Kylesku is worth more than a photograph

If I had to choose my favourite view anywhere on the North Coast 500, I’d take the footway to the middle of the bridge at Kylesku and look inland along Loch Glencoul and Loch Glendhu. That’s KYLE-skew, by the way, in two syllables. You’ll probably recognise the bridge before you’ve had to say the name. From the north car park you can see the whole sweep of it with Quinag behind, and I still marvel at what people can build when they put their minds to it.

If you’ve been in the car for a while, I’d go down to the shore. There’s a path from the little car park at the south end of the bridge, or you can start near the Kylesku Hotel and walk towards the foot of it. From down there you find yourself looking up at the road, and the bridge that looked so graceful from the car park is suddenly quite a size.

There are two places I particularly like for lunch. One is the hotel terrace, where you can eat shellfish from local waters, such as langoustines or mussels, with the loch a couple of metres from your feet. It’s a lovely spot, but I’d look at the prices before sitting down! The other is the rocky outcrop beside the slipway, where you can unwrap a sandwich and enjoy much the same view. There’s a public loo by the hotel, too. If you’d prefer a quieter picnic, there’s a bench at the pull-in just south of Kylesku House, formerly Newton Lodge, and room to spread a blanket. With a little longer to spare, I’d go out on the boat, with Kylesku Boat Tours. You’ll find my review of that trip in Visitor Attractions.

In the blogcast, I’ll take a closer look at the water beneath the bridge and explain how a crossing of a few hundred yards could hold up a journey along the whole coast. On a private tour through Kylesku, I can show you where the ferry landed and explain how the crossing worked. Private tour guests also get exclusive access to a collection of articles I’ve written for them, including the full story of the Kylesku crossing.