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More about the Kylesku Area
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Kylesku Bridge
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XIIth Submarine Flotilla Memorial
X-craft in Kylesku
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Statesman boat trips -
Eas a Chual Aluinn and Kerrachar Gardens
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Walking and
climbing
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Fishing
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The Best Beaches
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Wildlife including Handa Island, Old
Man of Stoer and Culag Woods
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Geology - recent European
Geopark status for the area
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Other
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Ullapool and Loch Broom
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Inchnadamph Reserve
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Inverpolly Nature Reserve
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Smoo Cave
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Falls of Kirkaig
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Highland Stoneware
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Lochinver
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The Hydroponicum
Kylesku
Bridge
The nature of the Scottish landscape
means that links across stretches of water have been vital to the
transport infrastructure of the country. The Kylesku Bridge, opened
in 1984, has been described as one of the most beautiful bridges in the
world. It was designed by the architects Arup to compliment the
natural beauty of the site, and won several design and construction
awards.
Before the bridge, this 130-metre
stretch of water was crossed by ferry from the village of Kylesku.
A ferry had run here since the early 19th century with car ferries
beginning between the wars and a roll-on-roll-off ferry in 1975.
The road to the bridge now bypasses Kylesku. The bridge carries the
A894 road over the loch eliminating the 130km detour necessary at times
when the ferry service was not operating. This vastly improved
contact within the scattered community north of Kylesku, and helped to
develop the tourist potential of the region. Viewing this bridge is
a must if you are in the area. A two minute walk from the Kylesku
Hotel will take you through the woods to the bridge.
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XIIth
Submarine Flotilla Memorial: X-craft in Kylesku
On the North side of the bridge is a
memorial marking the 50th anniversary of the formation of the XIIth
Submarine Flotilla which operated out of Lochs Glendhu and Glencoul from
1943. This unit of X-craft miniature submarines trained around the
waters of Kylesku before setting off for Norway where they attacked and
crippled the infamous German battleship, Tirpitz. In the Bar at the
Hotel we have a presentation covering the story in more detail and I
recommend the excellent website on WWII
submarines by Geoff Chalcraft for further information. The memorial
remembers those 39 men and the locals of the area who "knew so
much and talked so little"
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Statesman
boat trips
 The Statesman
is a 25-ton wooden hulled pleasure boat that runs trips from the Kylesku
Hotel slipway in the summer. There are two main trips, one to Eas
a Chual Aluinn and one to Kerrachar Gardens. Both trips
allow passengers to view the stunning landscape from a different angle
and to see the seals, otters, golden eagles and other wildlife that
inhabits the area.
 Eas a Chual Aluinn is Britain’s
tallest waterfall at 200m high. Its name means ‘the splendid waterfall of
Coul’. Boat trips leave twice daily in the summer and last
approximately two hours. It is also possible to approach the
waterfall on foot from Loch na Gainmhich, although the trip is only
advisable for experienced walkers.
Kerrachar Gardens (www.kerrachar.co.uk) lies in its
own little bay on the south shore of Loch a’ Chairn Bhain and is most
easily accessed by the boat. Trips run on Tuesday, Thursday and
Sunday during the summer. Peter and Trish Kohn, who started the
garden in 1995, have done a splendid job developing this 1 hectare
disused croft into a marvellous plantsman’s garden.
Trips
can be booked by phoning +44 1971 502 345.
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Walking
and Climbing
The
mountains of Assynt are very distinctive, formed from reddish-brown
Torridonian sandstone and rising as isolated peaks out of the Lewisian Gneiss landscape. As well as
the famous peaks of Canisp, Suilven, Stac Pollaidh, Quinaig, Foinaven,
Arkle and Ben More Assynt, which are all popular with climbers and
walkers, there are many lower level and shorter walks in the area such as
the loch-side walk along Loch Glendhu, pictured in winter below.
The Old Man of Stoer, an impressive 200 foot sea stack off Stoer
Point provides popular and challenging routes for rock climbers.
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Fishing
Sutherland
provides some of the best trout fishing in Scotland and the Kylesku Hotel
is able to organise local permits if required. Sea fishing can also
be arranged from Scourie and Lochinver. Recent seasons have seen
the return of superb catches, particularly of cod and haddock.
Shoals of mackerel move through the loch outside the hotel during August
and September, and they can even be seen from the breakfast and dinner
table.
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The
Best Beaches
There
are a number of beautiful sandy beaches in this part of Sutherland.
To the north of Kylesku there is the stunning Oldshoremore beach,
Durness Bay and Sandwood Bay. My favourite is the
relatively quiet Oldshoremore, which has easy access from a carpark 100m
away.  Flanked on
both sides by impressive rocky cliffs, it makes a great spot for an
afternoon with the family. The famous Sandwood Bay is even more
impressive but is less accessible, requiring a 4 mile walk to get
there.
To
the South of Kylesku, along the coast of Assynt, there is the white sand
and rocky coves of the ever popular Achmelvich Bay.
 Eroded
Torridonian sandstone makes up the reddish sands of Clachtoll Bay
and Clashnessie Bay, found a few miles west of Kylesku along the
amazing Drumbeg coastal road.
Forming
a wonderful contrast to these beautiful sands is the clear blue ocean,
which attracts swimming, kayaking, snorkelling and windsurfing.
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Wildlife
This
area of the country supports a wide variety of wildlife. The red
deer and the roe deer are indigenous to the area; foxes are plentiful;
otters, seals and golden eagles are regularly seen around Kylesku;
whales, dolphins and porpoises can be spotted from boat trips out of
Kylesku or Lochinver; and if you’re lucky then you might even see a wild
cat, mountain hare or pine martin.
The
area is also a bird-watching paradise with a number of both coastal and
inland spots teeming with feathered friends. A few places worth a
visit are Handa Island, Stoer Point and Culag Woods.
Handa
Island (www.swt.org.uk/wildlife/popup_reserves/north/handa.htm)
is an amazing nature reserve run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which
provides home for over a 100,000 breeding seabirds (making it one of the
largest in northern Europe), including guillemots, razorbills,
kittiwakes, fulmars, puffins, shags, great skuas and Artic skuas.
Access to the uninhabited island is via a ferry trip from Tarbert.
The Point of Stoer, the most westerly part of
Sutherland provides panoramic views of the mountains of Assynt,  the rugged Wester Ross coastline
and, on a clear day, the Hebrides. A clifftop walk northwards for
about 2 miles from the Rhu
Stoer Lighthouse car park
leads to the impressive 200-foot sea stack, the Old Man of Stoer. The lighthouse, dating from 1870, was
automated in 1976.
Culag
Woods, Lochinver,
is a working woodland, managed and run by local people. The woods are a
particularly good place to see local plants, birds and insects. There is
a large heronry from which live pictures are broadcast onto a screen in
the Assynt Visitors Centre in the summer.
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Geology
The
northwest of Scotland has some of the most ancient and unique geology in
Europe. With its recently awarded 'Global
Geopark' status (the first in Scotland and with an excellent website)
the surrounding 2000 square km area of northwest Scotland justifiably
claims to be an area with a geological heritage of particular importance
both in terms of its scientific quality, rarity, aesthetic appeal and
educational value. From Lochinver to Cape Wrath there is a coastal
strip of Lewisian gneiss 10 miles wide, with gneiss and Torridonian
patches north of Scourie. Knockan Crag (www.knockan-crag.co.uk), a
National Nature Reserve, is a centre where visitors can learn more about
the geology of the far northwest of Scotland.
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Other Places of Interest
Ullapool and Loch Broom - With it's
picture postcard rows of white buildings, Ullapool sits on the banks of
one of Scotland's most beautiful lochs, Loch Broom. You will pass
through Ullapool coming to Kylesku from the south. This fishing
port is now the main hub for Cal Mac ferries leaving for the Western
Isles.
Inchnadamph
Reserve – covering
the 3000-acre plateau between Stronchrubie cliffs and Breabag, the area
is well-known for its rich and varied plant life and a multitude of cave
systems.
Inverpolly
Nature Reserve covering
27,000 acres is the second largest nature reserve in Great Britain and
includes the sandstone peaks of Cul Mor, Cul Beag and Stac Pollaidh.
Smoo Cave (www.smoocave.org) – two miles east of
Durness this is probably the largest cave entrance in Britain and has
been a tourist attraction since Sir Walter Scott’s visit in 1814.
The large limestone cave is studded with stalagmites and stalactites.
Falls of Kirkaig – from the bridge over the River
Kirkaig a path leads east to the Falls of Kirkaig (about 2 miles) and on
to the south side of Suilven.
Highland Stoneware (www.highlandstoneware.com,
Tel 01571 844 376) – This extremely popular pottery is based in Lochinver
and has a showroom and workshop which shoppers can walk around observing
the craftsmen at work.
Lochinver (www.lochinver.bordernet.co.uk)
is an important fishing port. The village provides a wide range of
services for tourists with the Assynt Visitor Centre, the Highland
Regional Council Ranger Service, shops, a bank and petrol station.
A Highland Games are held here each August.
The
Hydroponicum,
Achiltibuie (www.thehydroponicum.com)
is a unique attraction where a magnificent array of tropical flowers and
luscious fruits are all grown without soil.
Useful websites with
information on the area:
Undiscovered
Scotland - an excellent site with an excellent page on Kylesku
www.secret-scotland.com - ideas
for your route around Scotland
www.scottishancestor.co.uk -
specialists in ancestral visits and family research
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