A rewarding walk into the heart of this amazing landscape starts at Inverkirkaig. The path starts at the car park by the river and leads 2 miles / 3.2km up a beautiful wooded glen, full of birch, rowan and hazel, then on to open moorland towards the Falls of Kirkaig. Ahead you can see Suilven, the iconic ‘sugarloaf’ mountain that rises spectacularly behind Lochinver. The path descending to view the falls is steep and great care is needed. The return is by the same route.

A memorial in the car park by the river, to poet Norman MacCaig, many of whose poems were inspired by the landscape of Assynt is inscribed with verses from his poem ‘Climbing Suilven’: “I nod and nod to my own shadow and thrust a mountain down and down. Between my feet a loch shines in the brown, its silver paper crinkled and edged with rust.”

A few miles away is Lochinver (Loch an Inbhir, meaning ‘the loch of the river mouth’). As well as being an excellent base for exploring the local area, the village has a busy and interesting fishing harbour, a famous pottery and some great dining options.

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