Local Facilities and Information

Achmelvich Beach

The unique white shell sands and tropical colour of the sea make Achmelvich beach one of the west coast of Scotland’s beauty spots. The gently sloping beach offers safe bathing, there are rock pools to explore and don’t forget to bring your bucket and spade for building sand-castles! The beach is very clean and uncrowded. It has been awarded the prestigious Yellow Flag for water quality, cleanliness and safety measures.

Lochinver

Lochinver, where you may watch Scottish & European boats land their catches, seals at play in the harbour, red deer roaming the roadsides, and is surrounded by some of the most spectacular mountains peaks, including Suilven, (which you can see from our caravans at Achmelvich), also Canisp, Quinag and Stac Pollidh. From the main street by the war memorial, where the local branch of the British Legion hold their yearly well attended memorial service, you have the view out to sea and the islands of Soyea and A’chlait, sitting in the entrance to the bay.

There are shops to cover most requirements including:-

• 2 Small Supermarkets
• Post Office in Supermarket
• Newsagents
• Chandlery
• Gift Shops
• Gemcutters & Assynt Outdoor shop
• Highland Stoneware Pottery Factory
• Coffee Shop
• Mobile Bank  & Cash Machine
• A selection of restaurants & tea rooms
• Lochinver Community An Cala Cafe
• Leisure Center at Harbour area
• Tourist Information Office in Leisure Center, at Harbour area
• Motor repair garages

Lochinver is located in the parish of Assynt and is a very safety conscious community. We have cover from H.M. Coastguard (local team) plus rescue helicopter, an all weather lifeboat (Severn Class), retained fire brigade unit, mountain rescue team and is covered by the Highlands Ambulance and Air Ambulance Service. We also have a very modern doctors surgery and a visiting dentist.

The maritime village of Lochinver is a scenic west coast fishing village, was planned by Sutherland Estates in 1810, intention was to absorb some of the people cleared from the hinterland who would be encouraged to engage in fishing.

However, Lochinver was known since Viking times as a “safe haven for craft in stormy weather” Four score boats from many parts of the country were noted sheltering in Lochinver Bay at the turn of the Century. Lochinver also built up as a service centre for the communities of Assynt and the village fathers came to realise the need for a communal centre.

Assynt in Sutherland – Geological Wonders and Natural Beauty

Sutherland is a beautiful county with an abundance of wild life, mountains, lochs, villages and beaches. The name Sutherland originated from the Vikings description of “The Southerland”. With unspoiled beaches and spectacular mountains rising up from the undulating ancient rock (Gneiss), Sutherland has some of the wildest and most remote scenery in the United Kingdom.

Assynt is the area from Inverkirkaig in the South, North to Kylesku and South East to Knockan Rock. It is famous for the ancient warring clans of the Macleod’s and Mackenzie’s, whose ruined strongholds can still be seen on the shores of beautiful Loch Assynt, with the Assynt clan seats of Ardvreck Castle from the Macleods, and nearby Calda House from the Mackenzie’s. Assynt is also famous for the Crofters Land Buyout in 1993, when the crofters of North Assynt Estate created history in purchasing their own land, and becoming their own landlords, and now run their estate as a trust, with sporting activities such as loch angling, and some shooting, all the while working to maintain development, and help provide housing and jobs, and protect our way of life, and also another buy out seen a further part of Assynt Estate becoming community owned Assynt Foundation, which is fairly similar to Assynt Crofters Trust, and takes in the iconic Mountains including Suilven.

Assynt lies in the centre of Scotland’s first GEOPARK, awarded to the North West area of the Highlands in international recognition of it’s outstanding geological renown.