I was awake early and took off down the village for a walk and to take some photographs. The village is pretty and right on the sea. It is a super base for holidays in the area, a lot of walkers and hill climbers stay here and the Assynt Visitor Centre is situated here. The village is closed early on a Tuesday so be aware that you may not get fuel, etc at that time. There are public toilet facilities in the village.
Lochinver (Loch an Inbhir in Gaelic) is a village on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loch Assynt which is the source of the River Inver which flows into Loch Inver at the village. Lochinver is the second largest fishing port in Scotland; frequented by European fishermen primarily from Spain and France. The back of Lochinver is a beautiful part of Assynt with local tourism and nature areas being developed in conjunction with small-scale forestry activities. Birdlife in Lochinver includes the curlew, oystercatcher and hooded crow.
It is split into three parts: the harbour, the village, and Baddidarrach, along the shore of Loch Inver. If you’re not here to load up the lorry, there are attractions such as the Assynt Visitor Centre and Highland Stoneware, one of the Highland’s most successful.
Faroese (The Faroes are a group of 18 islands, between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic ocean, about halfway from Iceland to Norway) fishing boats land regularly at Lochinver harbour, and their crews are often seen stocking up on chocolate, at the stores.
On the coastal road 3 miles south of Lochinver is InverKirkaig. Here is a very nice walk along the Kirkaig river, walking as far as the Kirkaig Falls or a little further to Loch Fionn which lies at the foot of mount Suilven. On your return back down the footpath, Achins Book & Coffee Shop is well worth visiting. If you hillwalk, fish, enjoy fabulous scenery, enjoy relaxing, kayak, climb, enjoy the beach or whatever, Lochinver is the ideal place to stay and explore the wonders of Assynt.
The Assynt Visitor Centre is packed with information and displays of the area, its people, wildlife and history. Upstairs there is also a children’s area and downstairs there is cctv monitoring the activities of Herons nesting in the nearby Culag Woods.
There are picnic tables overlooking the bay and two rivers running into the bay, one at each end of the village. The village has a restaurant/bistro, a hotel and small shops and most things are available.
Lochinver Community Hall, Lochinver village hall Arts Programme, Social Functions, Community Room, Recent Performances also worth seeing.
Clachtoll Caravan
Clachtoll (1 hour drive north of Ullapool) is a beautifully remote and peaceful beach situated on the north west coat of Scotland, where our spacious, fully equipped caravan is available to rent from April to October. Contact: Clachtoll Caravan, Clachtoll, Lochinver, Wester Ross. Tel: 01349 830677, Email: cara…@highland-retreat.co.uk
Churches
As I wandered through the village I found three churches – there may be more, but I saw :
The Lochinver Free Presbyterian Church which has Sabbath Services at 12 noon and 6pm.
The Free Church of Scotland – If you want to find out about the services you can call on 01571 844685.
The Assynt Church of Scotland – The service is on Sunday at 12 noon and there is a Sunday School at 11am.
Inverness bus service
The following details are based on 2003 timetables. Tim Dearman Coaches run a service, in the summer. A bus leaves Inverness at 8:50, calls at Dingwall, Strathpeffer and Ullapool, before arriving in the village at 11:55. This coach continues north, stopping at various points before reaching Durness and Smoo Cave about 13:45. The coach returns to Lochinver at 16:55 and goes back to Inverness, arriving at 19:34. So this coach can be used to travel to and from Inverness to the village. And to make days trips to some locations.
Local bus service
KSM Motors operates a limited service to Drumbeg in the north and to Ullapool in the south
Also see the Fishermen’s Mission for Services.
