Amazing place to kayak but check forecast as it can get rough when the wind picks up. Visited here several times and never get board

Beautiful loch to be able to explore by canoe / Kyak. The Loch is very deceptive in terms of wind and water movement. Drifting between some of the islands can be very choppy and unnerving. Wind direction and weather can change in minutes so be prepared. As long as you prepare you will enjoy thoroughly! We camped on the opposite bank to the picnic carpark and were greeted with beautiful gravel beaches, rocky out crops and stunning scenery. There is a code of conduct for loch Maree and that is no camping on the islands ( they were very boggy anyway ) no staying on an island for more than 30 mins. Still plenty to explore and absorb.

Wow! what more is there to say. Definatley a must see, lovely little village

Location: Wester Ross in the northwest Highlands of Scotland. Size & shape: About 20 km (≈12 miles) long and up to ~3-4 km wide in places. Islands: The loch has 60-odd islands and islets. Some larger ones are wooded and contain lochans (small lakes) of their own. Depth: Max depth is ~112 metres. Special status: Part of Loch Maree Complex SAC (Special Area of Conservation), also jointly managed with Beinn Eighe as a National Nature Reserve. --- Natural & Wildlife Highlights Woodland & ancient pine forest: The islands preserve remnants of the original Caledonian Pinewood. Much of the native woodland around the islands is little disturbed. Flora & lower plants: Rich in mosses, liverworts; various rare ferns. Scree slopes and wet areas hold delicate plant communities. Birdlife: Loch Maree is famous for being one of the most important breeding sites in Britain for the Black-throated Diver. Also likely sightings of woodland birds (crossbills, siskins), possibly raptors etc. Fish: There is a genetically distinct population of Arctic char. --- Things to Do / Attractions Walking / hiking: Several waymarked trails in the Beinn Eighe & Loch Maree Islands NNR. From the Beinn Eighe visitor centre, or Coille na Glas-Leitir, you can do woodland walks, ridge views, etc. Island exploring / boating / canoeing: Paddle or boat out to some of the islands. There are guided canoe trips and tours that let you explore the islands and remote shores. Scenic drives / viewpoints: The A832 runs along the southern shore, offering multiple stopping points with great views. Victoria Falls: A waterfall on the southern side of the loch (on Abhainn Garbhaig) within Slattadale Forest is a nice walk and photo opportunity. --- Practical Info & Tips Access: Best approached via the village of Kinlochewe. The A832 road is main access along the south shore. Best time to visit: Late spring through summer gives better weather, longer daylight, more wildlife activity. Early mornings/evenings are often good for calm loch waters & reflections. Facilities: Visitor centre at Beinn Eighe. Some car parks (e.g. Coille na Glas-Leitir). But islands are more wild — less infrastructure. Wild camping: Possible, but follow “leave no trace” principles; on islands you’ll need to plan for water, shelter, weather. Weather: Highland weather is variable — even in summer can be wet, windy, chilly. Layers + waterproofs + good footwear are essential.

This was one of the most memorable Lochs we canoed on during our trip to Scotland. Beautiful place, with plenty of islands to explore and amazing scenery - historic Isle Maree in particular. Isle Maree is just off the North East tip of Eilean Subhainn and can be seen as a small triangular Isle on the map (now named as "Eilean Maolruibhe (Isle Maree)" on Google Maps). There's plenty written about the Isle, including a Viking Prince, Chapel remains, Saint Máel Ruba, a Druids stone circle, a Holy Well and the Wish Tree. We set off with kind permission for parking, from Hotel Maree - (a great location for a meal or stay) and headed off towards the South West shoreline of Eilean Subhainn. After stopping for a picnic on the shore, we paddled around the many inlets, then on through the passageway between Garbh Eilean & Eilean Subhainn before heading East on open water towards Isle Maree. Some pretty choppy water on this side, so take care if you're out canoeing / kayaking. On arriving at a sheltered beach in a natural harbour, we walked around and found the Wish Tree and Viking graves, leaving a small contribution on the wish tree. Very atmospheric place and worth the trip out (~ 5.5 mile round trip from the hotel put-in). See below images for route. There's Loch Maree Picnic site at Slattadale about 5 minutes drive further West as an alternative launch spot with plenty of parking alongside the shoreline. A little further away from these Islands but still accessible and closer to Eilean Ruairidh Mòr from there. UPDATE 2021: We revisited Loch Maree again, but this time headed out from Slattadale picnic site. An excellent place to set off from for the Western Islands. We dropped in on Eilean Ruairidh Mòr first, with it's twin sandy bays either side of a promontory (on the South East shore) and beautiful views over to the mountains (see videos). Further on we paddled between Eilean Subhainn and Garbh Eilean in the opposite direction from our first visit. Plenty of scenery and inlets to explore all around here. See below images for route.

Lovely place in all aspects!! Absolutely beautiful, although we chose a (not so warm) autumn day to visit. The views of Slioch are breathtaking!!There is also a lovely hill right at the back of the Loch with a clear and relatively easy hiking path, which is ideal for all levels of hikers. Really worth visiting!!

A beautiful Loch with plenty opportunities to stop and take some great scenic photographs. Well worth the trip up to see this and the sorrounding area

Warm welcome. Charge for entry to museum. Very interesting. Some great displays on 2 levels. Lift for disability access. Well. Worth a visit. Cafe upstairs on site can be used without access to museum. Tables are a little too close together so chair access - tight. Food choices good and quality of food - very good. I had Raspberry and Nectarine scone - best scone I have ever eaten. DELICIOUS - SO good with jam and cream. Hubby had Almond scone - that too was delicious. Well worth a visit. Disabled parking on site with lift access to upper floor displays and cafe. Don't miss this.

Hidden not so hidden gem !! Lovely staff, very interesting and interactive museum. The shop offers lots of choice to buy from local craftsmen and artists

Gairloch Museum is an absolute gem and well worth a visit. The exhibits do a brilliant job of telling the story of the town and how people have lived and worked in the area over the years, alongside some really interesting information about local wildlife. The galleries showcasing work from local artists are fantastic, and the whole museum is beautifully presented in a fascinating building with its own unique history. The staff are incredibly friendly and happy to chat or answer any questions, which makes the visit even more enjoyable. There’s also a lovely little café serving great food — the vegan cake is especially good! It may be a small museum, but there’s so much to see and learn that you could easily spend most of the day here taking in the history and atmosphere at a relaxed pace.

Thank you so much! For the loving and detailed presentation of your history in this historic building. Every meter of the 2,000 km to you was worth it!

Friendly and informative staff. Varied and interesting displays, particularly the more hands-on section upstairs, well worth a visit

We found this by accident, we were driving past having just walked around Gairloch. This is a visitor centre built inside a fallout shelter.. so well presented and interesting to walk around. Plus an amazing restaurant with friendly chatty staff.. allow up to 4 hours.

Highly recommend this to visit. Really helpful staff, well set out displays on a range of subjects & a high quality gift shop showcasing Scottish producers & artisans. They even sold top notch whiskey, gins & handmade chocolates! Suffice to say we spent a good amount of money in the gift shop.

Pretty waterfall and only a small, fairly flat walk from the car park to the decked viewing platform. It is worth taking the short walk up the hill to the top of the falls. There you can be see and be seen from the lower platform, good photo opportunity if you are in a group. Either continue up hill and take the loop path back to the car or for a shorter route go back the way you came.

Definitely worth a stop off if you are passing near by. From the free car park, it is only a very short walk to the falls, which can be seen from a viewing platform. It's worth doing the longer loop which takes you further up the falls and to a viewpoint overlooking Loch Maree. It's only 1/3 mile and takes about 10 mins.

Victoria Falls was absolutely stunning – the views of the waterfall are incredible and it’s such a peaceful, beautiful spot to take in. Out of all the places we visited on the NC500, this might have been our favourite. Definitely worth stopping for if you’re doing the route!

Nice short hike to falls. Free parking at the bottom. Allow about 20 minutes, although the platform from the parking is only about three minutes. It’s worth it to go up and around the loop to see views of Loch Marie.

Great waterfall just off the main road down Loch Maree, free parking and only a short walk to the viewing platform at the bottom of the falls easy for people of all abilities and ages. A path leads from the viewing platform to the top of the falls for a different view. Waterfall nice from the bottom with its double drop cascade. A great waterfall to see on the NC500.

We came across this whillst travelling along the NC500 , Wow, absoloutley stunning, you can see part of Loch Maree from there also. Plenty of space for parking , wasnt overly crowded. Highley recommend a stop off on your journey .

Beautiful waterfall looked incredible after rainfall. Easily accessible from car park to viewing point. Would recommend a visit.

Good parking and some beautiful beaches and looking over to the island.

A nice little beach with parking on the opposite side of the road nearby. There is a wooden walkway leading down to it and the views from the beach itself are lovely on a clear day. There were quite a few people on it when we visited and as mentioned above it is quite close to the road and we tend to prefer beaches that are a bit more remote and out of the way - but if you are looking for a beach that's easy to get to I would recommend this one.

Lovely beach

Stunning view at Gruinard Bay

An amazing coastline full of little coves and sandy beaches. We had the whole beach to ourselves when we visited in 2017

Amazing place

Nice wee stop

Stayed two nights. Breakfast was great, people serving very friendly and helpful. Location is stunning rain or shine. The downstairs is nice to just hang about in. Our room was a bit noisy at night and morning being above kitchen and below an attic room. Small things in the room niggled, (things mentioned in other reviews), not totally clean in bathroom grouting etc and huge shower head was coming away from wall. We'd have liked more info about what to do in the area and a few simpler dinner choices.

Perfect hotel for a relaxed and luxurious Highland getaway. High threadcount sheets, huge beds, and stunning views of coast and forest. The scallops and venison at dinner were fresh, local and delicious. Friendly and accommodating staff, and a warm welcome for our well-behaved dog. Great location for walking in the mountains and on the coast. The next-door sauna with ice bath was fun too.

We had a one-night stay in this beautiful hotel, and enjoyed a delicious evening meal. However, we were disappointed that the bath was dirty on arrival, the body wash was empty, and the windows were dripping with condensation. When raising these issues, staff said they would look into it after we left and offered no compensation. We were further surprised by the hidden costs on our final bill, including mandatory service charges for use of the bar and the restaurant which had not been mentioned. Our impression was that the price did not reflect the quality of service for this stay - a disappointing experience given the luxurious reputation of the Shieldaig Lodge.

We stayed here on the nc500 and it ruined our holiday. Please don’t stay here I would of rather slept in my car! Like other reviews say the only thing going for this place is the location. The actually hotel is probably worse than a premier in. They have big gaps under the doors of the rooms which are described and pictured completely different online to real life. The rooms aren’t “cozy” and are a complete let down. The bathroom was like “ old dirty “ with stains around all the silicone and sink - washing area was useless as the sink was small and low but the tap was sticking out the length of the sink. The managing staff seemed to take it personally we declined the £150+ meal which didn’t meet my dietary requeirement and also read poor reviews of. They have lots of little hidden fees and overcharge on what ever they can. They started to say we couldn’t even leave without paying extra hidden cleaning fees which caused a 2 hour dispute with staff. It’s worse than a tourist trap. The only reason this place is still open is because they take advantage of their customers and fleece you wherever they can. I never bother to leave reviews or things so just the fact I’ve wrote this shows how bad my stay was here. I respectfully repeat - I would NOT recommend a stay here This place will ruin your trip like it did our.

We had a wonderful 2 days stay in the lodge with an exceptional 3 course dinner and a lovely afternoon tea experience on the next day. The staff was very attentive towards us and we felt very good taken care of. So all in all I can say that it was an absolute perfect stay.

Location and hikes in the area are excellent and some staff like David professional and proactive. Restaurant food at dinner and breakfast very good too. We disliked the 12.5 % service charge applied given we poured our own wine and water was never filled at dinner. We stayed on the first floor and carried our own bags up and back on check in and check out. I can’t understand the discretionary service charge except a gouge. Left a bad taste after and excellent stay. WiFi is slow and drops out regularly.

Well what can I say about Shieldaig Lodge… it is situated just down from the stunning Gairloch Beach. Upon arrival we checked in easily, rooms were spotless and well equipped with amenities. The whole place has a traditional scottish “old money” style feel about it. We choose to dine in the restaurant and what an experience it was. All the food is local and i can only describe it as a fine dining experience. We finished the evening with a couple of whiskies in the bar area and left a bit more educated on the topic thanks to the barman! Overall an amazing experience.

Great place - limited seating. Warm welcomes all round from all throughout the cafe and gift shop. Excellent room set up for children with colouring books etc. Lovely food choices with homemade cakes - everything fresh - when it's gone - it's gone. Soup was delicious ( so Mam said) . I had Tea Loaf - it was absolutely lovely. Definitely a place to try for lunches or a good coffee and cake.

Wonderful place for a snack, Run by volunteers to support the local community and beyond. Good value for money and clean toilets, wheelchair accessible throughout. Would highly recommend.

Loved every moment of being there. Good place to visit if your a WW2 Buff

WONDERFUL place to while away a couple of hours! We were in the area for some hiking/swimming in September and found this gem - soon became our favourite place to come for the duration of our stay. A lovely, community-led enterprise with incredible soup and cakes! Staff always warm and keen to chat. We ended up coming back to Gairloch again because we love this place so much. Good selection of gifts and books in the shop section also. Looking forward to coming back in the future 😊

a big thank you to the young man that made the scones !!!! what a delightful location to sit and drink in the view.delicious food ,amazing hot chocolate ,the warmest of welcomes and truly inspiring venue .the gift shop offered such a variety of items and all at really reasonable prices .top memory of gairloch

Fabulous little place for coffee and a relax Gift shop and craf market and if your in the need energy adice for.thenlovality. there is am energy project on the go. Please donate or use this wonderful community project.

Wish we'd know about this place first. Looks like nothing from outside but really has everything inside. Lovely clean toilets, great cafe with a wide selection of choices which are reasonable priced, gift shop with a wide selection of products including locally made, tourist information point, great views and even a zero waste shop. If we're ever back in Gairloch will be stopping off here

Small waterfall and nice woodland circular walk

Nice easy walk to a pleasant waterfall, Can be made to be circular and would have ventured had been on our own. Bridge over the water near the waterfall closed. Very accessible from the car park.

Beautiful walk up the side of the wee burn, well sign posted for the waterfall, until you actually get to the waterfall where, using stepping stones to cross the ford go straight across the road and along a slight path to the left. Keep going and you’ll get a good view of the main falls. We discovered this after taking the steep path to the left that takes you to the top of the waterfall and out into the glen. (Very Steep) my husband got a cuckoo and a Sea Eagle 🦅 at the top. I suggest if they’re going to put sign posts in all the way up to the waterfall they could at least clear a wee space where you’re able to view it.

This is a glen we have enjoyed many times with our dogs. It was disappointing this month therefore to be greeted with a virtual instruction from the estate of Gairloch should be on leads. Pretty unwelcoming and we are unlikely to return.

Easy to park and great walk to the waterfall.

(Translated by Google) This is a review of the excursion options from this parking lot: just north of the parking lot you can take a short walk through a fascinating forest - or rather jungle - that resembles an arboretum walk. Highly recommended in any weather (see first pictures). A short hike leads through the Flowerdale Glen (valley), mostly along the river to the waterfall (Flowerdale Waterfall) and above - finally with a view of the sea. Exciting vegetation, beautiful views, easy hike. (Original) Dies ist eine Rezession über die Ausflugsmöglichkeiten ab diesem Parkplatz: gleich nördlich vom Parkplatz lässt sich ein kurzer Spaziergang durch einen faszinierenden Wald - oder eher Urwald - machen, der einem arboretum walk ähnelt. Sehr zu empfehlen bei jedem Wetter (siehe erste Bilder). Ein kurze Wanderung führt durch das Flowerdale Glen (Tal) meist entlang dem Fluss bis zum Wasserfall (Flowerdale Waterfall) und darüber - zuletzt mit Aussicht bis zum Meer. Spannende Vegetation, schöne Aussichten, leichte Wanderung.

Good family trip

Fishing was poorer than expected