Loch Broom, Scotland cruise port guide

About Loch Broom, Scotland

Ullapool is a compact Highland village founded in 1788 by the British Fisheries Society to Thomas Telford's designs, sitting on the eastern shore of Loch Broom — a deep-sea loch that forms one of the finest natural harbours on Scotland's northwest coast. The port serves ferries to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, leisure craft, fishing vessels, and cruise ships, making it a regionally significant hub. For cruise passengers it is a gateway to the dramatic landscapes of Wester Ross, the North West Highlands Geopark, and the scenic North Coast 500 touring route.

The village centre is best explored on foot from the ferry pier: Ullapool Museum and a cluster of arts and crafts shops occupy the streets nearest the quay, while a Saturday market along Quay Street (April–September) offers local seafood, smoked cheese, organic produce, and crafts. The headline excursion from port is Corrieshalloch Gorge, 12 miles south on the A835, where the Abhainn Droma plunges 150 ft over the Falls of Measach into a ravine managed by the National Trust for Scotland — accessible free, around the clock. Boat trips on the Summer Queen or RIB vessels reach the Summer Isles and the nature reserve at Isle Martin, whose 1948-era flour mill still stands. Hill-walkers have clearly marked trails up Ullapool Hill (258 m) east of town, with more ambitious ascents of An Teallach or Beinn Dearg further afield. The Rhue Lighthouse beacon is a short walk north of town off the A835, and Dùn Canna — an Iron Age fort ruin dating to around 500 BC — rewards coastal hikers with sweeping views. The entire area forms part of the North West Highlands Geopark, one of Scotland's great geological landscapes.