Getting here
Balmacara Estate is located on the Lochalsh peninsula and covers over 2,500 hectares. There are a number of locations where visitors are able to stop and walk, see monuments or simply take photographs.
There are two main locations with larger car parks and a wider range of visitor facilities:
Balmacara Square – Located just off the A87, there’s a large free car park here as well as shops, a café, gallery, picnic area and a variety of walking/cycling trails.
Postcode: IV40 8DJ
Plockton – The visitor centre (open April–October) is located in the heart of the village, next to a large free car park which can get very busy in the summer months.
Postcode: IV52 8TW
Travelling by car – Balmacara is easily accessed by car from both the north and south. To the south the A87 runs alongside Loch Alsh, and the estate is just 3 miles before the Skye Bridge. To the north, Plockton can be accessed from the A890, which runs alongside the shore of Loch Carron. The estate is just a short detour from the NC500 (around 15 miles).
Travelling by bus – The southern side of the estate along the A87 is part of a Scottish City Link bus route, with stops at Kirkton, Balmacara Hotel and Kyle of Lochalsh. Check the Scottish City Link website for details and timetables.
Travelling by train – One of the most picturesque train journeys in the world, the Kyle Line, runs through Balmacara Estate. The Inverness to Kyle train stops at Plockton and can also stop at Duirinish by request. More details and train times can be found on the Scotrail website.
Opening times
-
Estate
- Current periodAll year, daily
-
Plockton visitor centre
- 1 Jan–31 Mar, closed Current period1 Apr–31 Oct, daily, 11.00–17.00
-
Steadings Gallery
- Current period1 Jan–31 Dec, variable, see our Facebook page for details
Entry prices
- Adult
- Free
- Family
- Free
- One adult family
- Free
- Concession
- Free
Planning your visit
Here is some guidance for when you visit our visitor centres or gallery:
- One family group at a time in the visitor centre and Steadings Gallery – please wait for people to come out if there are already visitors inside.
- We advise visitors to wear face masks or coverings (unless exempt) inside the visitor centre and Steadings Gallery.
- Please try not to touch the interpretation panels and exhibits. If you pick up a leaflet, take it with you rather than putting it back.
- The toilets at the Steadings Gallery are not available for public use at the moment.
- The audio-visual display at Plockton is not available at the moment.
- Hand sanitiser is available for use on the way in and out of the spaces.
With 17 miles of walking trails, 120 archaeological sites and protected marine and woodland environments, not to mention the gallery, shops and cafés, there’s no shortage of things to do on Balmacara Estate ... so the most important thing when planning your visit is to leave plenty of time!
It’s worth thinking about stopping off in a couple of locations to truly appreciate the variety of spectacular landscapes and scenery that Balmacara offers.
We recommend starting your visit to Balmacara Estate at our main visitor centre in Plockton, where you can find out more information about the estate.
Balmacara recently won the award of the most dog-friendly Trust property in a survey carried out by the Press and Journal. Your four-legged friend is very welcome to join you as you explore the estate!
Public transport can be used to reach the start of many walking routes. If you’re doing a linear walk, it might be easier to catch the bus or train to your destination and return via the local path network (or vice versa).
For more information about planning your visit please see our Facilities drop-down information or our frequently asked questions.
Facilities & access
We have an ongoing programme of accessible content development. Detailed accessibility guides for the most visited Trust places are available on our Accessibility pages as well as links to useful resources.
We’d love you to visit the Euan’s Guide website to review the accessibility of Trust places and tell us (and others) what’s good and where we need to do better.
Disabled parking is available at Lochalsh House by arrangement with the estate office.
Dogs are welcome throughout Balmacara Estate but must be kept under control, especially around livestock.
There are two holiday cottages at Balmacara Estate:
Craggan Cottage (sleeps 4)
Ferry Cottage (sleeps 4)
Booking a holiday with the National Trust for Scotland helps us to protect these places, now and for the future.
As well as our main visitor centre at Plockton and at Balmacara Square, there are a number of other sites with smaller car parks:
Lochalsh Woodland Walks – just to the south of the A87 with a large free car park and colour-coded walks (See map)
Coral Beach – a beautiful secluded beach formed from Scottish maerl, around 500m from the car park (See map)
Duirinish – walks through the crofting townships and along the coast, with a few Highland coos and a café nearby too (See map)
Murchison’s Monument – panoramic views to Skye and Glenelg across Loch Alsh from this monument to Colonel Donald Murchison, a loyal kinsman and factor to William, 5th Earl of Seaforth (a Jacobite earl in the 1715 and 1719 risings) (See map)
Kirkton – access to routes to Kirkton Bay, Reraig and the ‘Hill of the Angels’ (See map)
Loch Achaidh na h-Inich – the site of an ancient crannog dating back around 3,000 years, where in summer numerous dragonflies can be seen (See map)
Visual interpretation panels can be found at Lochalsh Woodland Walks, Reraig and in Plockton (at the open-air church and the main car park). There’s some audio on the touch-screen panel, with text for those with hearing difficulties.
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