Undiscovered Scotland

 

A little south of Gairloch's harbour at Charlestown, the single track B8056 branches off the main A832 and travels for eight miles: first west along the south shore of Loch Gairloch, then south to the road's conclusion near the beach at Redpoint. For more information about Scotland's single track roads and how to drive them, visit our feature page on driving single track roads.

The main settlement on this road lies a couple of miles along it, at Badachro. This unexpectedly busy little village looks out onto an inlet projecting south from Loch Gairloch, well guarded from the weather by the rocky islet of Eilean Horrisdale.

The excellent shelter afforded by the inlet is obvious from the many small boats moored here, while beyond Eilean Horrisdale it is possible to catch glimpses of Charlestown and Gairloch.

The area was long renowned for its cod fishing, and Badachro's growth was as a result of that. When the fishery was in full operation much of the cod landed at Gairloch was dried at Badachro before being shipped to markets in Spain. Today the area's main catch comprises lobsters, crabs and prawns: and the piles of lobster pots on Badachro's jetty suggest that the village is still an active base for fishing vessels. Most of the vessels on view in the inlet, however, are leisure craft.

The start of any exploration of Badachro is the parking area close to the shore, some 50 yards from the "main" road going through the village. Heading halfway up the hill, the road on the right leads to Badachro's jetty, passing a nautically-themed gift shop Latitude 57, which features locally-made art, crafts and gifts.

In an idyllic spot overlooking the jetty is the Badachro Inn, offering bar lunches and informal evening meals plus a good choice of beer, wine and malt whisky. There are visitor moorings in the bay run by Badachro Harbour Trust.

On the main road running through the village is the picturesque Old Post Office, now a private residence, while to the west are a string of cottages overlooking the shore of Loch Gairloch. This shore doubles as a harbour for a line of craft moored along it. Further around the inlet is Aird, the right turn off at the end of the village which leads to the walkway between the mainland and Eilean Horrisdale Dry Island, where there are self-catering cottages. In Aird, you will also find the Badachro Distillery which produces Badachro Gin.

In getting to Badachro you will already have driven past the one of the larger hotels in the area, the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel which has a falconry and birds of prey experience. On the shores of the loch, this started life as the grand Victorian shooting lodge for the Shieldaig Forest, and the owners have sought to maintain the country house ambience that comes with this heritage. Refurbished in 2015, it now boasts an amazingly well-stocked whisky and gin bar.