If you are looking for the excitement of a big city with its crowded streets,
large department stores and a night life centred round pubs and clubs
Laide is not for you.
If you want to find peace, quiet and a relaxing atmosphere the
Old Smiddy Guest House is just the place to come to.
The area offers a variety of walks ranging from a gentle stroll
across one of the many sandy beaches, short coastal walks on cliffs
and along rivers to picturesque waterfalls,
to something longer and more demanding over the moors or into the mountains.
Inverewe Gardens, a National Trust for Scotland Property, are a short car ride away,
a delightful days outing in any weather, but especially during the height of the Rhododendron and Azalea season.
Wester Ross is a photographer’s paradise with its endless capacity
to reveal stunning landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna.
For the most patient, the area is home to abundant wildlife.
Deer are plentiful and seals are often seen around the rocky coast,
but rarer pine martens and otters may be spotted.
Birds, especially sea-birds, are evident in large numbers. Shags and cormorants
line the rocky outcrops, waders run about the sandy shore feeding and avoiding
the waves and a Golden Eagle or the White Tailed Sea Eagle
may even be seen soaring overhead.
The locality is not short of historical remains with the ruins of the chapel at Laide being the closest. Remnants of the Second World War can still be seen around Loch Ewe, with the monument to the seamen killed with the Russian Convoys, attracting visitors to Cove, which is at the entrance to the Loch.
There are 9 hole golf courses at Gairloch and Ullapool.