Things to do in and around Lochcarron

Lochcarron is an excellent centre for exploring the west coast. It's surrounded by highly varied and beautiful countryside, and the good local facilities make it a good base, yet it's peaceful enough for complete relaxation.

Walking and climbing

For walkers of all levels of enthusiasm and energy, there are unlimited opportunities to wander through the hills both close at hand and further afield, depending on the kind of landscapes you want to explore.

For more serious walkers and climbers there are more demanding hills such as in the Torridon range.

(For all walkers and climbers, though, we strongly recommend that you tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back before leaving. Even straightforward walks can go wrong.)

Fishing

As well as sea fishing, there are many freshwater hill lochs and rivers in the area where good fishing is to be had. You'll need a permit for freshwater fishing, and the man to see is Roddy MacLennan at the butcher's shop on Main Street.

Some impressive experimental work is being done to restock the River Carron system, with some success – around 200 salmon were caught in 2006 – and if you catch a salmon here you'll be asked to return it to the river. To help with the restocking work it may be useful to hold the fish in a keep net for a while so it can be examined; Roddy will let you know what's needed.

Lochcarron golf course

Golf

Lochcarron has a nine-hole golf course on the loch side at the east end of the village. There's a superb outlook over the loch and the hills all round. Visitors are very welcome. The clubhouse serves excellent snacks and meals but it's worth checking opening hours.

Sailing

Lochcarron has a busy sailing club sited near the shelter of Slumbay Harbour. Access to the clubhouse, boat park and launching area is from the end of Murray Square. Visitors are welcome; dinghies are out for races and training once or twice a week in the season (Sundays, and usually on Wednesdays), with rescue boats on duty in case of problems.

Loch Carron is a sea loch, with access past Strome Narrows to the Inner Sound between the Applecross peninsula and Skye. In the village there's a range of sites for launching boats, with sloping gravel beaches and three slipways along Lochcarron's two-mile loch frontage. There are visitors' moorings opposite the Lochcarron Hotel at the east end of the village.

Paddling towards Lochcarron village from the west

Kayaking

We find Loch Carron a very pleasant place to paddle around. (You can probably tell that we're not serious sporting paddlers). At times when fish are plentiful in the loch, a couple of dozen seals stay around the islands there; they can be very curious about kayaks and will pop up behind you and give you a blast of fishy breath.

The small islands are also visited by a variety of seabirds all year round, although it's not a good idea to get close enough to disturb them.

If you're not experienced in a kayak it's a good idea to stick to calm open water. At Strome Narrows at some states of the tide there's an impressive current, and around the rocks nearby there can be weird whirlpools. You definitely don't want to fall in anywhere near there.

If you are experienced, though, you might want to make longer and perhaps more demanding explorations of the fascinating coastline nearby. There's a local kayak and canoe club at south Skye that meets on Wednesdays in the season.

Sea trips

At Plockton there are boat trips around the area; these advertise that if you don't see seals you get your money back!

Pony trekking

Pony trekking is available in the local area and if you travel farther afield, to Skye, there's a choice of riding schools offering trekking.