You join us as we arrive in the small but perfectly formed highlands village of Plockton.
We drove up from Fort William having spent the day on the Jacobite steam train.
Do check that video out if you haven't seen it.
So we're staying in The Haven which is the hotel, guest house, just behind us
here in Plockton and it's a really cute little fishing village. A lot of you may have heard of it
from Hamish Macbeth. I've never seen it myself but apparently, that was filmed here
and very famous. A lot of people come here to see the village as a result of that but
the accommodation we've been staying in for two nights has been absolutely fantastic, so if you're
coming to Plockton we would highly recommend The Haven. Lynne and the team there couldn't be more
accommodating with lots of tea and coffee and fresh shortbread biscuit cooked on site and the
breakfast has been just absolutely fantastic. So yeah we'd recommend that. Anyway, let's
have a look around the little fishing village and I think you're going to enjoy this one!
Is Plockton the Jewel of the Highlands? It's often referred to as that, I guess it's in the eye of
the beholder. This charming picturesque village is wonderfully positioned on a sheltered bay with
stunning views overlooking Loch Carron. You can catch a direct train from Inverness daily with
Scotrail, this will take about 2 hours 40 minutes and I imagine it's a pretty scenic journey. Prices
start from £14.15, one way and you can check out all the information on the Scotrail website.
The village took shape in the early 1800s and saw it thrive from herring fishing by the 1850s.
The local Plockton schooners could trade directly with Clyde due to their geographical position
and this, in turn, afforded them better pricing for a catch and allowed the fishermen
more money to buy the important curing salt. The introduction of the railway at the beginning of
the 20th century boosted trade further but the two world wars would take their toll on the village
and it declined until the early 1960s when better roads and tourism arrived in Plockton.
Crofting was also a major pastime here and you can see the remnants of this
in a wonderful crofter's cottage in a stunning location that's available for overnight stays.
Today there's a wide variety of accommodation and restaurants and of course, seafood features
top of the cuisine available and it's very good too! From fine dining to just fish and
chips wrapped in paper on the harbourside, you won't be disappointed. The tiny curved harbour
is a mecca for artists and photographers coming to capture the scenery of this chocolate box village,
it's also a popular haunt in summer to drop anchor in your boat or yacht
and the village holds an annual regatta. If you want to get out on the water then a local runs
an hour-long boat tour out to see the seals, if you don't see any then the trip is free!
So there are two pubs in the village one behind me with the black brickwork is the
Plockton Hotel and we've been having our dinner in the Plockton Inn which is right next to The Haven
where we've been staying. They're both pretty good we've had drinks in both. I would say probably the
food at the Plockton Inn is a little bit better although the Plockton Hotel does have a beautiful
sort of outdoor deck you can see just there, looks out over the bay there or the port area.
It really is quite stunning, it's a little bit grey and cloudy today but yeah very nice.
This is Duncraig castle, it has great views over the bay it's about three miles from
the village. Built in 1866 it's now a very grand bed and breakfast that you can book.
Plockton is very popular particularly in the summer
and it's wise that you book your accommodation well in advance to avoid disappointment.
If like us, the sight of some highland cattle is going to excite you, then you must stop off
in the sleepy quaint village of Duirinish just a few miles from Plockton. Highland cattle roam
freely here on the lovely green pastures next to the stream that runs right through the village.
I can't imagine that you can get a better close-up experience than this.
Although the cattle are used to all the attention from inquisitive folk
you do need to keep your distance and don't try and touch or feed them.
Plockton is part of the Balmacara estate which is owned and managed by the National Trust Scotland.
There are some amazing walks whether, woodlands, moorland or coastal.
You can check them all out here. A 25-minute walk from Plockton or a two-minute drive is the start
of a gravel path leading to the secluded coral beach, a great location for a paddle and a picnic.
It's a little bit rocky towards the end as you scramble down onto the shoreline
but otherwise a pleasant walk to this interesting beach filled with what looks like tiny white coral
rather than usual sand. It's actually dried calcified seaweed rather than actual coral.
The water is clear and the rocks around the beach are fun to climb over at low tide
people say it's a hidden gem but it seems to be well known,
on our way back we passed a number of people heading down for picnics.
For another walk try Lochalsh woodlands that have a variety of routes and loops to explore.
It won't be long before you find little streams running over the rocks
and all sorts of native and exotic plants ferns and rhododendron.
Some of the paths are steep but hug the banks of Lochalsh
and you get to see some lovely views. It was pretty windy during our walk as you can hear.
If it's a castle you crave then Eilean Donan Castle is arguably the most picturesque and
well recognized in this area of Scotland. Just 20 minutes from Plockton and on the main road to Skye
you should not miss stopping by, even if just to take some photos as we did.
The castle is sighted on a little island at the point where three loch's meet.
A fortified structure was built on the land in the 13th century to protect against Vikings
that ravaged much of northern Scotland and the Western Isles from 800 a.d to 1266.
Interestingly its size has varied over the centuries with many modifications,
in fact, what you see today was built in the 1930s based on a surviving plan. The castle was
destroyed in the Jacobite uprising and remained a ruin for almost 200 years prior to that. You can
visit the castle learn more about its history and see inside all the details are on this website.
For brave drivers that want a thrilling adventure across some stunning wild and
winding Scottish roads, then head to the Applecross Pass, some 24 miles from Plockton.
This route is on the NC500, the north coast 516-mile coastal driving route
through North Scotland. Launched in 2015 it's a spectacular drive that many have already taken.
So the road's amazing, it really is and it's only a single track as you can see. As we're
heading on up we've got loads of cyclists going up which i think he's mad because it's a hell
of a steep climb but they're having a go, give them their dues. The cloud is really
thickening up and getting dark but I think it's it's not going to come down to the road level,
so we should be okay to get through, because sometimes you actually can't pass. The cloud
gets so low, it's like a thick fog and then you can't see where the next passing area is,
so somebody could be coming towards you and you would know and it gets really dangerous. So
you've got to check those things out before you do try and make this drive.
The pass was originally a droveway, a means of getting livestock from one place to another.
Its Gaelic name on-screen now means, pass of the cattle. This road claims the prize for the
steepest ascent of any UK road, starting at sea level and rising to 626 meters or 2054 feet. It
has some challenging bends and the weather changes fast so you need to have your wits about you.
From the top here you should be able to see wonderful panoramic views of the isle of Skye,
sadly we just see a whiteout today. So we've reached the top we're about halfway but
really cloudy now I don't know if you can hear the howling wind but it's really windy. We're
sort of right in the middle of the cloud just debating whether or not we carry on
because you cannot see anything at the moment and it's a bit of a shame really,
but it's the only day that we come up here and do this, so at least we've got halfway so far.
It's absolutely pouring down now, but there we go we have completed the Applecross pass,
as I think it's called and made it to Applecross. There's not too much here, it's absolutely
pouring with rain. There is a little Inn which probably isn't open yet because it's quite early
and there are free toilets and a couple of little shops that don't seem to be open either, but we'll
head back and do the reverse route in a minute. Our journey back was shrouded in more clouds
so it was nice to see some blue sky as we got back down onto the main road. Speaking of Skye,
that's where we'll be heading next time. Join us again for another fun-packed episode on the Isle
of Skye there is so much to do we'll be showing you everything over the last two episodes of our
highlands tour. Stunning vistas with challenging walks, wonderful seafood, the most amazing Airbnb
along with a couple of new friends. Make sure you subscribe and don't miss it see you again soon!