Summer 2022: Ullapool
See below for two very happy faces on the first night of our 2022 summer vacation! We weren’t staying at the Ceilidh Place, where we can be seen drinking welcome beers, but we used its bar and restaurant several times. Our own accommodation was the excellent Bungalow 500, shown in the post header, which we thoroughly recommend. We arrived on Monday, 11th July and left on Saturday 16th which gave us four days of walking.
Day 1 Ullapool Hill Path and Glen Achall
We climbed above the town to the rocky outcrop of Meall Mor, at 270m the highest point on the walk. It was a tad blowy up there – I’m standing like that to keep my balance! We carried on to Loch Achall, passing some friendly locals on the way, before retracing our steps back to town.
Day 2 Corrieshalloch, Lael, and Knockan Crag
The Corrieshalloch Gorge walk is a circular trail above a 61m deep box canyon with a suspension bridge and a viewing platform from which the Falls of Measach can be seen. The whole circuit takes about an hour.
Our next stop was another short walk in Lael Forest.
We popped back into Ullapool for lunch in the Ferry Boat Inn before heading for Knockan Crag. This is a National Nature Reserve Trail taking you back in geological time as you climb past different layers of exposed rock with sculpture and poetry along the way. The Moine Thrust is a place where 500 million year old rock has been pushed upwards by two of the earth’s plates crashing into each other forcing older rocks above bands of younger rocks. At Knockan Crag the Thrust is exposed which was crucial to geologists in understanding how the earth’s continents were formed.
The weather was becoming very cold and wet by this time so, although the walk was very interesting, we were glad to get back to the car.
Day 3 Rhue Lighthouse
Rhue Lighthouse guards the entrance to Loch Broom for ships bound for Ullapool. From the north end of town we walked out along the shoreline and returned by taking the single-track road from Rhue back to the main road and up over the hill to Ullapool. It was about six miles in total, including a bit of scrambling up and down off the beach when the tide was too high to pass round rocky outcrops.
We started by admiring this bench on the way out of Ullapool. I’m guessing Sandy likes cats and fiddles. As we made our way over the grass to the shore we found it littered with jellyfish – clearly there had been a big tide earlier.
Continuing along the shore we came to an old boat wreck suggesting we should repent.
The lighthouse came into sight.
Before we got there, we found another interesting memorial bench.
We visited the small white lighthouse and admired a passing sailing ship.
The climb up to the main road was picturesque, but the walk back was a bit of a slog. We liked this funny old garage though!
Day 4 Badenscallie Circular and Achnahaird Beach
The Badenscallie Circular (7.75km) went along the coast from the small township of that name to Culnacraig, and back inland along a small road. The outward route was originally part of the ‘Postie’s Path’, trekked twice a week to bring mail from Ullapool to this remote area.
The postie’s path was also used during the Highland Clearances when a young boy ran along it from Ullapool in the 1850s to warn crofters that the sheriff’s men were coming to serve eviction orders. Katy Campbell was singled out as a ring-leader of the resulting confrontation and forced off the estate. The ruined cottage which can just be seen in the first image below below is hers – expand the information board above for the full story.
From Badenscallie we drove to Achnahaird for a lovely beach walk, with stops at Badentarbet Bay and Altandhu where we had great views over the Summer Isles.
Badentarbet Bay:
Altandhu:
Achnahaird Beach:
Heading onwards
We’d had a fabulous few days in Ullapool, but it was time to move on. The walking had been great, but we’d also had our fill of good food – probably too much for the walking to cancel out! Nothing sinister about the initials on the cup below – this was one of the two delicious meals we had at the Ferry Boat Inn.
On Saturday it was time to do something I always find exciting – take the ferry.
Next stop Stornoway!
(Very belatedly linking to Jo’s Monday Walk.)
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
Again, amazing photos. Love the “FBI” cup (did a double take!).
Looking forward to summer (spent most of last summer working in London).
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I’m sure the double take is the expected reaction! Are you back in Glasgow now?
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Big fan of the Day 2 photos! The falls look pretty exotic, glad you guys had a good time!
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Thanks! It was a great trip. The west coast is gorgeous (well, so is the east coast, but that’s another story).
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We visited Ullapool a very long time ago so it was good to see it through your various hikes. (Suzanne)
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It’s almost history to me too at the moment! I’m way behind, only just writing about last summer.
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Fantastic views! What a wonderful place to visit 🙂
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It really is!
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You resisted the temptation of the Caledonian Hotel then 🙂
I have done a couple of those walks (the coastal ones, to Rhue and Achnahaird a particularly lovely beach I thought.
Glad you enjoyed it, it is a lovely area. I drove past the gorge a lot but never at a time it was open so I missed out, but it looks like something worth coming back for.
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The Caledonian has a Wanted poster up for some guy who dumped half a beach in the wardrobe 😉😀. Put us right off!
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You remember that 🙂 I wonder if the sand is still there?!
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I suspect it might well be!
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You certainly packed in some interesting walks. And the countryside looks so lush and green. Don’t think we will get up as far North as Ullapool on our Scotland trip this year, though it is within reaching distance. So many fab sculptures and monument’s. You always find them Anabel. 🙂
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Always on the lookout for something quirky! Trying to remember where you are staying – is it Gairloch? If so, it’s not that far but you’ll probably find more than enough to do closer to hand.
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Hi yes we’re at Gairloch, so we shall see what happens, like you say, there’s plenty to see and do around there too.
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Hi Anabel – what a great post … thank you both! So fascinating to see the geological time frame … and what a great national park. You’ve opened my eyes to Ullapool – thanks … cheers Hilary
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Thanks Hilary – it is a very interesting, and pretty, place.
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All places I know, including walking at Knockan Crag in the cold and rain! I’ll be there next week but rushing for ferry , so no time to look around this time.
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Cold and rain is almost obligatory! Lucky you off for the ferry.
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We’ve not made it as far north as Ullapool… yet. But your pics, esp the extraordinary beaches call loudly. By the looks of your clothes it wasn’t shirt sleeve weather.
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It certainly was not! July in Scotland …
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