21/03/2023
The road to Ullapool.
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Ullapool (Scottish Gaelic: Ulapul) is a village of around 1,500 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands, located around 45 miles (72 km) north-west of Inverness.
Despite its small size it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and an important port and tourist destination. The town lies on Loch Broom, on the A835 road from Inverness. The Ullapool River flows through the village.
Ullapool was founded in 1788 as a herring port by the British Fisheries Society. It was designed by Thomas Telford. Before then the town was only an insignificant hamlet of just over 20 households, although a large fort called Dun Canna lies just north of the village.
A walk into the bay where it is rewards you with a fort system that has been dated as over 2,500 years old and on a low tide a Viking fish trap is still evident in the bay below, an addition that was built in the 8th Century.
The Norse influence is still evident in many place names around the area. Ullapool itself is said to be derived from the norse 'Ulla-Bolstadr' meaning 'Ulla's steading'.
