Ullapool Hill
4 Mile (6.5 km) Circular Walk
Terrain: Moderate. Well defined but paths are uneven in places. Steep path to summit (optional)
Mobile Phone Reception: good throughout
Nearest Defibrillator: Ullapool Health Centre, Ullapool High School
This is a relatively short but steep climb which rewards the walker with stunning views of the village and the surrounding landscape. There are plenty of benches to take a breather!
Please wear appropriate footwear and outdoor clothing for hill walking. Please keep to the paths to avoid erosion.
All walks have been carefully researched, and we hope our directions are easy to follow! No liability can be accepted for injury or accidents incurred while undertaking our walks.
All walks are dog-friendly, but please be mindful of our many varieties of wildlife.
1. Starting at the Clock Tower in central Ullapool and facing the harbour, turn left along Argyle Street. At the end of Argyle Street, turn left into North Road. Walk up North Road, passing Ullapool High School/Macphail Centre on your right and the Church of Scotland on your left. Cross the road and pass the Medical Centre, taking the second entrance to Broom Court. There is a green footpath sign here. Head for a wooden pedestrian gate straight ahead, past the substation.
2. Take the footpath which starts to climb gently uphill until a sharp bend to the left and ignore another path to the right which leads steeply to the Royal Hotel. Continue uphill, enjoying increasingly impressive views of Ullapool and Loch Broom. The path divides at a seat; follow the white and red route uphill. Care is needed now as the path is rocky and uneven and can be slippery in wet weather.
3. Take a breather when you reach a Mountain Indicator Board, which names the visible peaks and gives their summit heights. The path levels out a little here and soon a white marker shows another route (white) leading to Braes, which is further option for this walk, but would mean returning along a stretch of the A835 back to the village.
4. Continue on the red route until a seat is reached and here is the ideal place to take in the spectacular views. There is now the option to continue on the circular route or take a diversion to the summit of Ullapool Hill (included in the length of this walk). This is a one-way path, which is steep, uneven and can be unstable, but the effort is worth it for the fantastic and far-reaching views of Ullapool and the surrounding area on the right day. The path ends once a cairn is reached.
5. Back at the seat, turn right and the path starts to descend with good views of Ben More Coigach and the mountains of Assynt. Once you reach a yellow way marker, turn left. Turning right would extend the walk around the base of the hill to emerge on to the track serving the Rhidorroch Estate and the quarry.
6. As the path descends you enter an area of coniferous and deciduous trees which have been planted by the community to restore the native woodlands. The quarry work ings are now noticeable to the right. Ignore routes to the right, which lead to the Rhidorroch track. Continue on the yellow route. On reaching the bench where you initially started the steep climb, continue straight ahead, downhill through gorse bushes to retrace your outward steps. Pass the blue route to The Royal and shortly afterwards you will reach the wooden gate and emerge into Broom Court. Turn left into North Road and head down towards the Loch, turning right into Argyle Street and then back to the Clock Tower.
The numbers on this map refer to mileage and not the points of the walk.
