Aptly named ‘the jewel of the highlands’, Plockton is the perfect place to spend a day on your trip to Scotland's stunning west coast.
A postcard perfect village about 7 miles from the Skye bridge, Plockton will leave you wanting to head home to fetch your pets and come back permanently. While there are plenty of things to do in the surrounding area, this post is going to focus on what to do in Plockton itself - it’s a great place to spend a day if you’re wanting a low-car or car-free day.
Go see some wildlife!
If you’re in the Plockton / Kyle of Lochalsh area, you probably will see the “free boat trip if no seals” signs advertising Calum’s Seal Trips. They run wildlife watching trips looking for seals, otters, dolphins, and seabirds. They are also dog friendly, which is perfect if you’re adventuring with your furry friend. We really wanted to do one of their trips but ran out of time.
Other wildlife to look out for:
- Otters at dawn and dusk
- Take your binoculars and do some bird watching
- Sea snails - the water is so perfectly clear, look out for the little tracks left by the snails
Kayak over turquoise water
Turquoise water is not just reserved for the mediterranean or the carribean my friend, oh no; Scotland gets its fair share of it also. The water around Plockton is crystal clear, and on a calm day you could happily spend at least a couple of hours exploring the sea around the area.
You can hire kayaks and take yourself off out on a little trip from the harbour, or Sea Kayak Plockton run guided tours.
Enjoy lunch with a view
Sit on a bench, or perch on a wall, and enjoy your lunch with a beautiful view over the shore, out to Duncraig Castle, and towards some little islands. If you’re not taking your own lunch, here are a couple of places to get some snap:
- The Plockton Shores cafe has a takeout menu
- The Plockton Hotel has a seating area out the front
- The Harbour Fish Bar
Go for a stroll
You could easily spend an hour or two ambling along the shore, down the pier, and over to the little island when the tide is low. WalkHighlands has a few walks listed, ranging from short strolls to something to get the blood pumping:
How to get to Plockton
Plockton is pretty easy to get to via car; it's not far from the Skye bridge, is about 2 hours from both Fort William and Inverness. Wherever you're visiting Plockton from, you'll be treated to some beautiful scenery.
Public transport is a little trickier. It's fairly easy to get a get to a bus to Kyle of Lochalsh (Rome2Rio is probably your best bet for finding buses), which is a few miles from Plockton, but the last few miles of the journey are tricky. There is a local bus service, however it only runs a handful of times a week so it might not be ideal depending on your visit. If you're travelling by bus, the easiest thing to do would probably be to take a taxi from Kyle of Lochalsh to Plockton - you can find some local taxi numbers here.
The train journey into Plockton is supposed to be incredibly beautiful, so that may be something to consider. All trains to Plockton go through Inverness, so if you're not already staying around Inverness perhaps plan a couple of days exploring Inverness first. That would be a great way to break up your journey if you don't fancy a long stint on the train and a good excuse to see even more of Scotland. I find Trainline the easiest place to figure out train times - I might then compare it on other sites to see if I can get it cheaper once I know what trains I need and their departure times.
A day in Plockton will leave you feeling all kinds of relaxed and in awe of the beautiful scenery. We went on the last day of our trip and wished we'd discovered it earlier on. It's definitely somewhere we want to go back to - I can just imagine spending a few days there, kayaking, desperately trying to see otters (they evaded me on our trip!), watching sunsets, and exploring the area on foot.
