VILLAGE walking tours Ullapool

Join us for an engaging walking tour through Ullapool covering life here from prehistoric to modern times. Listen to entertaining stories about the past and local people, learn about our fishing history and life in Ullapool. Uncover geology and archaeology of this part of the Scottish Highlands. Connect to the area’s rich heritage and its people while walking in the fresh air and enjoying the breathtaking scenery and the peaceful setting of our fishing village at the shore of Lochbroom. Our skilled local tour guides will go above and beyond to create a fantastic experience for you. All walks are easy and at a relaxed pace, giving you time to ask us anything you want to know and taking it all in. Of course we will meet some colourful historic characters on the way, too!

Choose from 3 enjoyable walking tours through Ullapool, all starting in the centre of the village:

2 hour Ullapool Explorer Tour

1.5 hour Stories and Characters Tour

1 hour Ullapool Compact Tour

ullapool explorer

2 hour walking tour through Ullapool

Our popular Ullapool Explorer Tour is the best choice to get to know Ullapool’s rich past and heritage and listen to fascinating stories of local people and events. We cover the historic parts of Ullapool and walk along a scenic coastal path and next to Ullapool river. Our knowledgeable, friendly guides will present history in a charming and engaging way and ensure you get real insights and have a good time. Enjoy the views while you discover Ullapool’s early settlers and Viking heritage, and marvel at the geological events that shaped the landscape. Immerse yourself in stories about fishing history, clearances and emigration, and hear some of our favourite folkore tales.

What you need to know: The tour lasts 2 hours and covers roughly 2 miles. We walk on tarmac and on grass. Comfortable shoes are recommended. The tour is suited for older children who like history and stories. Starting point is at the harbour. Make sure to bring your mobile / camera with you as there will be lovely views on the way. Our tours are dog-friendly, well-behaved dogs are welcome!

Private tour, group of 1-3 people £ 90, groups 4 and more £ 25 per person. Children under 8 go for free.

This tour is also available as a 3.25 hour tour including a stretch through woodland along the river and then a loop up Ullapool Hill (half way up), or 4 hours to a viewpoint over Loch Achall and / or a longer walk up and round Ullapool Hill.

ullapool explorer tour highlights

Characters and stories

1.5 hour walking tour through ullapool

Listen to the best stories of local characters on this light-hearted Characters and Stories walking tour through some of the oldest streets in Ullapool. Immerse yourself in tales about local people on this shorter tour. Wonder, laugh and admire our featured characters for their courage and feistiness. Our welcoming local guides love to tell a good story and will ensure you enjoy your tour.

What you need to know: The tour lasts 1.5 hours covering roughly a mile. The walk is easy and on tarmac. Comfortable shoes are recommended. The tour is suited for older children who like historic stories. Starting point is at the harbour. Our tours are dog-friendly, well-behaved dogs are welcome!

Private tour, group of 1-3 people £ 70, groups 4 and more £ 20 per person. Children under 8 go for free.

characters and stories tour highlights

ullapool compact

1 hour walking tour through ullapool

Our Ullapool Compact walking tour offers an entertaining walk through the historic parts of Ullapool. On this relaxed stroll we cover various topics such as Ullapool’s fishing heritage, geology, prehistory, emigration and Vikings. Our local guides have a wealth of knowledge and a passion for great customer service and will share a few stories, too.

What you need to know: The tour lasts 1 hour covering roughly 1 kilometre (0.66 miles). The walk is easy and on tarmac. Comfortable shoes are recommended. The tour is suited for older children who like history. Starting point is the harbour. Our tours are dog-friendly, well-behaved dogs are welcome!

Private tour, group of 1-3 people £ 60, groups 4 and more £ 18 per person. Children under 8 go for free.

ullapool compact tour highlights

Services for larger groups and groups with special needs

rainy, miserable day?

we got you covered!

Learn all about Ullapool’s and the surrounding area’s history, geology and archaeology, and listen to engaging stories in the comfort of your accomodation. We will come to you, armed with our knowledge and lots of old photos, maps and sketches, and entertain you for 1.5 hours with illuminating facts, folkore, stories about local characters and legends. £ 80 for a group up to 3 people, 4+ people £ 24 per person if you stay in Ullapool or Morefield. This relaxed talk can be tailored to your interests. Please contact us for prices if you stay somewhere else.

Visit Ullapool Museum with us. We offer a tour in the museum about Ullapool’s history, geology and archaeology plus a guided tour of the museum. The first 15 minutes of this tour will be outside to show you some of the oldest buildings of Ullapool near the museum and then 1.25 hours in the museum to tell you more about the area and show you around the exhibits. Private tour, £ 70 for a group of up to 3, 4+ people £ 20 per person (plus entry to Ullapool museum). This tour can also be done entirely in the museum and is suited for people with mobility issues.

Info & Frequently asked questions Village tours

Village tours start at the harbour in the centre of Ullapool. Your tour guide will have a Ullapool Tours sign.

The Ullapool Explorer Tour is 2 hours, The Stories and Characters Tour is 1.25 hours, the Ullapool Compact Tour is 1 hour.

We only accept cash payments at the moment.We are happy to email you an invoice after the tour if you wish.

ATMs/Cash machines with free withdrawals can be found in front of Tesco supermarket, Bank of Scotland (West Argyle St), and Royal Bank of Scotland (Ladysmith St).

Please help us by providing the exact amount of cash if possible. We do have limited change available. Please note that we unfortunately can’t accept £50 notes.

Tips go directly to your tour guide.

Of course! We love to engage with our customers and are happy to answer all the questions you have as best as we can.

  • Please park in the public Latheron Lane car park in Ullapool next to Tesco (Tesco supermarket has its own car park). The post code is IV26 2XB. The car park is sign-posted from both directions in North Road.

  • Coming from the south, turn right after the petrol station into North Road, then turn left into Market Street. At the end of the road turn right at the junction into Quay Street, then immediately left into Latheron Lane. The car park is behind Tesco.

  • Coming from the north, stay on the main road (North Road) until you see the car park sign. Turn right into Market Street, then follow the description above.

Yes you can. Add on a guided tour of Ullapool Museum to any of our walking tours. Additional costs are £ 20 for your group plus the entry charges for Ullapool Museum.​

For people with limited mobility: We are happy to conduct a 1.25 hour historic tour inside the museum. The exhibits in the museum plus our own maps, pictures and photographs make Ullapool’s history come alive even if you are unable to visit the historic sites in the village. For entry charges for Ullapool Museum see above.

Bad weather alternative tour: 15 min outside to visit the oldest buildings in Ullapool, 1 hour in the Ullapool Museum where we conduct the rest of the tour and show you around (additional entry charges apply for the museum: £ 4.50 per adult, under 16s go free. You can explore the museum further after the tour).​

PLEASE NOTE: Ullapool Museum is closed on Wednesdays and Sundays. On all other days it is open 11 am – 4 pm. Ullapool Museum opens 01/04/2023 and closes 31/10/2023. For larger groups we might be able to arrange an exclusive visit to the museum in winter as well.​

Yes, we are open all year round for private village tours except for a few weeks of holidays.

  • To give you the best possible experience we keep group sizes small.

  • We take 14 participants max. per tour.

  • A private In-Depth Explorer Walking Tour (2 h) is £ 75 for a group of 1 – 5 people. Groups 6+: £ 15 per person.

  • A private Local Characters and Stories Walking Tour  (1.25 h) is £ 50 for a group of 1 – 5 people. Groups 6+: £ 10 per person.
  • A privateUllapool Compact Walking Tour (1 h) is £ 40 for a group of 1 – 5 people. Groups 6+: £ 8 per person.
  • Tips go directly to your tour guide.

Yes. Children under 8 go for free.

There is no overlap in content between any of the village tours with a nature & history walking tour or a car tour.

Ullapool’s Public Toilets are situated in West Argyle Street and are open during the day.

Please contact us to arrange a day and time of your choosing for your private village tour and we will get back to you as soon as possible. To secure a specific day, please give us two or three days’ notice as we are very busy during the summer. We will do our best to accommodate bookings on very short notice, if possible. All exclusive tours can be tailored to your wishes. For longer tours, please contact us for prices. Payment is in cash only.

Yes! As the tours are outside, the infection risk is close to zero. If you pay in cash with the exact amount no direct contact is involved. Should you require change, we encourage you to use your own hand sanitizer afterwards. We also carry a hand sanitizer in case you don’t have one. Please note that due to Covid all our photographs and maps can only be touched by us. Don’t worry, the pictures are big enough for you to see and we will go round to ensure everyone can have a look at them. Anything else we might hand out to you, we will always sanitize our hands first.

Our tour guides are fully vaccinated (including the booster jab).

No, unfortunately not. We only accept cash payment. ATMs/Cash machines can be found at Tesco, Bank of Scotland (West Argyle St), and Royal Bank of Scotland (Ladysmith St). Please help us by providing the exact amount of cash, if possible. We do have limited change available. Please note that we unfortunately can’t accept £ 50 notes.

Most older children will enjoy our tours as we pride ourselves in providing entertaining tours. In our opinion the tour is not suitable for most younger children unless they have a very keen interest in history. We feel you as the parents or the caretakers will be the best judge of that.

Children under 8 go for free.

Well behaved dogs are welcome. Please keep your dog on a lead during the tour as Ullapool is busy and we are crossing several roads. Please understand that you can only bring dogs that get along well with other people and other dogs, and do not have a problem with traffic.

We recommend comfortable shoes and clothing according to the weather. Ullapool’s weather changes quickly, but as you made it all the way up here we are sure you have noticed already!

The state of the pavement in Ullapool, some steeper sections up and down, and crossing of roads might unfortunately pose difficulties for many wheelchair users and to some people with restricted mobility on our standard tours. If you feel you can tackle the route, you are more than welcome to join us and we will try our best to assist you if needed.

We are an inclusive company, andare very happy to adapt all tours to your needs. We also offer guided tours in Ullapool Museum: we can either spend a short time outside to visit Ullapool’s oldest buildings and then tell you most of the history inside the museum, or you can book us for the whole hour inside the museum. Please contact us if you need further information, we are sure we can make it happen!

Yes, we offer walking tours and car tours to the North and South of Ullapool. Pease check the respective sections on this website for details. Please contact us for any bespoke tours. We are available for all different kinds of tours, on foot, by car etc. in Ullapool, Lochbroom, the Highlands and Scotland, depending on availability.

Yes, you can purchase our guidebook with lots of information at the reduced price of £5 directly from us after a tour. The book is also available for £ 6.99 at Ullapool Bookshop, Ceilidh Place Bookshop, and the Visit Scotland iCentre (Tourist Information).

The distance we cover is approx. 3,2 km (2 miles) for the 2 hour Ullapool Explorer Tour, 2 km (1.3 miles) for the Characters and Stories Tour and 1,2 km (0.75 mile) for the Ullapool Compact Tour. All tours offer plenty of stops along the way. On the shorter tours we walk on flat surfaces, mainly on pavement, with a few short sections of about 10-20 metres on pavement with an incline/decline. The 2 hour tour includes a stretch along a coastal path (grass).

Yes, please contact us to arrange a private tour which we can adapt to your needs. We could walk only a short distance, or do the tour in Ullapool Museum or even do the tour at a static point, maybe the seafront. Please contact us if you need further information.

The meeting point for the village tour is only a few minutes from the village centre. Lots of shops, cafés and restaurants are nearby for food and drink.

Yes, we can offer you private tours in German. Please contact us for further information.

Yes. Private tours will provide you with the best customer experience. Your guide can really take care of you and tailor the tour to your interests. We want you to be able to deeply connect with places and people.

Yes. There is a coach service (Citylink) from Inverness to Ullapool. And you can take the train or a bus to Inverness.

Ullapool Tours can cancel a village, walking or car tour at any time. Of course, we will cancel tours only when absolutely necessary due to abysmal weather, illness, etc., or circumstances not in our control.

Ullapool Tours can alter tours at any time if necessary for safety reasons or other unforeseen circumstances.

Ullapool Tours accepts no liability for personal injury, any loss of property or damage to your car during the duration of the tour.

If you require special assistance, please make sure to contact us in advance.

We advise appropriate footwear/clothing according to the weather and terrain (and maybe a walking pole for Knockan Crag, see above).

All minors under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Please keep younger children under close supervision for safety reasons.

Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times during a tour when outside.

Abusive behaviour to staff will not be tolerated.

We advise to be at the meeting point 5 minutes prior to the tour. Unless notified otherwise, the guide will leave the meeting point 15 minutes after the starting time if you don’t show up.

No photos, videos or audios taken on the tour permitted for commercial use.

Payment is in cash only. No £ 50 notes accepted. No cheques accepted.