Ullapool (; gd, Ulapul ) is a village and port located in Northern Scotland. Ullapool has a population of around 1,500 inhabitants. It is located around northwest of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...

, Scottish Highlands. Despite its modest size, it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and an important port and tourist destination. The North Atlantic Drift passes Ullapool, moderating the temperature. A few '' Cordyline australis'' (New Zealand cabbage trees) are grown in the town and are often mistaken for palm trees. The town lies on Loch Broom, on the A835 road from

. The Ullapool River flows through the village.

History

On the east shore of Loch Broom, Ullapool was founded in 1788 as a

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

port by the British Fisheries Society. It was designed by Thomas Telford. Prior to 1788 the town was only an insignificant hamlet made up of just over 20 households. The harbour is used as a fishing port, yachting haven, and ferry port. Ferries sail to

Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well a ...

in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

. The village was

historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

in Cromartyshire, a county made up of many separate

enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

s scattered across northern Ross-shire. Cromartyshire was abolished and combined with surrounding Ross-shire in 1890. Many of the pivotal Victorian era discoveries that informed the concept of plate tectonics were made in this area. There are still regular international geological conferences held in Ullapool, which has been described as the top geological hotspot in Scotland. Parliament granted permission in the 1890s for a railway from Ullapool to the main Highland network at Garve, but the scheme was abandoned due to insufficient funds. The name is possibly derived from the Norse for "Wool farm" or "Ulli's farm".

Landscape

The region surrounding Ullapool is dominated by rugged mountains, and especially by Bheinn Ghobhlach to the west, An Teallach to the southwest (both across the loch), Beinn Dearg to the southeast close to the head of Loch Broom, and Beinn Mhòr na Còigich to the north. An Teallach is a mountain which dominates the area and consists of Torridonian sandstone, which is layered nearly horizontally. It is a challenging climb and a considerable distance from the nearest road. The climber will be rewarded with magnificent views of the surroundings, especially to the sea and the islands to the west, but also to the south, and the desolate Whitbread wilderness.

Culture

Ullapool has a strong reputation as a centre for music, the arts and performance. The village has a small museum housed in a Telford Church, An Talla Solais, an arts centre with frequently changing exhibitions and workshops, a swimming pool and fitness centre, and several pubs, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and hotels. It is a centre for walkers, wildlife enthusiasts and other holiday-makers as it is situated in a scenic and remote part of Scotland. In May every year there is the three-day Ullapool Book Festival which attracts a diverse range of writers and with work in both Scottish Gaelic and English. The Macphail Centre has a theatre hosting a regular programme of musical, dance and theatrical performances. Many Scottish national companies participate, along with smaller reps and the traveling Edinburgh Fringe performers. Due to the number of performances in any given week, there is overspill to the Village Hall and other venues. The Tall Ships visited Ullapool in July 2011, a major event for the village and the surrounding area. Ullapool is home to the

shinty Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in Scotland, an ...

team

Lochbroom Camanachd Lochbroom Camanachd is a shinty club from Ullapool, Scotland. It was active 1992−2000 then 2006−2015. , the club has been abeyance at senior level. History The club was founded in 1992 but went into abeyance in 2000, however the club mainta ...

Music

Throughout the year there are many small

fèisean A () or () is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. The plural forms are () and (). The term is commonly used referring to Irish dance competitions and, in Scotland, to immersive teaching courses, specialising in traditional musi ...

and

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

s in the local halls and hotels, especially in the Ceilidh Place and the Arch Inn. The Ullapool Guitar Festival takes place in early October each year, attracting performers at several venues over the weekend. The

Loopallu Festival Loopallu was a 2-day music festival that took place in Ullapool, in the north of Scotland. It was held annually between 2005 and 2019, attracting 2,500 people which essentially doubled the population of the village while the event was being he ...

, created by the American rock-grass band

Hayseed Dixie Hayseed Dixie is an American band formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2000. Their first album was ''A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC''. The band performs bluegrass cover versions of hard rock songs and also original songs of a mostly satirical or absu ...

and local promoter Robert Hicks in 2005, was well received and has become a major regional annual event, more than doubling the size of the village during the festival. In 2007 it attracted several bands including The Saw Doctors, Dreadzone and Franz Ferdinand headlining on the second night. There are also fringe events at local bars. The Pigeon Detectives have played the Village Hall.

Amy MacDonald Amy Elizabeth Macdonald (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, ''This Is the Life (Amy Macdonald album), This Is the Life'', which respectively produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll ...

in 2008 and Paolo Nutini in 2007 both played the Ceilidh Place. Mumford & Sons have also played in Ullapool twice. Ullapool has a local radio station called

Lochbroom FM Lochbroom FM was a radio station based in Ullapool, Wester Ross in the Highlands of Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has ...

broadcasting on 102.2 and 96.8 FM and online, with programming provided mostly by Two Lochs Radio in Gairloch.

In popular culture

The community was rated as among the "20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland" by

Condé Nast Traveler ''Condé Nast Traveler'' is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Condé Nast. The magazine has won 25 National Magazine Awards. The Condé Nast unit of Advance Publications purchased ''Signature'', a magazine for Diners Club memb ...

in 2020. Ullapool is referenced in the multiplayer video game '' Team Fortress 2'' as the hometown of the Demoman and in the name of an in-game melee weapon that the Demoman can choose to have in his loadout, the "Ullapool Caber".

Ferry service

In 1970, Ross and Cromarty council voted to create a new £460,000 () ferry terminal at Ullapool, from Stornoway, replacing that at the Kyle of Lochalsh that is from Stornoway. The ferry terminal is linked to the A835 trunk road with the

A893 The A893 is a trunk road in the Scottish Highlands, located in the small town of Ullapool. It is approximately in length, and is named ''Shore Street'' for its entire diminutive length, along the shore of Loch Broom. The A835 road arrives i ...

. During 2022 the Ullapool Harbour Trust commenced a £4.3 million project to construct a new promenade and wider access road along the trunk road which will improve the inner harbour, provide pontoons for marine tourism and provide better access for pedestrians and cyclists. At the terminal Caledonian MacBrayne operates a roll-on/roll-off carferry to

on the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis ( gd, Eilean Leòdhais) or simply Lewis ( gd, Leòdhas, ) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as ...

Gallery

Ullapool Museum Telford Church - churchyard - J H Wallace 1.JPG, Old Telford Church: memorial to J H Wallace, lost in the sinking of the

SS City of Benares SS ''City of Benares'' was a British steam turbine ocean liner, built for Ellerman Lines by Barclay, Curle & Co of Glasgow in 1936. During the Second World War, ''City of Benares'' was used as an evacuee ship to transport 90 children from Brit ...

Ullapool Mill Street Old Burial Ground - Cameron Gravesite - image 06.JPG, Mill Street Old Burial Ground: grave of Lord Cameron, KT DSC Sgurr fiona.jpg, upright=1.3, Sgurr Fiona and the Corrag Bhuidhe pinnacles on An Teallach Ullapool in summer 2012 (5).JPG, Ullapool Ferry Terminal Ullapool-2003.jpg, A view of Ullapool from a nearby hill (Maol Calaisceig) Ullapool in summer 2012 (2).JPG, The main street in Ullapool

Climate

Ullapool has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

( Cfb) with, considering its northerly latitude, relatively mild temperatures year-round. With an average 1,105 sunshine hours per year, it is cloudier than any major city in Europe.

References

External links

Ullapool Photo Slide Show 35 large images for Phones and up to 60 inch TVsUllapool Tourist and Business Association official site

Ullapool Accommodation updated daily by the accommodation providers

Ullapool tourism, community and business website

Ullapool tourism guide

Loopallu Festival website

Biggest UK space impact found
— BBC News {{authority control Populated places in Ross and Cromarty Ports and harbours of Scotland Port cities and towns in Scotland Fishing communities in Scotland Villages in Highland (council area) Populated places established in 1788 1788 establishments in Scotland Populated coastal places in Scotland