Knoydart peninsula
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Many people regard the Knoydartpeninsula as Britain's most dramatic and unspoilt wilderness area. Flanked by Loch Nevis ("Loch of Heaven") in the south and the fjord-like inlet of Loch Hourn ("Loch of Hell") to the north, Knoydart's knobbly green peaks - three of them Munros - sweep straight out of the sea, shrouded for much of the time in a pall of grey mist. To get to the heart of the peninsula, you must catch a boat from Mallaig or Glenelg, or else hike for a couple of days across rugged moorland and mountains and sleep rough in old stone bothies (most of which are marked on Ordnance Survey maps).
At the end of the eighteenth century, around a thousand people eked out a living from this inhospitable terrain through crofting and fishing. These days the peninsula supports around seventy people, most of whom live in the hamlet of INVERIE. Nestled beside a sheltered bay on the south side of the peninsula, it has a pint-sized post office, a shop and mainland Britain's most remote pub, the Old Forge. Bruce Watt Cruises' boat chugs into Inverie from Mallaig. To arrange for a boat crossing from Arnisdale on the Glenelg peninsula to the north coast of Knoydart or Kinloch Hourn, contact Len Morrison (tel 01599/522352; £8-25, depending on passenger numbers).
Torrie Shieling (tel 01687/462669, torrreidh@aol.com; £15 per person), an upmarket independent hostel located three-quarters of a mile east of Inverie on the side of the mountain, is popular with hikers and families, offering top-notch self-catering facilities, comfortable wooden beds in four-person rooms, and superb views across the bay. In Inverie itself, Pier House (tel 01687/462347, www.thepierhouse.co.uk; £70-90 half-board), is a great place to stay, and has its own licensed restaurant serving à la carte evening meals, including some good veggie options. The Old Forge has generous bar meals, served indoors beside an open fire, and often live music of an evening. You can rent mountain bikes from Pier House.
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