Royal visit rumours and Short-term Lets Control Zone moves forward
Read to the end to watch a video of dolphins swimming upside down and having fun.
Hello and welcome to this week's Wester Ross Round-up. For this issue we're sending to a record 1247 people, who mostly live in the wettest part of the UK. If you know a friend, neighbour or colleague who might find the virtual sunshine of this newsletter useful please do forward it to them and encourage them to sign up. It's free!
🟡 At a council committee this week it emerged that 68% of Wester Ross residents who responded to the official council consultation backed the introduction of a Short-term Let Control Zone, whilst 92% of Short-Term Let operators that live outside the area oppose it. Four Wester Ross Community Councils also gave a response to the consultation and they split 50/50 for and against. Wester Loch Ewe and Kinlochewe and Torridon Community Councils were the two that were opposed. At the meeting, councillors agreed to recommend that proposals for a Short-Term Let Control Zone in Wester Ross are taken forward. More committees need to consider the proposals before any new rules come into force. More: Council report (pdf) and Hector MacKenzie | Ross-Shire Journal
🟡 At the same committee meeting, councillors also agreed to award £20,000 from the local area regeneration budget to the council, to undertake a feasibility study on re-opening the Achnasheen public toilets that are in a building owned by the council and were previously closed... by the council. More: Highland Council
🟡 This week Loch Ewe Community Enterprise were awarded £345,663 to take forward plans to develop the former Bac Dubh builders yard into a community-owned business park.
Ally Tibbitt
Note - We sent this story to all our paying supporters one minute after the news broke on Tuesday. If you'd like to get occasional breaking news stories like this from us as they happen, you can sign up as a paying supporter here.
🟡 The Communities Housing Trust have a 2-bedroom house for sale in Shieldaig. More: CHT
🟡 Prince Harry, Meghan and the kids are rumoured to have visited Tanera Mor in Loch Broom recently, but nobody official is commenting on it. More: Mike Merritt | Northern Times
🟡 There has been a "catastrophic failure" of a Radio Wester Ross transmitter that broadcasts to the Gairloch area. They advise listening online until a repair can be made. More: Facebook
🟡 It was the Aultbea Flotilla (not a raft race) last weekend. We'll have a report and more photos in the next issue of the Gairloch and District Times. In the meantime, if you have any photos from that event - or any others - that you'd like to share with us, please send them to us using this form. The deadline for contributions to the next issue of the paper is Friday August 7 at 10am.
Events
In July, this newsletter community shared 90 events on our local calendar, and there were more than 2300 clicks to local venue or event websites. Below, we can only post a selection from all the events that have been posted. There are many more events to check out here. If you know of an event that is not listed on the calendar yet you can help by adding it using this form. It's the best way to get something listed in this newsletter and in the Gairloch and District Times.
🟡 Artist in Residence Performance Sharing
Angela Stone, Vivid Roots Collective resident artist at Macphail Centre, will be sharing more about her project centred around the period of time in the 1980s when Ullapool was a major hub for the Klondykers (the herring/mackerel processing factory ships that anchored in Loch Broom during the Winter seasons).
Fri 07 Aug | 2.00pm | Macphail Centre · Ullapool | More info
🟡 Traces and Textures - Exhibition Launch
Join us for the launch of Traces & Textures, an exhibition by three wonderful local artists, Ailsa Watson (Poolewe), Heidi Soos (Badrallach) and Justine Ritchie (Loch Broom). Free tea, coffee and cake for attendees. Free entry for residents of Wester Loch Ewe Council Area.
Sat 08 Aug | 1.00pm | Inverewe Garden (National Trust for Scotland) · Poolewe | More info
🟡 Poolewe Picnic on the Green
Fun, games and FREE ICE LOLLIES (while stocks last). Bring a picnic and join the fun. All welcome, kids and adults. We'll have games and races ending with the kids Tug-of-War.
Sat 08 Aug | 2.00pm | Poolewe Village Green · Poolewe | More info
🟡 Drop-in Tuesday Crafts & Social [Every Tuesday]
If you sew, draw, craft, paint, knit (or take part in any kind of making!), or simply fancy a blether, drop in any time between 2pm and 4pm every Tuesday. The kettle will be on, there may even be a biscuit of two and there's always good company.
Tue 11 Aug | 2.00pm | Old School Inverasdale · Poolewe | More info
🟡 Fun with Robots
For age 7+ with adult supervision. Explore robotics, coding and problem solving with the Science Skills Academy. An opportunity to gain control of small ball shaped robots called Spheros. Build an obstacle course and challenge yourself to complete it with your robot.
Wed 12 Aug | 10.30am | Gairloch Museum · Gairloch | More info
🟡 Micro Art Workshop with the Science Skills Academy
A fun-filled STEM workshop suitable for young people age 7+ exploring the microscopic world and turning your discoveries into art with the Science Skills Academy.
Wed 12 Aug | 1.00pm | Gairloch Museum · Gairloch | More info
🟡 Poolewe Cèilidh Partnership - Calum MacColl & Friends
The Poolewe Cèilidh Partnership (P.C.P.) is a group of volunteers who run a series of cèilidh dances throughout the summer each year to promote traditional music and fundraise for local good causes. Tickets on the door.
Wed 12 Aug | 7.00pm | Poolewe Village Hall · Poolewe | More info
🟡 Open Garden Day
Camellias, magnolias and bulbs in spring, rhododendrons and laburnum walk in this ancient walled garden. Exciting planting gives all year round interest, centred around one of the oldest yew trees in Scotland. A water sculpture, unique Victorian glass house, riverside walk, arboretum. Proceeds donated to charity.
Thu 13 Aug | 2.00pm | Dundonnell House · Ullapool | More info
🟡 Family Quiz Night
We are helping to host a Family Quiz Night at The Shieling with GALE. A fun general knowledge quiz with some questions with a local flavour, plus a grand raffle. All funds raised will go towards Gairloch Museum outreach work. Adults & Children welcome
Fri 14 Aug | 5.00pm | The Shieling Community Pub · Gairloch | More info
🟡 Wester Ross Cup - Horse Racing Night
Experience the thrill of a race night on our big screen. Bar provided by Ewebrew. To reserve your entry email [email protected] / Tel: 07483871741. Fundraising for Aultbea Community Hub.
Fri 14 Aug | 6.30pm | Aultbea Community Hub · Aultbea & Laide | More info
🟡 Great Wilderness Challenge Cèilidh
Celebrate 40 years of the Great Wilderness Challenge by dancing the night away with Ali Buckets and Friends. Raising money for Highland Hospice.
Sat 15 Aug | 8.00pm | Poolewe Village Hall · Poolewe | More info
Jobs
Do you have a job vacancy you are trying to fill? Reach even more local people by advertising in the Gairloch and District Times. You can book space here.
🟡 Last week we shared a link to a Post Office advert for a Poolewe Postie. This week there's a vacancy in Gairloch. More: Angard Staffing
🟡 Gairloch Museum are still on the hunt for a craftsperson with experience of traditional turf building. More: Gairloch Museum
🟡 Highland Council are also advertising for four part-time posts at the Gairloch Recycling Centre. More: MyJobScotland
🟡 The Aultbea Hotel is hiring for front of house and kitchen staff. More: Facebook
🟡 Noost knitting shop in Ullapool is looking for a part-time worker. More: Facebook
More News
🟡 Wester Ross Councillor Chris Birt, who has already been suspended from the SNP after he voted to allow a convicted a rapist called David Brown to keep his taxi operator's license, now faces an "unprecedented" vote of no confidence at the next full council meeting. At the time of writing he was still listed as a member of the council licensing committee on the council website. More: BBC News, Highland Council
🟡 If you feel like we've had enough rain already, you wouldn't be unjustified. Whilst many parts of England have had no rain at all for weeks, the North West Highlands of Scotland is about the only bit of mainland Britain to have had more rain than average in July. More: Met Office
🟡 The Mountain Bothies Association has announced that it is to close the Craig bothy from August 19 to September 5 to allow for maintenance. More: MBA
The most popular links from last week:
🟡 Government agency, NatureScot has announced the projects that have won cash in their latest funding round. The Scottish Wildlife Trust has received a grant for work at the Inverbroom Estate. More: NatureScot
🟡 Young people across Wester Ross got their exam results this week. We don't know the details yet from local schools, but Highland Council have given region wide statistics, and shared some numbers to call if someone you know is unsure what to do next. More: Highland Council
🟡 And lastly, here's a video posted by Anthony Riggell of a Risso's Dolphin off the North East coast of Skye swimming upside down and generally having fun. More: Facebook
Correction Note published on 7/8/2026: When first published, this post said that councillors had awarded money to the Achnasheen public toilets feasibility study from the local discretionary fund. In fact it came from the local regeneration fund. We are happy to clarify.
Comments ()