Plockton: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Plockton sits on a sheltered bay of Loch Carron, a long sea loch that cuts deep into the hills. This is a slow, short route: a village walk, a beach, a castle that blew itself up and gardens at the head of the loch. The road round the loch is mostly two-lane, with single-track stretches near Plockton. It fits easily into a morning, with lunch at Lochcarron.
A short history of Plockton
Plockton is a small village in the western Highlands of Scotland, on a sheltered bay of Loch Carron. It was built around 1800 as a planned fishing settlement, at a time when landowners were clearing tenants from the hills. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, palm-like trees grow here, which look odd in the north of Scotland. Some scenes of the 1973 film The Wicker Man were shot in the village, and between 1995 and 1997 the television series Hamish Macbeth was filmed there, bringing many tourists.
The ten best sights in Plockton
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1Plockton Harbour
Palm trees, boats and a row of white cottages; park at the top and walk down
2Coral BeachA white beach 30 minutes' walk from the village; it is seaweed, not coral
3Duncraig CastleA Victorian mansion across the bay; seen best from the harbour
4Strome CastleA small ruin on a rock over Loch Carron, two minutes from the road
5Lochcarron WeaversTartan woven on site and a shop of scarves and blankets
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6Attadale Gardens
Woodland gardens with a Japanese garden, at the head of Loch Carron
7Bealach na BàThe steepest road climb in Britain; not for caravans or nervous drivers
8ApplecrossA village at the end of the pass, facing Skye across the water
9Applecross Heritage CentreLocal history and early Christian stones, beside the old church
10Eilean Donan CastleThe castle on its island is 25 minutes away; come early or late to beat the coaches
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Plockton →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Plockton:
Free walking tours in Plockton
Along Loch Carron
Plockton sits on a sheltered bay of Loch Carron, a long sea loch that cuts deep into the hills. This is a slow, short route: a village walk, a beach, a castle that blew itself up and gardens at the head of the loch. The road round the loch is mostly two-lane, with single-track stretches near Plockton. It fits easily into a morning, with lunch at Lochcarron.
- Plockton Harbour · Plockton was laid out in the late 18th century as a planned fishing village, with a straight street of cottages along the shore. The palm trees on the front are New Zealand cabbage palms, which survive here because the Gulf Stream keeps the winters mild.
- Coral Beach · The white "coral" is maerl, a red seaweed that builds a hard skeleton of lime; when it dies and is washed ashore, it bleaches white. Maerl grows only about a millimetre a year, so the beds offshore are thousands of years old.
- Duncraig Castle · The mansion was built in the 1860s for Sir Alexander Matheson, whose fortune came from the trading firm Jardine Matheson in the Far East. The railway was later brought along this shore, and Duncraig got its own little station.
- Strome Castle · The MacDonell castle was besieged by the Mackenzies in 1602. According to the story, women of the garrison mistakenly poured water into the gunpowder barrels; the defenders gave up, and the Mackenzies blew the castle apart.
- Lochcarron · The long village strung along the shore was once known as Jeantown. It grew in the 19th century around fishing and the crofts above the loch, and it is still the shopping and fuel stop for a wide area.
- Attadale Gardens · The gardens were made around a 19th-century house, and much of what you see was replanted after great storms in the 1980s. Rhododendrons from the Himalaya flower here in May, helped by the mild, wet west-coast air.
Over the Pass of the Cattle
Applecross is a peninsula that until the 1970s had no road at all except the one over the mountains, a climb from sea level to 626 metres in a few kilometres. This route takes that famous pass to the village, then comes back round the coast through Shieldaig. The pass is narrow, with hairpins and gradients near 20 percent; in snow or fog it closes. Drive it in good weather and let faster cars pass.
- Kishorn dry dock · In the 1970s a dry dock was dug here to build oil platforms for the North Sea. The Ninian Central platform, floated out in 1978, was said to be the largest movable object ever built by people at that time.
- Bealach na Bà · The name means "pass of the cattle": it was the drove road for taking Applecross cattle to market. It is the steepest road climb in Britain, rising to 626 metres with hairpin bends built in the style of an Alpine pass.
- Applecross · In Gaelic the place is called A' Chomraich, "the sanctuary": for centuries anyone who fled into the land around the monastery was protected. The English name comes from the river's old Pictish name, Aporcrosan.
- Applecross old church · The Irish monk Maelrubha founded a monastery here in 673, and from it Christianity spread across this part of Scotland. Tradition says he is buried in the churchyard of the old church at Clachan.
- Applecross Heritage Centre · The centre is run by local volunteers and tells the story of the peninsula, from the monastery to the crofters. Excavations nearby have found traces of the early monastic settlement.
- Shieldaig · The coast road round the north of the peninsula to Shieldaig was finished only in the 1970s; before that, the pass or a boat were the only ways in. The village of white houses faces a small island covered in old Scots pines.
Kintail, Glenelg and the brochs
South of Plockton the mountains of Kintail rise straight out of the sea lochs. This route takes in the most photographed castle in Scotland, then crosses a high pass to Glenelg, a village with a hand-turned ferry and two of the best Iron Age towers on the mainland. The roads after Shiel Bridge are single-track. Bring a picnic: there are few cafés beyond Dornie.
- Skye Bridge · The bridge rests on the small island of Eilean Bàn, where Gavin Maxwell, author of "Ring of Bright Water", spent his last years in the lighthouse keepers' cottages. The island is now a nature reserve for otters.
- Eilean Donan Castle · In 1719, during a Jacobite rising, Spanish soldiers held the castle and government warships shelled it to ruins. It lay in pieces for almost 200 years until Lieutenant-Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap rebuilt it between 1912 and 1932.
- Mam Ratagan · Samuel Johnson and James Boswell crossed this pass on horseback in 1773 on their tour to the Hebrides, and Johnson complained bitterly about the climb. From the viewpoint near the top the Five Sisters of Kintail line up across Loch Duich.
- Glenelg–Skye Ferry · The MV Glenachulish is the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world: the car deck is turned by hand to line up with the slipway. Before ferries, drovers made cattle swim across these narrows from Skye to the mainland.
- Dun Telve broch · Brochs are round drystone towers built about 2,000 years ago, found only in Scotland. Dun Telve still stands over 10 metres high on one side, among the tallest on the mainland, and you can see the gap between its double walls where a stair once climbed.
- Dun Troddan broch · A few hundred metres up the glen stands a second broch, Dun Troddan. Inside its walls archaeologists found a central hearth and the post-holes of a timber floor that once filled the tower.
Getting to Plockton and getting around
- Plockton Station · On the Kyle line from Inverness, one of the most scenic in Britain; a few trains a day
- Kyle of Lochalsh Station · The end of the line, by the Skye Bridge; a small museum sits on the platform
Cheap eats in Plockton
Plockton is small and the choice is too: fish and chips by the harbour, a café or two, and pub lunches at the two inns. The real food here is the sea — langoustines, crab and scallops landed in the loch. Cafés keep short hours, and from October many close until spring. Shop for picnics at the village store before heading into the hills.
- The Harbour Fish Bar · Fish and chips to eat on the harbour wall, about £10-14
- Studio · Small café on Innes Street; coffee and cake about £4-7
- Croft Cafe · Café on a croft near Coral Beach; soup and a sandwich about £7-10
- Balmacara Square café · On the road to Kyle; light lunch about £7-11
- Kishorn Seafood Bar · Seafood at the foot of the Applecross pass; a crab sandwich about £9-12, platters more
Museums in Plockton
- Eilean Donan Castle · Rooms furnished by the MacRae family; allow an hour and a half
- Kyle Station Museum · The story of the Kyle line, on the station platform
- Applecross Heritage Centre · Small, friendly, run by volunteers; check opening days
- Dun Telve broch · Free to visit, open all year; walk inside the walls
- Strome Castle · Just a few walls, but a lovely spot over the narrows
Nature and day trips near Plockton
- Coral Beach · Walk from the airstrip car park; low tide is best
- Attadale Gardens · Gardens, a fernery and sculptures; entry fee
- Bealach na Bà · Stop at the top car park for Skye and the islands
- Applecross Walled Garden · A restored kitchen garden with a café-restaurant inside
- Mam Ratagan · Viewpoint over Loch Duich and the Five Sisters
Things to do in Plockton with kids
- Calum's Seal Trips · An hour on a boat among seals in the bay
- Coral Beach · Rock pools, white sand and islands to wade to
- Glenelg–Skye Ferry · Watch the crew turn the deck by hand; summer only
- Eilean Donan Castle · A real island castle with a bridge to cross
- Plockton Harbour · Crabbing off the slipway and boats to watch
Where to eat in Plockton
- Plockton Hotel · Seafood on the harbour front; book in summer
- Plockton Inn · Pub with its own smokehouse; local fish and live music some nights
- Gather and Graze · Small restaurant on Harbour Street
- Applecross Inn · Famous seafood pub over the pass; queue or book
- Waterside, Kyle · Seafood in the old station building on the Kyle platform
Frequently asked questions about Plockton
What is there to see in Plockton?
The top sights in Plockton are Plockton Harbour, Coral Beach and Duncraig Castle. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Plockton?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Plockton without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Plockton?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Plockton, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Along Loch Carron.
How do you get to Plockton and get around?
The main ways are Plockton Station and Kyle of Lochalsh Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Plockton, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Plockton that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Plockton for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.