Waterfront Cottage is a member of the Visit Scotland Walkers & Cyclists Welcome Scheme.

The Scheme criteria may be summarised as follows:

1. A separate space should be available for drying outdoor clothing and footwear at an ambient temperature of approx. 30ºC, so clothes can dry overnight.
2. Information on the location and opening times of the nearest shops and late-opening eating establishments.
3. A supply of information, guidebooks, maps, and website addresses for local walks.
4. Local public transport information (including cycle bus).
5. Telephone numbers and website addresses for local weather links, and radio frequency and times for local weather forecast.
6. Details of local resource services.
7. A supply of local cycling routes.
8. Details of nearest cycle specialists.
9. You should provide a lockable covered shed for bike storage.

And here's how we meet the criteria:

1. A separate space should be available for drying outdoor clothing and footwear at an ambient temperature of approx. 30ºC, so clothes can dry overnight.
Drying facilities include the rotary line outside (pegs by the washing machine), the large heated Tower Airer (great for drying wet coats etc overnight), and the standard airer, both in the Utility Area. There are also several radiator racks, and a boot rack.

2. Information on the location and opening times of the nearest shops and late-opening eating establishments
Supermarkets:
TESCO, Latheron Lane (opening hours 8am - 9pm Mon - Sat, 9am - 6pm Sun)
Costcutter, West Argyle Street (8am - 7pm)

Eating Establishments (most open until late from May thru October, telephone numbers in the Ullapool Phone Directory in the Cottage):
The Ceilidh Place, West Argyle Street (Restaurant & Bar)
The Seaforth, Quay Street (Pub with food, and separate restaurant upstairs)
The Chippy, adjoining The Seaforth (award-winning take-away)
Seefresh Seafoods, West Shore Street (another award-winning takeway)
The Frigate, Shore Street (Café/Restaurant)
The Caley Inn (part of The Caledonian Hotel), West Argyle Street (Restaurant)
Mountain Café, West Argyll Street (open during shop hours only)
The Argyll Hotel, Argyll Street (bar, restaurant)
The Arch Inn, West Shore Street (pub, restauarant)
Broom Bar, North Road (pub, bar food)

3.A supply of information, guidebooks, maps, and website addresses for local walks.
Within the Cottage, you will find:
1:50,000 Ordnance Survey Maps for the area -
8 Stornoway & North Lewis
9 Cape Wrath
15 Loch Assynt
16 Lairg / Loch Shin
20 Beinn Dearg
24 Raasay / Applecross
25 Glen Carron
…and a number of others for more distant areas.

1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map
111 Ullapool (Pathfinder series)

Walking Guide books -
The Munros (SMC), NW Highlands Hillwalking Guide (SMC), Walks in Wester Ross - Shorter Routes, The High Mountains (Butterfield), Wainwright on Scotland, Ullapool Guide, Hillwalker's Guide to Sutherland, Corbett Almanac.
Access to Scotland Code Book

Info Leaflets & Booklets, including:
Lael Forest Gardens
Ullapool Hill walks
Knockan Crag
Assynt Walking Network
Forest Walks of Ross & Cromarty
Ranger Guided Walks & Events

Other info - some personal suggestions on the One Thing… page.

Useful Website addresses (http://www.)
Walkhighlands.co.uk (an excellent site, covering both high and low level walks)
Munromagic.com, covering munros (3,000ft+) and Corbetts (2,500ft+), with downloadable maps for GPS, route information and much more…
Ullapool.com (Ullapool hill walk maps)
Forestry.gov.uk (waymarked forestry walks)
outdooraccess-scotland.com (Scottish outdoor access code)

And, please feel free to ask me for recommended routes for low or high level walks in the area (I've done many of them!).

4. Local public transport information (including cycle bus).
Rail: Ullapool has no rail link (the nearest station is at Garve, 30 miles south on A835)

Ferry: Ullapool is the main ferry link to Isle of Lewis (Stornoway). There is a daily morning and afternoon sailing by Caledonian MacBrayne throughout the year (weather permitting), and there are three sailings per day in the summer (making it possible to take a day trip, with or without vehicles or cycles). Latest timetables and fares are attached and see www.calmac.co.uk

Bus:
Local bus routes connect Ullapool with Inverness, Durness, Achiltibuie, Lochinver, Gairloch and stops between. Operators and timetables are within the Cottage.
Only one bus accepts cycles - Tim Dearman Coaches (the Highland Cycle Bus) which operates an Inverness - Ullapool - Durness route.

5. Telephone numbers and website addresses for local weather links, and radio frequency and times for local weather forecast.
Radio
Shipping forecast - as Ullapool is a coastal village, the shipping forecast is useful (listen out for Hebrides). It is read out on Radio 4 at 0048, 0520, 1201 and 1754 (local time). All broadcasts are on LW on 1515m (198 kHz) and some transmissions are on VHF. You can also listen using the link on the BBC website at www.bbc.co.uk/weather (which also has a useful coastal weather forecast - see "Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath"). It gives a summary of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and area forecasts for specified sea areas around the UK. The radio bulletin also includes the coastal weather reports (0048 and 0536 only).

Ullapool's own radio station - Lochbroom FM (102.2 & 96.8 FM) - has regular local weather updates

BBC Radio Scotland 92.4 - 94.7 FM and 810 MW has updates shortly before the hour

BBC Radio 2, 4 and 5 Live also have regular national forecasts

6. Details of local resource services.
Ullapool has all essential facilities, including supermarkets, banks, Post Office, Garages, Petrol Station, Leisure Centre, Pubs, Restaurants etc. The Ullapool telephone Directory (in the Cottage) has telephone numbers for all local services and resources, but in particular please note:

Police (inc Mountain Rescue) and Ambulance: in an emergency, dial 999.

GP surgery : Ullapool Medical Practice on North Road (01854 612015).

Hiking, camping and climbing equipment : North West Outdoors, West Argyle Street, and Lochbroom Hardware (Captain's Cabin), Quay Street also sells camping equipment.

7. A supply of local cycling routes.
The Ullapool area is great for cycling, both on established roads, and along Forestry and Estate tracks.

By road, if you're an experienced road racer, why not follow one of the two routes taken for Ullapool Sportive event, or a cut down version?

There are lots of estate tracks, some quite rough and stony. A couple of local favourites are Inverlael Forest (waymarked tracks) and the Rhidorroch estate. See the Cycling Factsheet and page 12 of the Guide to Ullapool (both in the Cottage).

8. Details of nearest cycle specialists.
Within Ullapool, Scotpackers Hostel (corner of West Lane & West Argyle Street) has cycles for hire and offers repairs (contact Richard Lindsay 01854 613126). The nearest specialist is Square Wheels in Strathpeffer, 40 miles south of Ullapool.

9. You should provide a lockable covered shed for bike storage.
Walkers and Cyclists are welcome at Waterfront Cottage to use our large lockable garage to store your cycle(s) and hiking gear during your visit. There is a hose connected in the garage to permit washing of cycles and hiking boots (outside please!).