Lovely Loch Assynt

Willie Shand enjoys a scenic drive in the north-west of Scotland.

THE far north-west of Scotland undoubtedly holds some of Britain’s finest walks and climbs. At the same time, though, for the motorist looking for just a pleasant day touring in the car, they, too, will find this far-flung corner of the country hard to beat.

Today, I’ve driven north to Inchnadamph to follow another of my favourite roads, this time taking me into Assynt.

On the map, from Inchnadamph west to Lochinver then north through Drumbeg and round to Skiag Bridge all adds up to a journey of little more than 40 miles – something we might easily cover in just over half an hour on the motorway.

Out this way, though, where the roads are narrow, twisting and largely single track and with a potential picture stop at every turn, I’d suggest allowing the whole day for it.

Assynt is Highland scenery at its very best – a rare mix of mountain, moor and loch with the added bonus of a fantastic coastline. The coastis heavily indented with countless bays and peninsulas.

Much of the vast area enclosed within this circuit is untracked, empty moorland riddled with myriad dark peat-stained lochans all pretty much as Mother Nature created it over the past few million years.

Rising above the moors to 2,651 feet above sea level is the distinctive truncated peak of Quinag (pronounced Koonyak). It certainly makes a dramatic appearance as we reach the shores of Loch Assynt, creating a wonderful backdrop to the ruins of Ardvreck Castle.

Ardvreck sits on a promontory a few hundred yards from the road and was built by the chief of the MacLeods.

His decision to build the castle may have shaped Scotland in more ways than one.

Like so many in our own time, MacLeod had big ideas. He couldn’t really afford a new castle but that problem seemed to be resolved when he struck a deal with the Devil.