Overview of Gairloch

A scattered settlement on the coast of Wester Ross, Highland Council Area, Gairloch lies on the north shore of Gair Loch, 24 miles (38 km) northwest of Achnasheen with which it was connected by road in 1843. A pier built at Flowerdale, an inlet near the township, prospered in association with fishing and a summer steamer service from Portree, Tobermory, Oban and Glasgow from 1850. Queen Victoria stayed at the Gairloch Hotel in 1878 and a golf course was laid out in 1898 for a growing number of tourists. The village has a school, a heritage museum and fish processing and craft industries.