local area

The stunning natural beauty of the area is what keeps drawing visitors back. Some of the things to see and do are detailed below and we’re sure you’ll have your own favourites that we hope you’ll add to the guest book in the cottage.

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The fishing village of Lochinver is approximately 8 miles away and has a good range of facilities including restaurants and bars, bookshop and newsagent, petrol station, Post Office, Spar, convenience store, hardware store, gallery and the Highland Stoneware Pottery.

Flossie’s Beach Store is just over 2 miles from Elderbank selling fresh bread and milk, fresh coffee, and hot and cold food as well as grocery essentials.

The Jammery in Culkein, Stoer is just over 2 miles from Elderbank and serves delicious cakes and sandwiches made from freshly baked bread. As their name implies they also make their own jams as well as many other craft items.

Drumbeg is a crofting village approximately 8 miles north of Elderbank. Here you will find Drumbeg stores, an award-winning independent licensed grocery shop selling general groceries, fine food, and ‘Drumbeg’ whisky. Assynt Aromas Candle shop and Secret Tea Garden is just a short walk from here, selling handmade candles and soaps, as well as coffee and cakes to be enjoyed in the garden.

We have some fabulous potters in the area. As well as the famous Highland Stoneware Pottery in Lochinver, Stoer ceramics is very close to Elderbank selling ceramic art from their Wee shed. Alexis Basso is based in Drumbeg and makes ceramics using traditional techniques and natural material. Fergus Stewart makes distinctive, handmade saltglazed ceramics from his studio workshop at Glencanisp Lodge.

Be sure to take some of the stunning local ceramics home with you.

While this far north you may want to take the route over the Kylesku bridge to Durness in the far north west highlands. Here you will find Smoo Cave, a large combined sea and freshwater cave. A mile outside Durness is Balnakeil craft village, home to a range of local artists and businesses including Cocoa Mountain, a chocolatier serving freshly made chocolates and their self-acclaimed “The Best” hot chocolate. We regularly take the 50 mile journey for this so it must be pretty good! The journey itself is stunning and we often stop off for dinner at the Kylesku hotel on our return journey (also a good place for a bit of seal spotting on the shore). A mention must also be made of the unpolluted skies in the area that make a perfect location for stargazing and if you’re lucky, you may see the Northern Lights.

NATURE

The beautiful beaches near Elderbank include Clachtoll (with nearby Clachtoll Broch), Clashnessie and Achmelvich, popular for kayakers, windsurfers, water-skiers and snorkelers. The north and west coast offer some of the best places in Europe to spot whales, dolphins and porpoises. There is a whale and dolphin spotting point at Stoer lighthouse, (approximately 3.5 miles from Elderbank) you’ll need binoculars and a calm day. Seals and otters may be seen in various places around the coastline, a particularly good place is Balchadich beach, a 15 minute walk from Elderbank and Culkein Bay, just over 2 miles. Other wildlife to spot in the area are the Red Deer as well as Golden Eagles and Sea Eagles.

The area is fantastic for hillwalking and mountain climbing with the mountains of Assynt being famed for their distinctive shapes. These include Quinag, Canisp, Ben More Assynt and Suilven (which featured in the film Edie, starring Shelia Hancock and Kevin Guthrie). For the less energetic, there are many more gentle walks to take in the beautiful surroundings, including the Falls of Kirkaig (close to Lochniver), Clashnessie Falls (just north of Elderbank) and Stoer Lighthouse. The quiet roads also make the area pleasant for cyclists.

If you are interested in the geology, then a visit is a must, to the north west highlands UNESCO Global Geopark, where the oldest rocks in Europe are to be found. The visitor centre and coffee shop is located in The Rock Stop, Unapool, just north of Drumbeg and a mile south of the Kylesku bridge.

A little further afield, take a boat trip in the summer to Handa, an island just off the west coast recognised for its birdlife including guillemots, razorbills, puffins, great skuas, kittiwake and fulmars. The island is managed by Scottish Wildlife Trust and a small ferry sails from Tarbet. (Approximately 33 miles north of Elderbank).

Come and explore our beautiful corner of the north west Highlands – beaches, mountains, waterfalls, stunning scenery, abundant wildlife and exceptional food.