Loch Shieldaig, Wester Ross

Strolling along the shore in front of the main street in Shieldaig village I found several large scallop shells, open and discarded and now half hidden among the boulders and seaweed strewn along the shoreline. Diving for scallops is common is these parts as is creeling for shellfish, but today's fishing is far removed from the industry which grew up here during the 1800's. Then the area was renowned for its herring and the name Shieldaig actually comes from the old Norse meaning Herring Bay.

View from the Applecross Road towards the village of Shiledaig

Shieldaig village was built with grants from the Admiralty who were keen to train seamen to join the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The villagers, however, were never called on to fight as Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815 after which the Admiralty pull their funding from the area and the villagers were forced to return to herring fishing.

The whitewashed houses of Shieldaig's main street

The herring may now be gone but fishing today is as vibrant as ever and concentrates on prawns, nephrops, langoustines and lobsters, mussels and salmon. Spurred on by a love of all things fishy we sought out the Loch Torridon smoke house which is situated in a small garden just off the main street in Shieldaig. All the products here are local and oak smoked and if you love fish it is well worth a visit.

Shiledaig village is a picturesque place with its string of whitewashed houses lining the shore. Probably the best known feature here is Shiledaig Island which sits just offshore from the village. It is a curious rocky mound covered in Caledonian Pine trees and is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland and run as a bird reserve. In recent years it has proved attractive as a nest site for a pair of white tailed sea eagles which have bred here successfully several times.

Shieldaig Island

 To the north of the village is a rocky proprietary which separates Loch Shiledaig from its larger neighbour Loch Torridon. There is a lovely walk which follows the edge of the peninsular and affords fantastic views along the shores of both Loch Torridon and Shieldaig. Following a well worn path we came across two wonderfully isolated cottages,with no route back to civilisation except by sea or on foot. I couldn't help thinking how magical and inspiring this must be; the ultimate retreat for an artist. I suspect the reality however would be much harder than my daydreams suggest.

My idea of an artists retreat!

Looking out over Loch Torridon

Returning to the village we seek out refreshments in Nanny's; a  tearoom and craft shop at the far end of the street. This delightful little building houses an Aladdin's cave of crafts, books and pictures including many stunning images from local photographer Steve Carter.

View from the Applecross Road

Loch Shieldaig Facts

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Steve Carter also runs a comprehensive website about Torridon and Shiledaig which contains some really useful information if you are planning a visit.

Loch Shieldaig, off Gair Loch, Wester Ross

This beautiful, picturesque but tiny loch is situated along the road to Red Point. It is actually a small branch of Gair Loch but is shielded from the main water by Eilean Shieldaig a small rocky island in the centre of the loch.

Loch Shieldaig and Eilean Shieldaig

At the head of the loch lies an impressive Victorian red sandstone building which was originally a hunting lodge but is now better known as the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel. In the winter the loch is quiet; a few dinghies bob on their moorings, and a sailing boat sits on the beach in front of the hotel, but summer time is different and then the little loch is alive with boats.

The difference in height between high and low water here is 6 meters. At high tide the water reaches the edges of the road walls and there is not much evidence of any shoreline, but when it retreats it reveals beaches of black and grey boulders covered in ochre coloured seaweeds. Herons fish from the shores whilst cormorants try their luck from the centre of the loch.

Cross the road by the hotel and you will find a stream flowing down the rocky slope, under a bridge and into the loch. Trees covered in rich green cloaks of moss and lichens edge the tumbling waterway. These are some of my favourite features of this part of Scotland; bare winter trees in their green mantles products of the pure highland atmosphere.

The hills behind Loch Shiledaig hide the magically named fairy lochs which are notable for their beauty as well as being the crash site of a WWII American Liberator bomber. A memorial to the crew and some wreckage are a permanent reminder of what happened here on 13th June 1945. There are some good circular walks from Loch Shieldaig to the Fairy Lochs.

A rainbow over the Fairy Lochs

Loch Shieldaig Facts

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