In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Ullapool
Stay one night if you are catching the Stornoway ferry or breaking the North Coast 500; stay two or three only if you plan hill walks and coast drives.
Ullapool is a small ferry port on Loch Broom, 100 km northwest of Inverness, with a population of about 1,500. Most travellers pass through on the way to Lewis or along the North Coast 500. It earns a night for the Victorian street plan, the seafood and the walking, and two or three nights only if you have a car and want the wild coast around it.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, many places closed), midge season Jul–Aug
- Stay
- 1–2 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 £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (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 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- 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 |
| Fish and chips or a seafood takeaway portion | £10–16 |
| Pub main course | £14–22 |
| Draught beer, pint | £5–6.50 |
| Museum entry | £5 adult, child free |
| Taxi across the village | £5–8 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- INV · Inverness
- Nearest airport, about 100 km (62 mi) by A835; allow 75 min by car. Check bus times against your flight.Nearest airport, about 62 mi (100 km) by A835; allow 75 min by car. Check bus times against your flight.
Typical fares
- Bus 961 Inverness → Ullapool
- about £16 single, about 80 min
- CalMac ferry Ullapool → Stornoway
- about 2 h 30 min; foot passenger fare check, book ahead
- Taxi in the village
- £5–8
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
The village is small and flat: walk it in 15 minutes end to end. For Corrieshalloch Gorge, the coast, the Summer Isles or the hill, you need a car, a bike or a taxi. Two taxi firms operate in town; book ahead for early ferry sailings.
See and do
Known for
- CalMac ferry to Stornoway on Lewis
- Loch Broom and the Summer Isles
- Corrieshalloch Gorge
- Seafood and the Saturday market
- North Coast 500 stop
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Corrieshalloch Gorge | A835 south, about 19 km (12 mi), then a short walk to the viewing bridgeA835 south, about 12 mi (19 km), then a short walk to the viewing bridge | About 30 min by car |
| Gairloch | A835 south then A832 west, about 90 km (56 mi)A835 south then A832 west, about 56 mi (90 km) | About 1 h 30 min by car |
| Summer Isles | Boat trip from Ullapool harbour, or drive to Achiltibuie for a shorter crossing | Half a day |
| Stornoway, Lewis | CalMac ferry from Ullapool pier | About 2 h 30 min crossing |
| Torridon | A835 south then A832 and A896, about 130 km (81 mi)A835 south then A832 and A896, about 81 mi (130 km) | About 2 h 15 min by car |
Sleep
- Quay Street and West Shore Street
- Beside the ferry pier and bus stop; best for a one-night ferry stopover.
- West Argyle Street and town centre
- One block back from the pier; museum, bookshop, deli and most guesthouses.
- Shore Street and West Lane
- Seafront hostel and the camping and caravan park; walkable to everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the ferry pier? | Far a bheil cidhe an aiseig? |
| Thank you | Tapadh leat |
| Good morning | Madainn mhath |
| How much is it? | Dè a' phrìs? |
| Can I pay by card? | Am faod mi pàigheadh le cairt? |
| Where is the toilet? | Càite a bheil an taigh-beag? |
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
- Ferries to Stornoway sell out in summer: book ahead even as a foot passenger and be at the pier 45 min before sailing.
- The A835 approach road has patchy mobile signal; download offline maps before you leave Inverness.
- Nights never get fully dark May–July, so stargazing is out then.
- Many guesthouses set two-night minimum stays, which rules them out for a single ferry night.
- Midges are worst on still, damp evenings from June to August: bring repellent.
A very low-crime village; the real risks are single-track roads with passing places, weather that turns fast on the hills, and cold water. Tell someone your route and carry a charged phone.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ullapool yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- CalMac ferry to Stornoway on Lewis
- Loch Broom and the Summer Isles
- Corrieshalloch Gorge
- Seafood and the Saturday market
- North Coast 500 stop
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/
- CalMac Ferries: www.calmac.co.uk/
- Scottish Citylink: www.citylink.co.uk/
- Ullapool Museum: www.ullapoolmuseum.co.uk/
- National Trust for Scotland — Corrieshalloch Gorge: www.nts.org.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Ullapool, revision 5063325 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5063325
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ullapool
Chun an t-seòladh seo, mas e do thoil e
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Ullapool; US, Canadian, Australian and Irish citizens use their embassy or consulate in Edinburgh or London.
Card is accepted in most places, but a few pubs and takeaway vans are cash only: carry some notes.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ullapool). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.