South of Ullapool, Laide looks out over the beautiful beach of Gruinard Bay and, whilst a side road nearby leads along a promontory to the fabulous beach at Mellon Udrigle, the main road continues to Poolewe. Here are the world famous Inverewe Gardens (National Trust for Scotland), perhaps the best known visitor attraction of Wester Ross, where sub-tropical trees and plants are to be found.
A few miles south of Poolewe is Gairloch set around a beautiful beach and with stunning views to the Torridon Mountains and the Isle of Skye. Sharing these views, is Gairloch's superbly scenic 9-hole golf course. From Ullapool and Gairloch, are boat trips watching for seals, dolphins, shark and even whales. River and sea angling and freshwater fishing are available and local people can advise on the best spots. The award-winning museums of local life in Gairloch and Ullapool are worth a visit.
The mountains may not be the highest but they are certainly spectacular and include several Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet high) - Slioch (the Spear), Beinn Eighe, Liathach (the Grey One), Ben Alligin and An Teallach (the Anvil) all of which offer challenges for the serious hill-walker and mountaineer. For the less energetic there are low level and coastal paths to walk, island-strewn lochs to photograph, paint or just look at, rocky shores to explore and sandy beaches on which to relax.
From Gairloch the road winds south-east along the beautiful Loch Maree before dividing at Kinlochewe to go either east to Inverness or south, via the awesomely fissured mountains of Torridon to Shieldaig, Lochcarron and Kyle of Lochalsh.