Location/area

Ocean Surf & Clashnessie Beach from air

Clashnessie is about 8 miles north of Lochinver on the B869 - The Assynt Coastal Route.

We give you the following directions only because some GPS systems will take you a long way around. We are 2 hours drive from Inverness.

• From Inverness you go on the A9 over the suspension bridge, after about 2 miles take the road for Ullapool (A832) which will be A835. From Ullapool follow the Lochinver signs.

• About a quarter of a mile before Lochinver take the small road B869 signed to the right (Stoer/Drumbeg) Assynt Coastal Route.

• This is a windy single track road and towing caravans is definitely not recommended. There are passing places. It may feel as though you're never getting there - you will! Keep on this road for about 5 miles going through Stoer till you get the sign for Clashnessie. Take a left here immediately after the Clashnessie sign. If you get as far as the phone box you've gone too far. About quarter of a mile down the small road on the right-hand side will be a gate saying Ocean Surf. There is a small white cottage on the left almost opposite our gate.

The drive is wonderful but do watch out for deer beside the road from Garve onwards - they particularly like to hang around at and after dusk. You may want to fill up with petrol in Inverness since it is cheaper there. There aren't a lot of petrol stations on the way. Ullapool is the last one till you get to Lochinver (1 hour).

Mapquest for overall map

MapQuest for route planner/directions

You would be well advised to bring some groceries with you, not just so you don't ruin your holidays by shopping but there aren't many shops in the area. Lochinver has two small shops which are really quite good; a small Spa with basic groceries and another grocery store in a housing estate. One petrol station but don't leave it too late in filling up.  Most petrol stations in Scotland close early. There is a small restaurant which is popular and a pub. There is a super little shop in Drumbeg about five miles further along this incredibly scenic route - it was voted Best Village Shop In Scotland of the Year 2006 which has basics and a super deli with wines too. They will deliver - see their web site for details. Very good Tourist Information Centre in Lochinver.

There is also a pub and restaurant in Drumbeg as well as Lochinver.

Travel: (We are about 2:20 from Inverness)

Quite frankly travelling by car is the best way. Clashnessie is remote as far as public transport is concerned but here are a few links if you're determined to leave your car at home:

Car Hire: I think the closest is Lochbroom Self Drive in Ullapool. 01854 612298 but you'd have to get a bus to Ullapool from Inverness.
Rather take a hire car from Inverness. Europcar phone is 01463 235337. From Inverness airport Avis and Hertz will be able to help.

Airport: A popular choice and makes for a less stressful break if you're from way south of the border. The nearest airport is Inverness Airport  - it is served by: 

Easyjet           BMI           British Air           EasternAirways       Ryanair

London Gatwick - Flybe
London Heathrow - bmi
London Gatwick - easyJet
London Luton - easyJet
Belfast City - Flybe
Birmingham - Eastern Airways
Bristol - easyJet
Manchester - Eastern Airways
Nottingham East Midlands - Ryanair
Dublin - Aer Arann
Leeds Bradford - Eastern Airways
Edinburgh - British Airways
Kirkwall - British Airways
Liverpool - Ryanair
Southampton - Eastern Airways
Stornoway - British Airways
Stornoway and Benbecula - Highland Airways
Sumburgh - British Airways

If you book in reasonable time then Easyjet & BMI can be very cheap (£10 to London) &  Inverness is only 2;20 hours from our doorstep!

Trains: Trains don't go this far north. You could train up to say Inverness or Edinburgh & hire a car.  If you need to search for train times then try Trainline.

Buses: few and far between. Citylink go as far as Ulllapool. There's a couple of services a day either way.

Rapsons offer bus services in the Lochinver area and the Postbus will actually take you to Clashnessie. I haven't put a link to their timetable as I suspect it changes but if you type Postbus Drumbeg or Lochinver into search engines you should find the page you want.

Try Travel Accommodation UK's travel page for Scotland for other travel news.

The Suilven. To see this view on the small windy road you'd have to face backwards - never mind you'll see it on your way back to Lochinver!

The area has the best scenery in the north west Highlands including the summits of Ben More Assynt, Conival, Cul Beag, Cul Mor, Suilven and Quinag. A large part of the north west Sutherland and Wester Ross received the accolade 'Geopark' in October 2004. This stretches from Loch Eriboll and Cape Wrath in the north to Knockan and Achiltibuie in the south.

If you're a bird watcher then you could well catch sight of swallows, stonechats, warblers, wagtails, bunting and wheat-ears, curlews, cormorant (or maybe it was a shag), plover, greylag geese, black and red throated divers, sandpipers and more.

Photos around and about

Clashnessie

Culag Woods Lochinver

Falls of Kirkaig

Knockan Crag

Achiltibuie & Summer Isles

Bone Caves