Applecross Inn

The Applecross Inn sits at the water’s edge on Shore Street, looking west across the Inner Sound to Raasay and the Cuillin of Skye. It is one of the genuinely iconic stops on the western seaboard of mainland Scotland, a bar and seafood restaurant on the ground floor and seven rooms above, all overlooking the sea.

The road in is the experience as much as the destination. The Bealach na Bà (“Pass of the Cattle”) climbs from sea level at Tornapress to 626m through a series of switchbacks, the highest road pass in Britain by a narrow margin and one of the most celebrated drives in the country. The coastal road south from Shieldaig is the alternative, single-track but less dramatic, and the safer option in winter when the Bealach can close in snow and ice.

Judith Fish MBE has run the inn since 1989 and built it into one of the Highlands’ most awarded food pubs. The Top 50 Gastropubs list features it regularly and the Green Tourism scheme rates it Gold. The kitchen runs from Applecross Bay langoustines in garlic butter, hand-dived scallops, daily-landed white fish, hot smoked salmon, local oysters, Highland game and a strong vegetarian list. Behind the bar are over fifty malt whiskies and the local Applecross Brewery’s ales.

The dining room is small and bookings for both rooms and tables are essential through the summer; the demand on a Highland night for seafood with this view will always run ahead of supply.