Plan Your Time at Eddrachilles

North West Sutherland is full of things to do and see from bird watching, photography and wildlife boat trips to beaches, deep time travel, hill walks, fishing, watching hand-painting of world famous ceramics, buying crafts and enjoying local fresh food.

We’re always delighted to help our guests plan their time here. The team at Eddrachilles is fully accredited by Visit Scotland as an iKnow source of information about our local area. We’ve maps, leaflets, books and a comprehensive guest information pack waiting for you, although this year availability may vary according to COVID health regulations which are evolving over time. Currently some items are on a “request basis” so we can implement enhanced hygiene protocols between use.

To get you started, here are some useful links to a selection of places around Eddrachilles Hotel:

• visiting Handa Island (puffins late April until early August)

• visiting Sandwood Bay

• visiting Cape Wrath

• visiting Smoo caves

• visiting the Bone Caves

• driving the coastal route to Lochinver

• visiting Oldshoremore beach

• visiting Clashnessie and Clachtoll beaches

• visiting Balnakiel beach

• visiting Ardvreck castle (ruins) on Loch Assynt

• taking a boat tour on Loch Glencoul

• visiting the Knockan Crags geological interpretive display

• taking a drive through the isolation of interior Sutherland: Eddrachilles–Durness–Hope–Altnaharra–Lairg–Oykel Bridge–Kylesku–Eddrachilles

• taking a drive through the isolation of interior Sutherland: Eddrachilles–Laxford Bridge–Lairg–Oykell Bridge–Kylesku–Eddrachilles

There are also some more detailed suggestions on our Facebook and Instagram pages. From September we will have some update spotlights on our website too (currently updating as the seasons change). Any specific questions, please just ask us, we love to share..

One important thing to remember when planning your precious holiday is that the NW tip of Scotland is a wild landscape, remote and the roads are often single track. It often takes longer to reach destinations than the map might suggest. We offer a guide in both miles and time to most tourist destinations on our main wall map.

Some “must see’ points also involve a good walk, e.g. Sandwood Bay is four miles from the car-park, or you may need to queue for the ferry to Handa. Every year we have guests who wish they had booked an extra night at Eddrachilles. Unique among local hotels we offer as standard a discounted rate for multi-night bookings.

Please don’t over-scheudule your visit or simply regard the area as one to travel through. . This is not a place to rush round, it a unique landscape is to be experienced and savoured. But if you do invest the time, it will truly reward you many times over. Enjoy!