops selling provisions, calor gas, films, etc, and a filling station, but no bank. Accommodation is available nearby at Ardgay, or further north at Lairg.
Access to Ledmore junction and thus to the Assynt hills, via Strath Oykell, or to Laxford bridge and the Reay Forest, via Loch Shin, is surprisingly easy from here. Ben Klibreck is also easily reached.
Lairg
This is a slightly larger village than Bonar Bridge with similar facilities. There are chalets for hire in the vicinity, notably at Rogart in Strath Fleet to the east.
Although Lairg, like Bonar Bridge, is on the eastern side of the northern peninsula, it lies close to the main through-routes, and post buses run regularly to various points north and west. It is thus more convenient than you might think as a base for visiting Assynt, Coigach and the Reay Forest, and has the advantage that accommodation on this side is generally cheaper than on the west coast.
Achiltibuie
This is one of the far north's special places. The ‘village’ is little more than a straggling group of houses strung out along the coast at the foot of Ben Mor Coigach and overlooking the Summer Isles, but it has a unique atmosphere: remote – some might say bleak – yet welcoming.
There is a hotel and self-catering cottages in the area, as well as a youth hostel at Acheninver (20 beds) a little to the south (GR043056), and a campsite by the rather exposed beach at Achnahaird (GR015136). Boat trips are available to the Summer Isles (but, appropriately enough, only in summer) – contact Iain McLeod at the post office.
Achiltibuie is located right at the foot of Ben Mor Coigach, and makes a good base for any of the Coigach mountains.
Inverkirkaig
This is a small, scattered, coastal settlement at the head of the tiny Loch Kirkaig. There are self-catering chalets and cottages here and a public telephone box, but not much else. The situation, looking out towards the Western Isles, is superb.
Achmelvich Bay and campsite at Lochinver (photo: Andy Walmsley)
The well-known Achins bookshop and café are situated slightly inland at the start of the path to the Falls of Kirkaig.
Lochinver
A main centre on the north-west coast, Lochinver has all the necessary conveniences of civilisation, such as a bank with cash-point, filling station and two well-stocked grocery stores, as well as hotels, outdoor shop, the Assynt Visitor Centre and a wealth of self-catering accommodation. Baddidaroch, along the north