Ullapool Scotland – First Look

Laurie and I had been to Scotland once before, way back in 1986.  One of my objectives this time was to explore some areas that we hadn’t visited previously.  We had never ventured north of Garve so this part of our journey allowed me to trace new lines on my road map of Scotland!

As we neared our overnight goal at Ullapool along A835, more mountains were looming ahead…

The views along Loch Broom were just beautiful and the skies cleared a bit as well. 

This photo is a close up of the point extending into the loch shown in the preceding photo.  Sheep…doing what sheep do best!

This big old manor house…apparently not a farmhouse…sat nicely along the loch on the far shore from the highway.

…and then we were in Ullapool!  We took a lot of photos in Ullapool and we also visited a couple of restaurants.  This view is along Shore Street on the harbor.  Despite a population of only around 1,500, Ullapool is the largest town for many miles in any direction…our kind of place! 

This is one view of the Ullapool's harbor.  As you might expect a significant number of fishing boats are based here.  In addition, this is the gateway to the Western Hebrides Islands.

This is the Eilean Donan Guest House, our bed and breakfast for the night.  I took this photo the morning after we arrived and the sun was shining down on us!

This was our bathroom at the Eilean Donan Guest House.  The area around the toilet was a little tight.  However, the walk in shower was a welcome change vs. the high-sided tub showers that we’d previously encountered.  

One reader commented on the general lack of washcloths in Scottish bathrooms.  While we did miss them, we just accepted it as a fact and when we were occasionally rewarded with washcloths, it was cause for a minor celebration. 

Twin beds are common in bed and breakfast establishments in Scotland.  We are used to American king size beds but if you think about it, 2 twins equals a king…just not adjoined.  These beds were very comfortable.

This is just another view of our room.  Everything was very clean and neat.  This facility features 5 in-suite guest rooms and off street parking.  Like all of the places we stayed in Scotland, free Wi-Fi access is provided.

This is the lounge at the Eilean Donan Guest House.  Note the wood burning fireplace.  Another nice feature of this particular bed and breakfast is that it’s located near the center of town with shops and restaurants within easy walking distance. 

I think that Bonnie and Bill were looking at Laurie when I took this photo.  We were all sitting down for breakfast at the guesthouse. 

A couple of breakfast items were a departure from the normal full Scottish breakfast.  This was an order of pancakes with maple syrup and a side of bacon…Scottish style. 

How about tomatoes, scrambled eggs, prosciutto and cheese for breakfast! 

Service at the Eilean Donan Guest House was nice and we enjoyed our stay.  On top of those factors, this stay was a comparative bargain.  It only cost us 80.00 BP/$105.00 U.S. per room.  To learn more about this guesthouse/bed and breakfast, you can go to http://www.ullapoolholidays.com/.

Flowers… On our trip we saw several multi-colored hydrangeas in bloom!  Just beautiful, especially so on a gray day.

The Lochbroom Free Church in Ullapool is a relatively ‘new’ building as it is only 108 years old!  Love the stone work…

FYI…the small print on the sign reads, “No-one is too bad to come in” and “No-one is too good to stay away”.  Catchy phraseology!  The church’s website, along with a couple of great area photos, can be found at http://ullapoolfreechurch.org/.

The Caledonian Hotel is a large and impressive structure with architectural features that add to its ability to attract the visitor’s eye.  This 83-bedroom hotel was built in the early 1900s and its one of the oldest hotels in the area.  It overlooks Ullapool’s working harbor on Loch Broom with its many fishing boats.

I’ll end this first look at Ullapool with another view of the harbor with its fishing boats and its big pier with the highland hills in the background.  The town has been a fishing port for a long time.  Ullapool was founded 229 years ago in 1788 as a herring port by the British Fisheries Society.

Much more on Ullapool and its various attractions and dining opportunities to come…

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by to see what we saw on our trip to Scotland!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave