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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Lochinver
Loch an Inbhir
Base here 2 nights with a car; add a third for an unhurried hill or coast day. No car, no base — the bus runs twice a day, Mon–Sat.
Lochinver is a fishing village of about 650 people on the Assynt coast, 30 miles north of Ullapool at the end of the A837. It is the largest settlement on the coastal loop and the practical base for Suilven, the Bone Caves, Ardvreck Castle and the beaches at Achmelvich and Clachtoll. Everything worth seeing is scattered along single-track roads, so a car changes the trip completely. Two nights is the working minimum; three if you want Suilven and a beach day without rushing.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Loch an Inbhir
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, many places shut); Jul–Aug for midge and single-track congestion
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £55–85 excl. bed (2026 estimate) · Mid £90–140 excl. bed (2026 estimate) · High £150+ excl. bed (2026 estimate) (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard 999 · EU emergency number 112 · NHS non-urgent advice 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Pie from the Lochinver Larder | £5–8 |
| Seafood main course | £16–28 |
| Draught beer in the Wayfarer's Bar | £5–6.50 |
| Spar filling station fuel, per litre | £1.45–1.65 |
| Campsite pitch, per night | £12–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- INV · Inverness
- Common arrival airport for the far north; drive time to Lochinver check.
- EDI · Edinburgh
- Long drive north; times check.
- GLA · Glasgow
- Long drive north; times check, and confirm one-way car hire drop is allowed.
Typical fares
- Bus 809 Ullapool → Lochinver
- about 1 h, twice Mon–Sat (check)
- Bus 804 Kinlochbervie → Lochinver
- May–Oct, Tue and Thu only (check)
- Fuel, Lochinver filling station
- village prices, above town prices (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need your own wheels. The A837 from Ullapool is a good two-way road, but the B869 coastal loop north to Drumbeg and Kylesku is mostly single track with passing places and gets congested in summer. Fuel is at the Spar filling station in the village — fill up before any long loop. George Rapson bus 809 runs twice Mon–Sat between Ullapool and Lochinver, about 1 h; Durness Bus 804 runs May–Oct on Tue and Thu from Kinlochbervie via Laxford Bridge and Kylesku, connecting with the 809. Bikes can be carried between Durness, Lochinver and Lairg if booked at least 24 h ahead (number check).
See and do
Known for
- Suilven
- Assynt coast and North West Highlands Geopark
- Ardvreck Castle and Loch Assynt
- Achmelvich and Clachtoll beaches
- Pies from the Lochinver Larder
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ardvreck Castle and Loch Assynt | A837 east, about 11 miles | About 20 min each way |
| Bone Caves (Allt nan Uamh) | A837 east, then a 40-min hike from the car park | About 2 h 30 min from Lochinver |
| Achmelvich Beach and Hermit's Castle | Single-track road north-west from the village | About 20 min |
| Clachtoll Broch and beach | B869 north, then a minor road | About 30 min |
| Stoer Lighthouse and Old Man of Stoer | Narrow tarmac lane to the lighthouse car park, then a 2-mile clifftop hike each way | About 3 h 30 min |
| Kinlochbervie and Durness | A894 north via Kylesku, or the B869 coastal loop | 1–1.5 h to Kinlochbervie |
Sleep
- North of Culag Bridge (Main Street)
- Most beds, the Spar, the filling station and the two main places to eat. Walk to everything.
- Baddidarroch
- Dead-end side road on the north edge of the village; self-catering cottages, more afternoon sun, a small store.
- South side and harbour
- Working harbour, Peet's, the Wayfarer's Bar. Functional rather than pretty; fine if you want to walk to dinner.
- Achmelvich and Clachtoll
- 3–5 miles out by single-track road. Beach campsites and cottages; you need a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Tapadh leatTAH-pah lat |
| Good morning | Madainn mhathMA-ting vah |
| Cheers | SlàinteSLAHN-chuh |
| Where is the toilet? | Càite a bheil an taigh-beag?KAH-chuh vil an tie-bek |
| How much is it? | Dè a' phrìs?jay uh PREESH |
| Sorry | DuilichDOO-lich |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- No car means no Assynt: the bus is twice daily Mon–Sat and does not reach the beaches, the Bone Caves or Ardvreck Castle.
- Single-track roads: use passing places, do not park in them, and expect caravans and campers in Jul–Aug.
- Mobile signal is patchy on EE, Three and Vodafone and absent on O2; there is no 5G. Download offline maps before the A837.
- Midges are serious on still, damp evenings from Jun to Aug. Take repellent.
- Fuel, food and pharmacy options thin out fast north of Ullapool. Buy what you need in Lochinver.
- Mountain weather changes quickly; Suilven is a rough, pathless-in-places hill, not a stroll.
Very low crime; the real risks are single-track roads, weather that turns on the hills, no phone signal and long distances to help. Tell someone your route before Suilven and carry a paper map.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Lochinver yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Suilven
- Assynt coast and North West Highlands Geopark
- Ardvreck Castle and Loch Assynt
- Achmelvich and Clachtoll beaches
- Pies from the Lochinver Larder
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- VisitScotland — Scottish Highlands: www.visitscotland.com/places-to-go/highlands
- North West Highlands Geopark: www.nwhgeopark.com/
- Walkhighlands — Suilven: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ullapool/suilven.shtml
- Walkhighlands — Old Man of Stoer: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ullapool/old-man-of-stoer.shtml
- Wikivoyage: Lochinver, revision 5254502 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5254502
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
LochinverLoch an Inbhir
Chun an seòladh seo, mas e do thoil e
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard999
- EU emergency number112
- NHS non-urgent advice111
- Police non-urgent101
No embassies in Lochinver. US citizens: consulate general in Edinburgh. Most other nationalities: embassies in London.
Mobile signal is patchy on EE, Three and Vodafone and absent on O2; there is no 5G. Save an offline map and a screenshot of this card.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/lochinver). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.