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 Mallaig Harbour |
 Rum from Ardnamurchan |
 The Skye Ferry Arriving at Mallaig |
North of Mallaig is Loch Nevis, and beyond it is the Knoydart peninsula. Most of the few people who live in Knoydart the can be found in the tiny village of Inverie, which boasts Britain's most remote pub. The most popular way to get there is by boat from Mallaig.
Mallaig is an important ferry terminal for Skye and the Small Isles of Canna, Rum, Eigg, Muck, Coll and Tiree. Some of these can also be reached from Arisaig. It is also a thriving fishing port, and when the trawlers are in, the harbour is a hive of activity.
Between Mallaig and Arisaig is one of the most beguiling stretches of coastline in Scotland. The Silver Sands of Morar offer amazing beaches combined with stunning views to Skye and the Small Isles. The focus of the area is the village of Morar, which lies near the head of Loch Morar, the deepest freshwater lake in Europe and reputedly the home of Morag, a close relative of Nessie. Recent improvement and rerouting of the A830 (leaving just one stretch south east of Arisaig as single track) means you can now bypass this section of coast: if you do, then you have missed something well worth seeing!
Railway enthusiasts have the option of arriving on the Jacobite steam train which runs a daily service from Fort William in summer. This wonderfully scenic line crosses the impressive Glenfinnan Viaduct and provides great views down Loch Shiel. There is also a service of ordinary trains between Fort William and Mallaig on this extraordinary railway line.
Half way between Fort William and Mallaig on the A830 lies Glenfinnan. It was here that Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard to mark the start of the Jacobite uprising in 1745 before marching south as far as Derby, and so very nearly changing the course of history (see our Historical Timeline). Today a display in the NTS Visitor Centre at Glenfinnan recounts the story and the Glenfinnan Monument offers excellent views over the once troubled landscape.
At Lochailort the A830 meets the relatively new A861 and opens up the mainland remainder of this large area which stretches as far south as Lochaline and its short ferry crossing to Mull; as far west as the wild and windswept Ardnamurchan Point; and as far east as Ardgour and the Corran Ferry across Loch Linnhe to the main road south from Fort William.
Lochaline is also home to the remarkable Carved Stones of Kiel, at Kiel Church, while another single track road leads the 12 miles up the coast of Morvern to Drimnin.
You can find out more about the villages of Acharacle and Kilchoan on two of our feature pages covering the Ardnamurchan area. Others cover Ardnamurchan Point itself with its lighthouse and visitor centre, and the wonderful beaches at Sanna.
One of the most important villages in the eastern part of the area is Strontian, close to the point at which the road up from the Mull ferry meets that running out to Ardnamurchan.
This is an area characterised by beautifully wild countryside, by tortuous coastlines, by remote hamlets, and by more miles of single track road than you are likely these days to find anywhere else in mainland Scotland.
