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Lairg is an ideal base for touring the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Arkle cottage and its location offers everything that a person needs to get far from the madding crowd. The area offers scenery that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your car, walks from gentle to the more challenging, wildlife spotting that ranges from eagles to dolphins and of course being Scotland, plenty of distilleries all with their own unique offerings.
Visit the Lairg town website for information on what to see and do in and around Lairg.
The Undiscovered Scotland website also has lots of useful information on what to do and see, not only in Lairg but all over Scotland.
The Scottish Natural Heritage site has lots of information on the natural landscape and wildlife in the area.
Golf
There are several golf courses in the area including the world renowned Royal Dornoch Golf Club.
Fishing
Fishing is available along the river Shin as well as in Loch Shin were boats are available for hire from the Lairg Angling Club.
Bird Watching
Bird watching opportunities are endless. Just walking out the door is good enough on some days. Handa Island on the west coast offers wonderful opportunities to see large colonies of nesting sea birds such as guilimots, razor bills, skuas, Turns and the adorable Puffin plus many others. At the tiny harbor of Tarbet where the ferry for Handa Island is caught there is a small cafe/bistro offering snacks and main meals, a great place to watch the sun go down after your visit to the island.
A good place for watching Ospreys fish is in the Cromarty Firth. There is an RSPB hide at Nigg or along the A9 as it skirts the Firth. Ospreys have also been seen fishing in Loch Shinn in the pasts few years. Those who venture into the hills may also be lucky to see ptarmigan
Sight Seeing
Castles:- There are many beautiful castles to visit in the Highlands.
Cawdor (Macbeth) - A small castle with charming grounds, woodland walk and pitch & put golf.
Dunrobin (home to the Duke of Sutherland) - A large stately home as you would expect for such a personage, with fine gardens and birds of prey displays. If you are lucky you might see the Golden Eagle fly.
Mey (home of the late Queen Mother) - A small castle with gardens
Distilleries:- Of course no visit to Scotland would be complete without a visit to at least one distillery. The world famous Glenmoragnie distillery is located just outside of Tain, but of course there are plenty more to choose from. All distilleries offer tours usually resulting in taster at the end.
There also of course innumerable museums, crafts and other attractions. Just 4 miles from Lairg is Shin Falls. This provides a fabulous vantage point to watch salmon leaping as they make their journey upstream. There is also a very good restaurant here offering snacks and main meals. Or how about a visit to Durness and Smoo cave. This is an impressive 200 ft long, 130 ft wide and 50 ft high at the entrance set into Limestone cliffs.
Walking
There are many beautiful walks around Lairg and the surrounding area in varying degrees of difficulty from gentle strolls upwards. Visit the Lairg town website for more information on the walks around Lairg. For the more adventurous, there are a number of Munros within easy reach. These include Ben Klibrek, Ben Hope, Ben Wyvis, Arkle, Foinaven, Ben More Assynt, Ben Hee to name a few. Details of more walks in the area can be found at Visit Scotland, Walkingworld and Forestry Commission.
Mountain Biking
As mountain biking grows in popularity, more and more facilities are becoming available in the area. One of the latest is at Carbisdale Castle. Details of more trails can be found at Forestry Commission.
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