The best seat in Ullapool costs nothing

I never quite know what I’m going to see when I look down Loch Broom from Ullapool. In the morning there can be mist lying low along the water, and on a summer evening the last of the sun can catch the far shore and keep me standing there rather longer than I intended. Every so often a tall ship or a super yacht turns up and the whole scene changes again. Lately I’ve been arriving after dark, when the lights along the new promenade come into their own. There’s something rather continental about an evening stroll along the harbour front now that there’s room to stop wherever you fancy.

Coming down Morefield Brae from the north, you get a lovely view of the village laid out on its flat peninsula, with little whitewashed buildings in straight rows and Loch Broom on two sides. If that first glimpse makes you want a longer look, there’s a path up Ullapool Hill where you can see the whole village below you and follow the shore with your eye as it curves away down the loch. I’d do the climb before the beers, mind you, because it’s steep enough to make you think about where you’re putting your feet.

If you want to make an occasion of supper, I’d book The Dipping Lugger well ahead. I’m quite happy with fish and chips on the prom, though if that feels a bit too much like Blackpool, I’d head to the Seafood Shack on West Argyle Street. Kirsty and Fenella started it so they could cook more of the catch landed in Ullapool, and there’s a good buzz around the 'shack' in season, whether you go for lunch or supper. After a day’s touring, when I fancy a quieter evening, I take a picnic and a book round to the benches on the west shore.

I stay in Ullapool regularly when I’m touring, and Sally‑Ann and I once chose to spend a week here in February just for ourselves. The village had a different feel out of season and we thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s a good choice of places to stay, but if you’re catching the morning ferry to Stornoway, I’d book your room well ahead. In the blogcast, I’ll tell you how Ullapool built out into Loch Broom to give people room to stop and look beside the very road that takes you to the ferry.

To learn more, listen to the blogcast or book one of our North Coast Explorer private tours.