An Teallach path completed and Kinlochewe in the sun

Hello and welcome to this week's Wester Ross Round-up. Now that the weekend dreichwave has passed, hopefully you are able to enjoy this in a sunbeam somewhere that is not too hot, nor too cold, but just right. As regular readers know, we try to provide you with just the right amount of Wester Ross News each week in this newsletter, bypassing spam, tiresome pop-ups and AI-generated nonsense.

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🟡 A £300,000 project to improve three kilometres of upland path on An Teallach has been completed. It is estimated that 33 volunteers also put £16,000 worth of work into the project. It took nearly three years from start to finish. More: Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland

🟡 The Poolewe Village Hall committee are looking for donations to help them upgrade the building. More: JustGiving

🟡 The family behind the Midge Bite Cafe at Achnasheen have thanked all their customers after they handed over the keys to new owners. More: Facebook

🟡 Police Scotland are investigating reports of stones and other objects being thrown at cars on the A835, between Rogie Falls and Contin. Several drivers were hit on Thursday May 21 between 19:00 and 22:00. If you have any information or dashcam footage call 101 quoting incident reference 3656. More: Facebook

🟡 68-year-old Hughie Stirling from Ullapool has returned home after being detained by Israel after he tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Several local politicians wrote to the Foreign Office to call for his release amid claims that prisoners taking part in the flotilla were subject to "horrific treatment." More: Lucy Jackson | The National

🟡 Someone has taken it upon themselves to install some revamped SNP placards in Aultbea. They have reappeared with edits after the recent Scottish election.

Events

If you have an event you would like to promote in the next Gairloch and District Times, the deadline is Friday May 29 at 10:00. Send us details here.

🟡 This Saturday May 30, Ullapool art gallery An Talla Solais re-opens with new exhibitions and the chance to meet two of the exhibiting artists. More: An Talla Solais

🟡 The next instalment of a series outdoor play sessions, Slattadale Saturdays is also happening from 10:00 on May 30. More: Eventbrite

🟡 On Sunday May 31, Demba, the long-time Senegalese Chef-de-partie at The Old Inn in Gairloch, is serving up a special one-day-only menu to raise cash for a school in the Senegal village of Thiaroye-sur-Mer. It's an inspiring story. Read more: The Old Inn

🟡 The Old Schoolhouse, Inverasdale and The Shieling in Gairloch have teamed up to celebrate volunteers week. They are holding open days at each venue for existing volunteers as well as people interested in finding out more about volunteering with their local development trust. Details in the flyer below.

🟡 On June 9 two Professors will be in Ullapool to give a talk on what the recent Scottish election results tell us about Scotland. More: Eventbrite

🟡 At Gairloch Golf Course, it's the Gairloch Seniors Open on June 19. Entries are open now. More: Facebook

🟡 And on June 20, Gairloch Primary School Parent Council are holding their Summer Fair.

🟡 On Sunday 21, Applecross Walled Garden are putting on a Country Cross Gathering featuring country, blues and trad music. More: Facebook

🟡 Wester Loch Ewe Trust are holding a second public consultation event on their plans to acquire community land at Poolewe. There will be two sessions:
• Monday 29 June in Poolewe Village Hall at 19:00
• Tuesday 30 June in Inverasdale School at 19:00

Email [email protected] with any comments or questions.

🟡 On August 12, there will be a talk on Bees and Honey, with a chance to taste some local honey, at the Gairloch Library. More: Facebook

Jobs

🟡 FEATURED ADS: Kinder Croft have two posts available. One for a part-time Business Administrator, and one for an Outdoors Early Years Practitioner. More: Kinder Croft

🟡 FEATURED AD: The Torridon has a number of roles open, see the advert below. More: The Torridon

🟡 The Gairloch Community Car Scheme is looking for a part-time Coordinator to provide temporary maternity cover. More: Facebook

More news

🟡 The most popular baby names for 2025 have been revealed by the National Records of Scotland. In the Highlands, Oliver was the most popular boys name, and Olivia or Amelia topped the league table for girls. More: National Records of Scotland

🟡 BEARScot, the company that manages the A835, has updated a map of planned works in the NW, including several sites on the A835. More: BEARScot

🟡 Ullapool High School has bagged a Gold Award by Sport Scotland in recognition of its sport and active schools program. More: Facebook

🟡 A three-bedroom house in Poolewe has gone on sale for £300,000. More: Hamish Property

🟡 UHI NWH are running an elementary food hygiene e-learning course with assessment on Thursday June 18 at the Gairloch college centre. Cost £75. More: Eventbrite

🟡 Scottish endurance athlete Caroline Livesey is set to attempt breaking the women's cycling record for the North Coast 500 next month, aiming to raise £50,000 for her charity, Peak Education Nepal. More: John Davidson | Ross-Shire Journal

🟡 More than half a million pounds is being invested in sports provision for young people in the Highlands as part of the Summer of Sport program. You can check out what's on offer on the High Life Highland website and, if you are involved in a local community group, you might be able to apply for a grant of £500 - £2000. More: High Life Highland

🟡 Ofgem have announced that energy bills for households that are not on a fixed tariff are likely to rise by 13% from July, following the US-Israeli attack on Iran. Advice Direct say that this means that typical energy bills will be 64% higher than they were in April 2021. Bills are predicted to go up once again in October. Anyone worried about their bills can call 0808 196 8660 for free impartial help.

🟡 Thanks to a press release for a garden furniture manufacturer that regurgitated Met Office data, the Scottish Daily Express named Kinlochewe as the least sunny place in the UK, with an average of 77.20 hours per month.

Here are some photos shared by readers showing Kinlochewe in the sun.

Thanks to Douglas Bartholomew, Jan Kerry, Jen Pickering and Robert W Miller for sharing these photos of a very cloud free Kinlochewe. You can see more on Facebook here.