Clashnessie must be one of the
most wonderful locations in the whole of the British Isles.
If you like remote then you'll like it here. There's about
ten houses in the village and its incredibly quiet - only
the sound of the surf.
We are here! Sutherland
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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) 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.
Here is a small movie of
Clashnessie Beach on an April evening.
(click twice - not double click)
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).
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 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.
There is also a butcher. 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.
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:
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.
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.
