The Local Area & Activities
Shieldaig facilities include:
All weather sports court. This can be used by residents & non-residents alike.
A separate football pitch.
Various rocky beaches & secluded spots. Local walks and activities.
Campsite and conveniences.
Shop offering key essentials (open 7 days a week).
Village Bar and Coastal Restaurant.
“Nannies” café selling light lunch & home-made baking.
Weekly mobile butcher selling local meat.
Nannies
"Nannie’s" is good for breakfast, a lovely cuppa, light lunch and homebaking.
Loch Torridon Smokehouse
The salmon are reared in the beautiful lochs off the North West Highlands of Scotland, and are of the highest quality. The fish are hand-filleted, then brined or dry-cured before being slowly smoked. If you fancy some smoked salmon pieces for dinner you can buy in the cabin behind “Rosebank” House.
Shieldaig Outdoor Adventures and the "Wee Kayak Shack"
Tom is fantastic and we really can't recommend him highly enough! Tom runs outdoor activities including: kayaking, climbing, den building, bush craft for children and much more. The Wee Kayak Shack (by the pontoon) offers an ethical takeaway cuppa (take your own cup), local home baking and bike spares/repairs. www.shieldaigadventures.com. Call: 01520 755369
Torridon Activities Centre and "The Torridon Hotel"
Loch Torridon Hotel offers delicious afternoon tea or high quality meals if you fancy treating yourself! Next to the Loch Torridon Hotel is an activity centre which holds organised activities such as clay pigeon shooting, climbing, gorge scrambling, guided walks, mountain biking and bike hire, archery.
Applecross
The road from Shieldaig takes you over the highest mountain passes in Britain (Balaech-Na-Bar), onto the Applecross peninsular - one of the most remote places in Western Europe, which has stunning views over to Raasay, Rona and Skye (and some great beaches). Applecross Bar offers award winning freshly prepared home cooking.
Days Out
Torridon. Where the famous Torridon mountains can be found.
Lochcarron. Has several places to eat and a very well stocked Spar shop. Petrol is also available here. There is a 9-hole golf course in a superb loch side location. Strathcarron train station is the other side of the village. For railway enthusiasts, this is the famous Kyle Line which featured as one of Michael Palin’s “Great Railway Journeys of the World”.
Plockton. For Hamish McBeth fans, the programme was filmed here! With several eating places and small craft shops, this is a beautiful place to spend the day. Callum’s seal trip is a 1 hour boat trip for seal and bird spotting.
Kyle of Lochalsh. Cross the bridge to Skye from here.
Isle of Skye – The world famous Island where the stark rise of the jagged Cuillin ridge drops to the gentle white of a soft sand beach. Tiny villages and historic keeps are familiar and fascinating.
Alligan and Diabeg and Gairloch are all small villages based around a harbour. With plenty of cafes and restaurants, a gin distillery, pony trekking, water based activities and boat trips.
Walking
Some examples of local walks are:
Talking trails, Beinn Eighe - A short, attractive walk in the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve with several sculptures and fine views of the surrounding mountains. A unique feature is the several poetry points, where poems about the landscape can be heard in both Gaelic and English by turning a wheel.
Woodland trail, Ben Eighe - The Woodland Trail gives an excellent chance to enjoy the magnificent Caledonian pinewoods that led Beinn Eighe to be designated as Britain's first National Nature Reserve.
Diabaig to Craig - This is the first part of the wild walk along the coast from Diabaig to Red Point (at the end of a minor road from Gairloch). Times are given for the return walk to Craig from Diabaig.
Shieldaig Peninsula - Beautiful short walk onto the northerly peninsula by Shieldaig, one of the most picturesque villages in the Highlands. There are many lovely spots to admire the shoreline and look for otters and herons.
Loch Cuilin and Loch Clair - A lovely, almost flat circuit of Loch Coulin with impressive views of Beinn Eighe and Liathach across the water. The route takes in the minor road along Loch Clair with lots of peaceful viewpoints and bird watching opportunities. For the energetic the route makes a great run through varied scenery.
Diabeg to Inveralligan - A challenging coastal walk between two picturesque settlements.
Beinn Damh - Straightforward and popular route to this Corbett with fine views over Torridon, the length of Loch Damh and the islands.
“Campbell House” has books and leaflets with local walks or, alternatively, you can contact Jim Sutherland who lives in the village and is an experienced walker. Please contact him on 01520 755 358.