LOCHINVER

Last year, a report in the Guardian hailed Lochinver as "Scotland's new foodie hotspot". The report described a revolution which had taken place in the area which had seen the arrival of several high class restaurants including one at a hotel, Inver Lodge, which had contracted its kitchen out to Albert Roux, best known for Le Gavroche. On a more down-to-earth level, the Lochinver Larder is famed for its pies, which are available to order online from its website.

Lochinver is the capital of the region in north-west Scotland known as Assynt, and the Assynt Visitor Centre, a free museum and tourist information centre, is located here. The town is overlooked by a striking mountain called Suilven, and Lochinver is the starting point for one of several routes to the mountain. The helmet-shaped mountain looks impossible to climb from a distance, but in fact it is allegedly not that difficult. Lochinver's harbour is the busiest in the Highland region, being visited by fishing boats from as far away as France. The boats land their catches for sale at the evening fish market. For more leisurely pursuits, visitors can arrange boat trips from the harbour.

Map of the area.

Lochinver panorama - geograph.org.uk - 826486. Photo by Gordon Brown, via Wikimedia Commons.