Badrallach
UK Scotland Highlands Ross-shire
How does it feel to get to the end of a track that’s eight miles from the nearest main road, in a remote corner of north-west Scotland? That’s a question that Badrallach’s owners, Owen and Christy, have put a great deal of thought and effort into answering.
To start with, if you’ve come this far, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be aiming to get away from it all – including other people. So there are individual camping pitches hidden away between bushes and rowan thicket. A web of little paths and bridges that will have younger campers playing hide-and-seek for hours allows you to navigate between them, while firepits – the best places to sit, rest and simply gaze at the amazing scenery – are duly provided at almost every pitch. Then there's the loo block, which may be in an old farm building, but is still one of the brightest and most welcoming washing facilities we’ve seen. Around the campsite, mountains rise into the north and east while not-so-little Little Loch Broom stretches out to the west. Venture out and you may well return wet/muddy/sweaty/all three in the course of a day, so you want showers that do more than tickle and tease. Badrallach has you covered.
Nature has also laid on a smorgasbord of adventures for you to savour. Sit at Badrallach for any length of time and you’ll become fascinated by mighty An Teallach, the mountain that sits across the loch, hunching its shoulders and glowering. If you do climb this splendid hill, remember it is one of the most precipitous ridges of any mountain in Britain and you should be fully prepared (in mind as well as body). If you fancy a more casual wander, there are paths running directly from the campsite along the foreshore and up to Beinn Ghobhlach, the hill behind the site.
Since this part of the world is the haunt of the mischievous highland midge, the campsite can be forgiven for locating itself a safe hundred metres or so from the waters edge – it also offers yet more encouragement to light that evening campfire. The loch can still be reached via a short path, though, and site warden Chris Davidson – a Highlander who’s been scouring this coast his whole life – is happy to lend advice if you’ve laden your car with fishing tackle. A little further along the coast is Scoraig, one of the most remote communities in Britain, which is only accessible by boat or a five-mile walk. It may take a while to trek there but then, out here, you'll have plenty of time on your hands. There's never a need to rush.
Indeed a slower pace of life is just the appeal of this part of Scotland. It’s certainly something that Owen loves about the place. A qualified botanist, herbalist and wilderness therapist, he has recently begun running nature-oriented workshops at the campsite, incorporating herbal medicine, stress-management and creative approaches such as music, art and writing. And, whether you come here to partake in soothing stress-relief or simply want a loch-side tent pitch, once you’ve been at Badrallach for a few days you, too, will settle into a new rhythm of existing. Time drifts here and pulls you along with it. So when you’re finally packing up, you’ll find yourself asking a very different question – how will it feel when you return to the world at the end of the road eight miles away?
Our Coronavirus Booking Guarantee
Book with complete confidence at Badrallach with the I Love This Campsite Coronavirus Booking Guarantee. We guarantee the following clear policy for your booking:
- A low deposit of 30% to secure your booking
- Balance due 30 days before your holiday
- Complete flexibility to move bookings up to the end of 2021 in the event of Coronavirus restrictions
- Due to the flexibility provided we are unable to offer refunds
- This guarantee supersedes any other policies
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Details
Facilities
20 grass pitches on a gently sloping field. 3 electrical hook-ups; 2 men's, 2 women's and 1 disabled loo, plus 2 unisex showers. Communal kitchen (including washing-up area and fridge) and a washing line. If not booked by a group, the bothy facilities can be used by campers: eating area, wood-burning stove, darts, board games, tourist info, small library and comfy settee. Campfires allowed; firepits provided on half of pitches. BBQs must be off grass. Owen runs nature-based retreats for mental and physical health and self-development (visit his Earthmind Fellowship website for further details). You can also rent the gas-lit cottage for a more luxurious stay.Suitable For
Tents, groups, dogs – yes. Caravans and campervans (max 3 at any one time; max length 6m) – yes. Caravans must be towed by four-wheel-drive vehicles.Nearby
The site is a great place for walking, climbing and kayaking (no fee for launching if you bring one) – there is a colony of seals living just a quick paddle away, often dozing on the rocks or popping up for a peak. Corrieshalloch Gorge is a spectacular chasm that you can reach easily by road (20 minutes). There’s also An Teallach (8 miles away) – ‘Scotland’s finest ridge walk’ and including 2 Munros – the 635-metre Beinn Ghobhlach just behind the campsite, and a beautiful 5-mile loch-side stroll to the roadless off-grid community of Scoraig. Much further afield, Gairloch Marine Life Centre (40 miles; 01445 712636) sees visitors join an expert marine biologist on a 2-hour cruise to spot porpoises, whales, dolphins and basking sharks.Food & Drink
The Dundonnell Hotel (01854 633204; nr Dundonnell; 7½ miles) has a restaurant and also does fine bar meals with frequent live music – choose either the Cocktail or the Broombeg Bar. If you’re prepared to head further afield, the Frigate Café (01854 612969) in Ullapool is a classy continental bistro that seems to have got lost and turned up in the far north-west of Scotland. It has a great little kids’ area and a backroom where you can hide from the weather with a hot chocolate.
Opening Times
All year.Why book with I Love This Campsite?
- Coronavirus Booking Guarantee
- Best Price Guarantee, with no fees
- Instant booking confirmation
- Trusted for over 10 years
- A chance to win prizes in our regular competitions
The Owner Says
We are a remote Highland campsite, complete with holiday cottage and a simple bunkhouse that comfortably sleeps 12. If the weather or midges are terrible then the bunkhouse (we call it the bothy) is there to help you escape – often this is best with a dram on front of our wood-burning stove. We have toilet and shower facilities better than many larger campsites and different types of pitches for different tastes – either hide in the gorse or stay out in the open. We've even got four electric hook-ups!
You'll find some of the most stunning scenery in Britain here, be it the spectacular mountains, the ever-changing coastal weather painting dramatic colours everywhere, or the incredible diversity of wildlife, which, sadly, is rarely seen elsewhere in the UK. Little Loch Broom (it's not that little) is the sea loch we are situated upon and it is part of a wider MPA (marine protected area) for the unique life that resides within it. There are excellent boating opportunities on the loch on calmer days, and also opportunities for recreational fishing around the entire coast – just ask Chris the campsite attendant for some local, rugged Highlander knowledge. There is much to be made of the hill-walking (especially the foreboding yet beautiful An Teallach), fat-biking, trail running, hill-loch fishing with the small chance of ferox or arctic char (which we ask you to return as these are genetically distinct and isolated populations). It's also a very popular stop-off point for NC-500 travellers.
Our price range is lower than that of any managed campsite we know of and you'll find an abundance of peace and quiet whilst you're here.
From EarthMind Fellowship CIC: At various points in the year we can provide a variety of workshops for exploring nature, both inner and outer, incorporating herbal medicine and nutrition, health and wellness, stress-management, HeartMath, Wilderness Therapy and creative approaches such as dance, music, art and writing. If you would like to know more please contact Owen Okie at emf@earthmindfellowship.org.
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Pitches
20 grass pitches on a gently sloping field. 3 electric hook-ups. No hard-standing pitches.Grass pitch with Electric Hookup
Location
Contact Badrallach, Badrallach Campsite, Bothy & Holiday Cottage, Croft 9, Badrallach, Dundonnell, Ross-shire IV23 2QP
Getting There
The Westerbus (01445 712255) Gairloch–Inverness–Gairloch passes the road end (approx 7 miles from the site). There is no bus-stop sign, so please wait at the junction and make sure you can be seen. The bus toward Inverness passes the road end at 08:50 on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and travels back from Inverness on the same days at 17:20 arriving at the road end just before 19:00. Please make sure you give yourself plenty of time to walk in either direction as the road to and from the campsite is not flat or straight and can be very exposed in places. Do not walk this path if you are not at a good level of physical fitness.
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Why book with I Love This Campsite?
- Coronavirus Booking Guarantee
- Best Price Guarantee, with no fees
- Instant booking confirmation
- Trusted for over 10 years
- A chance to win prizes in our regular competitions