Walking Sea Sports Touring Wildlife
Walking possibilities in and around Plockton are unlimited. An Caladh is a great starting point for conducting local walks. The back brae, a track running along the length of the village on the hill behind the village, will show you the lie of the land, with great sweeping views over the bay and down to Loch Carron.
Why not try the signposted route along the side of the loch to Duncraig Castle, or the steep but rewarding walk to the TV mast, where the panorama takes in Rhum and Skye, Applecross and Torridon.
Plockton was founded as a fishing village and still has an active fishing industry, supplying local restaurants as well as exports.
The sea plays an important role with many local people owning a boat. Our sailing club was established in 1933 and every July through to August, the village hosts a two week Regatta, with a range of races for visiting centreboards and local clinker-built sailing boats. The start and finishing line is at Rhu, just opposite An Caladh.
Sports available around Plockton include nine-hole golf courses at
At Craig Highland Farm, just before Duncraig Castle, you will find a wild breed conservation centre, with unusual sheep, goats, ponies, pigs, rabbits and even llamas.
There is a swimming pool and fitness centre at Kyle, and swimming beaches and coves in and around the village.
Plockton is an ideal base for touring the local area. With an early start, you can make a good circuit of the Isle of Skye and be back in the village by late afternoon. Attractions in Skye include the Cuillin range, the ancient McLeod stronghold of Dunvegan Castle, the malt whisky distillery at Talisker, and the picturesque island capital of Portree. (Skye Bridge tolls were abolished on 21 December 2004.)
For another day, the peninsula of Applecross is reached by Lochcarron and Kishorn, and is a wild and remote region with small villages huddling to the coast. Be warned that the road to Applecross village, Am Bealach, the steepest road in Britain, is not for the fainthearted. After Applecross, drive north then east along Loch Torridon to Shieldaig, and back to Plockton by an easier route, or carry onto Torridon itself, maybe the most spectacular peaks in Scotland.
Closer by, Eilean Donan Castle at Dornie is a fully restored Jacobite castle and one of the premium tourist attractions in Scotland, with a newly built Visitor Centre, giving a unique insight into the life of a Highland Chief. Tour by yourself or with a guide.
After your visit to Eilean Donan, why not carry on to remote Glenelg. Drive along Loch Duich for ten minutes and turn right at Shiel Bridge. You will ascend the Pass of Rattigan, with superb views of the Five Sisters of Kintail from the summit. Then down into Glenelg, where you will find the abandoned barracks of General Wade, built to occupy the area after the '45. There is an excellent hotel for lunch. About three miles out of Glenelg, are a set of prehistoric brochs, 30-foot high neolithic forts built to protect the inhabitants from sea invaders. You will find full information on the numerous displays.
Sandaig is nearby, where Gavin Maxwell wrote 'Ring of Bright Water'. (There is a viewing platform for otters and other wildlife at the Bright Water Centre in Kyleakin in Skye, just over from Kyle.
Visible wildlife in Plockton is focused mainly on the sea. You cannot fail to notice (or hear) the seabirds, attracted by rich pickings from the bay. There are numerous gulls, including the common, herring, glaucous and greater and lesser black-backed. There terns, puffins and oyster catchers. You may catch a glimpse of a heron at the water's edge, and shags, guillemots and cormorants.
On land, you may just catch a glimpse of roe deer around the station area, or further on at Strathie, if you're up early enough. There are, of course, sheep everywhere and they have no road sense, so slow down if they are grazing by the road. The local Plockton cattle and Highland cattle, based in Duirnish, sometimes wander into the village.