Fort William & Lochaber
Sands of Morar
About
Sands of Morar
The Sands of Morar sit between Mallaig and Arisaig on the Road to the Isles. From the shore, you get clear views of the islands of Rum and Eigg. The beaches here stand out for their turquoise water and bright, white sand - so striking that some visitors compare them to the Caribbean, not the Highlands.What looks like ordinary sand is actually a mix of crushed shells and quartz, shaped by the Atlantic over time. These shell beaches are common in the Hebrides and along Scotland’s northwest coast - the white colour comes from clean shell fragments. On a sunny, still day, the water is especially clear and takes on a bright turquoise tone, unusual for this far north.You can get to the beaches from the A830 Road to the Isles. The Silver Sands of Morar, at the mouth of the River Morar, are one of the most popular places to visit in the western Highlands. The village of Morar sits between the sea and Loch Morar, which is the deepest freshwater loch in Britain. The Jacobite Steam Train also runs through this area between Fort William and Mallaig.
Things to see & do
FAQs
The brilliant white sand is crushed shell and quartz, the shells of countless marine organisms worn down over millennia by Atlantic waves. The same shell-sand beaches occur throughout the Hebrides and are typical of Scotland's west coast.
The Sands of Morar are about 40 miles north-west of Fort William on the A830 Road to the Isles, roughly 50 minutes by car. The drive runs through Glenfinnan and along the shores of Loch Eilt, passing the Glenfinnan Viaduct before it reaches the silver sands of the Morar coast.
Morar is the narrowest neck of land between Scotland's east and west coasts: just 2 miles separate the Atlantic from Loch Morar, Britain's deepest freshwater loch. World-class white-sand beaches on the seaward side, an extraordinarily deep loch on the landward side, and Rum and Eigg across the water make it quite unlike anywhere else in Scotland.
It's right behind the beach, separated from the sea by only a narrow strip of land and a short river. At 310 metres deep, Loch Morar is the deepest freshwater loch in Britain, deeper than Loch Ness. It even has its own legendary monster, Morag, reported by local people for centuries.
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Sands of Morar
with a local expert guide.
Tours visiting this attraction
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