Strontian: Loch Sunart, Forest Paths and Historic Routes

Strontian lies at the end of Loch Sunart and combines a distinctive waterside location with forest paths, historic routes and impressive details from the area's history. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house for a trip to Strontian can tailor their stay according to whether peaceful nature experiences, walks, culture or cycling excursions are to be the main focus.

Loch Sunart and the landscape around Strontian

Strontian's pier provides boat access to Loch Sunart and is located towards the upper end of Loch Sunart. Strontian also has a tourist information centre. Oakwood Tourism and Crafts is also of interest for orientation in the area: the centre combines tourist information with a cooperative retail venue for local artists, photographers, jewellers and craftspeople.

Nearby is Ariundle Oakwood, an ancient native broadleaf woodland on the south-east-facing slopes on the northern side of Strontian Glen. The woodland forms part of the Scottish rainforest and gives the surrounding area a distinctive natural-history character. A path leads to the woodland trail of the protected area at Ariundle Oakwood NNR; the car park is two miles north of Strontian. There, woodland and nature trails can be combined into a 5-kilometre loop.

Walks with different focuses

For a short walk, the Back Road Walk “An Rathad Cuil” is a good option. The easy route is half a mile long and is described as a 30-minute walk from the Village Centre along the Strontian River. It passes the Community High School and continues to the church built by Thomas Telford. There are two described options for the return: the same route or the main road. Parking is available at the Village Centre.

The circular route through Strontian Community Woodland also passes through the old Policy Woodlands of the Sunart Estate. Phemie's Walk is named after Phemie Mackinnon, who worked for the Forestry Commission and was a well-known figure in Strontian. Those who enjoy combining different types of paths will find several walking routes around Strontian and up to the mines. Detailed information is available in a local walking guide.

History along the way

Strontian Parish Church stands on the west bank of the Strontian River. It was built in 1827 and follows a design by Telford. Its floor plan is T-shaped, with a porch on the south side. The church is also at the end of the Back Road Walk, thus linking a specific building with a riverside walk.

A different historical perspective is offered by the route from Ardnastaing to Scotstown, “The High Road”. This is an old route between Ardnastaing and Scotstown that follows one of the historic coffin roads. These routes led to Eilean Fhianain, St Finnan's Isle, in Loch Shiel. This means that when planning your trip, you can choose between a short local walk, forest trails and a route with a regional history passed down through the generations.

Strontian as a base for active days

For cycling tours, Sunart Cycles is based in Strontian and offers bike hire on the West Highland Peninsulas. Together with the walking routes along the Strontian River, the forest paths in Ariundle Oakwood and the historic routes, this creates a varied picture of the surrounding area. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore first consider which experiences should be the main focus: a short route from the Village Centre, nature trails in the woodland, a historic route or a day at Loch Sunart.

More local pages for trip planning: Breakish, Strathpeffer, Balintore, Carbost, Altandhu, Nethy Bridge, Latheron, Castletown.

To the overarching travel overview: Highland.