Things to do
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Applecross Bay
Red sand and tidal flats fill the head of the bay below the scattered village, close to the inn on Shore Street. At low tide the flats stretch far out, and on clear evenings the sun sets behind Raasay and Skye. The water stays cold through summer, and the tide floods back fast over the sand.
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Applecross Heritage Centre
Housed beside the site of the early monastery founded by St Maelrubha, this small community museum displays carved stone fragments, local archaeology finds and the story of the peninsula's crofting families. Volunteers run it, so it opens from spring to autumn and keeps limited hours. The churchyard next door at Clachan holds the parish church and old graves.
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Applecross Walled Garden
Walls of an old kitchen garden enclose flower borders, fruit trees and vegetable beds at Applecross House, a short walk from the bay. Its café and restaurant, the Potting Shed, cooks with produce grown on site. Booking ahead for dinner in summer is wise, since the peninsula has few places to eat.
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Glen Torridon
Torridonian sandstone peaks of Liathach and Beinn Eighe rise straight from the floor of this glen, their pale quartzite tops catching the evening light. The A896 runs through it, partly single-track, with lay-bys for the views and the start of the path into Coire Dubh Mòr. Weather turns fast on the ridges, which suit experienced hillwalkers only.
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Bealach na Bà
Hairpin bends climb to 626 metres on this single-track pass from Tornapress to Applecross, with gradients near 20 per cent and passing places all the way. On a clear day the summit car park looks across to Skye and Raasay. Signs advise against it for large vehicles, caravans and learner drivers, and snow or fog can close it in winter.
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Shieldaig
Whitewashed houses line the shore facing a pine-covered island in Loch Shieldaig, on the coast road north of Applecross toward Torridon. Sea eagles nest nearby and are often seen over the loch from the village front. Shieldaig has a shop, an inn and a few rooms, and the coast road from Applecross is single-track with steep bends.
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Strome Castle
Fragments of a 15th-century MacDonald stronghold sit on a rocky point above Loch Carron, blown up in 1602 after a siege by the Mackenzies. Little stands beyond broken walls, but the view across the loch to the hills is the reason to stop. It lies on a minor road at North Strome, with limited roadside parking.
