Arnisdale

Phone Box, Corran

Arnisdale and nearby Corran lie on the north shore of Loch Hourn looking south to the mountains of the Knoydart peninsula. They are found at the end of a 10 mile single track road running south from Glenelg, itself one of the more remote outposts in mainland Scotland. For more information about Scotland's single track roads and how to drive them, visit our feature page on driving single track roads.

Arnisdale House House in Corran Shingle Beach, Arnisdale Arnisdale Free Church

Arnisdale comprises a line of cottages hugging the shore of a shingly bay, culminating at its southern end with the imposing, white-painted Arnisdale House, built in 1898. Close to Arnisdale House is the pier, sloping into Loch Hourn. Moored in the bay in the shelter afforded by the tidal Eilean Tioram you will usually find a few small fishing and leisure craft.

Corran Cottages

River Arnisdale Bridge, Corran

The road through Arnisdale carries on for a further half mile. Here you come to a car park from where you walk across the metal-framed bridge over the River Arnisdale into Corran. This is a wonderfully evocative little collection of cottages and houses complete with a line of iron-roofed fishermen's huts on the shore. At the seaward end of the main line of cottages in the village is "The Tea Hut" attached to a B&B. Strikingly located in the centre of the hamlet is its red telephone box.

There are four reasons to come to Arnisdale and Corran. The first is simply to enjoy this remote spot, with villages that don't seem to have changed in a century. Corran in particular repays exploration and there is a walk along the coast south east of here that gives a real wilderness feel as well as stunning views across Loch Hourn to Knoydart.

The second reason to come here is to climb Beinn Sgritheall, the 974m (3194ft) high Munro that sits like a giant ridge tent to the north of Arnisdale. Its ridge lies parallel to the shore, and Beinn Sgritheall is climbed either from Arnisdale itself or from a spot on the road a mile and a half north of the village. Like any climb which you start from the high tide line, you get to see all 974m of the mountain when taking the route from Arnisdale itself.

The third is as a gateway to Knoydart. Whether you want to tackle the mountains of Knoydart's interior or walk out to Kinloch Hourn, you can make use of the small boat that operates in good weather from Arnisdale to Barrisdale on the far side of Loch Hourn. This is operated from Arnisdale by Murray Morrison and travel should be arranged in advance on 01599 522774. There is more information on the ferry's own website.

And the final attraction lies not in Arnisdale itself, but half way down the road from Glenelg. A track from the tiny settlement on the road at Upper Sandaig leads down to the shore at Sandaig. Here a memorial marks the site of the cottage in which Gavin Maxwell lived while writing "Ring of Bright Water" in 1960. This remote and secluded spot was called Camusfeàrna by Maxwell to disguise its identity and while today its location is widely known, it remains a quiet place where otters can still be seen.

Eilean Tioram Across Arnisdale Bay