Lochinver

Lochinver is the main village of Assynt, a working fishing harbour sitting beneath the sugarloaf peak of Suilven. People come for the Lochinver Larder pies, the single-track 'Wee Mad Road' out to Achiltibuie, and the remote beaches and peaks that surround it.

Lochinver sits about 38 miles north of Ullapool, though the drive is more dramatic than the mileage suggests. The coastal B869, the Wee Mad Road, winds through Inverkirkaig and Achmelvich and takes about an hour. The inland A837 via Ledmore Junction is a little quicker at roughly 50 minutes.

Suilven is a ridge of Torridonian sandstone that rises sheer from the surrounding moorland, unlike any other peak in Scotland. It isn't the tallest mountain in the Highlands, but that isolated profile makes it one of the most recognisable and most photographed. Walking to it and back on foot takes around four to five hours.

The Lochinver Larder is the village institution, a pie shop turning out award-winning pies in flavours from venison and cranberry to smoked salmon. Its restaurant also serves fresh local seafood, and for something more formal, Chez Roux at the Inver Lodge Hotel makes the most of Highland produce.