Ullapool

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title: "Ullapool" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-ross-and-cromarty", "ports-and-harbours-of-scotland", "port-cities-and-towns-in-scotland", "fishing-communities-in-scotland", "villages-in-highland-(council-area)", "populated-places-established-in-1788", "1788-establishments-in-scotland", "populated-coastal-places-in-scotland"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ullapool" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="infobox UK place"]

FieldValue
countryScotland
official_nameUllapool
gaelic_nameUlapul
edinburgh_distance_mi153
london_distance_mi485
population
population_ref()
os_grid_referenceNH125945
coordinates
static_image_nameUllapool sun.jpg
static_image_captionUllapool
map_typeRoss and Cromarty
civil_parishLochbroom
unitary_scotlandHighland
lieutenancy_scotlandRoss and Cromarty
constituency_westminsterCaithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
constituency_scottish_parliamentCaithness, Sutherland and Ross
post_townULLAPOOL
postcode_districtIV26
postcode_areaIV
dial_code01854
::

| country = Scotland | official_name = Ullapool | gaelic_name = Ulapul | edinburgh_distance_mi = 153 | london_distance_mi = 485 | population = | population_ref = ()

| os_grid_reference = NH125945 | coordinates = | static_image_name = Ullapool sun.jpg | static_image_caption = Ullapool | map_type = Ross and Cromarty | civil_parish = Lochbroom | unitary_scotland = Highland | lieutenancy_scotland = Ross and Cromarty | constituency_westminster = Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | constituency_scottish_parliament = Caithness, Sutherland and Ross | post_town = ULLAPOOL | postcode_district = IV26 | postcode_area = IV | dial_code = 01854

Ullapool (; ) is a village and port located in the civil parish of Lochbroom in the county of Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. It is located around 45 mi northwest of Inverness. According to the Scottish Government in 2016, the village had a population of 1,520 people, making it the largest settlement in Wester Ross.

Ullapool sits on a deep sea loch, Loch Broom, a significant natural harbour. As a result, Ullapool's port is regionally significant with ferries operated by Caledonian MacBrayne running from Ullapool to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. It also serves leisure craft, commercial fishing vessels and cruise ships.

The A835 road from Inverness to Durness passes through the village. This forms part of the scenic tourist route, the North Coast 500.

History

On the east shore of Loch Broom, Ullapool was founded in 1788 as a herring port by the British Fisheries Society. It was designed by Thomas Telford. Prior to 1788 the town was only an insignificant hamlet made up of just over 20 households. The harbour is used as a fishing port, yachting haven, and ferry port.

A road to link Ullapool with Dingwall was commenced in 1792. The village was historically in Cromartyshire, a county made up of many separate enclaves scattered across northern Ross-shire. Cromartyshire was abolished and combined with surrounding Ross-shire in 1890.

Ullapool has been described as the top geological hotspot in Scotland.

Parliament granted permission in the 1890s for a railway from Ullapool to the main Highland network at Garve railway station.

The name is possibly derived from the Norse word for "wool farm" or "Ulli's farm".

Landscape and geology

The region surrounding Ullapool is dominated by rugged mountains, and especially by Bheinn Ghobhlach to the west, An Teallach to the southwest (both across the loch), Beinn Dearg to the southeast close to the head of Loch Broom, and Beinn Mhòr na Còigich to the north. These summits are referred to as periglacial enclaves, a term used to describe areas that were adjacent to glaciers and impacted by cold climates.

An Teallach is a mountain which dominates the area and consists of Torridonian sandstone, which is layered nearly horizontally. It is a challenging climb and a considerable distance from the nearest road. Climbing affords views to the sea and the islands to the west, but also to the south, and the desolate Whitbread wilderness.

Ullapool sits on a substantial geological structure known as the Moine Thrust Belt. This geological feature spans a considerable distance from Loch Eriboll in the north, extending southwards to the Isle of Skye. The Moine Thrust Belt represents the western margin of the Caledonian orogeny which took place during the Palaeozoic era.

Culture

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Ullapull_2.jpg" caption="Ullapool"] ::

Venues for music and the performing arts in Ullapool include the Macphail Centre, which is located in the High School and includes a small theatre, and The Ceilidh Place, a hotel, restaurant, and music venue which has previously held concerts by artists including Rab Noakes, Dick Gaughan, Kathleen MacInnes, and The Peatbog Faeries. The Ullapool Guitar Festival is also held annually in the village.

An talla solais, an arts center, is located in the village, along with a swimming pool and fitness center, and several pubs, restaurants, and tourist accommodation facilities. The 19th, and final, Ullapool Book Festival was held in the village in May 2023. The Tall Ships visited Ullapool in July 2011, whilst sailing from Greenock to Lerwick.

Ullapool was home to the shinty team Lochbroom Camanachd; however, the club has not completed a competitive fixture since 2015.

Music

Throughout the year there are many small fèisean and music festivals in the local halls and hotels, especially in the Ceilidh Place and the Arch Inn. The Ullapool Guitar Festival takes place in early October each year, attracting performers at several venues over the weekend.

The Loopallu Festival, created by the American rock-grass band Hayseed Dixie and local promoter Robert Hicks in 2005, was well received and has become a major regional annual event, more than doubling the size of the village during the festival. In 2007 it attracted several bands including The Saw Doctors, Dreadzone and Franz Ferdinand headlining on the second night. There are also fringe events at local bars. The Pigeon Detectives have played the Village Hall. Amy MacDonald in 2008 and Paolo Nutini in 2007 both played the Ceilidh Place. Mumford & Sons have also played in Ullapool twice. The final festival took place in 2019.

Since 2023, the village has hosted Scotland's "most remote club night", called baile/baile, which showcases local and national DJs.

Ullapool has a local radio station called Lochbroom FM broadcasting on 102.2 and 96.8 FM and online, with programming provided mostly by Two Lochs Radio in Gairloch.

In popular culture

The community was rated as among the "20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland" by Condé Nast Traveler in 2020.

The fictional X-Men character Rahne Sinclair was born in Ullapool.

Ullapool is referenced in the multiplayer video game Team Fortress 2 as the hometown of Tavish Finnegan DeGroot, known in-game as the Demoman, and in the name of an in-game melee weapon that the Demoman can choose to have in his loadout, the "Ullapool Caber", a German Type 24 stick hand grenade.

Ferry service

In 1970, Ross and Cromarty council voted to create a new £460,000 () ferry terminal at Ullapool, 43 mi from Stornoway, replacing that at the Kyle of Lochalsh that is 71 mi from Stornoway. The ferry terminal is linked to the A835 trunk road with the A893. During 2022 the Ullapool Harbour Trust commenced a £4.3 million project to construct a new promenade and wider access road along the trunk road which will improve the inner harbour, provide pontoons for marine tourism and provide better access for pedestrians and cyclists. At the terminal Caledonian MacBrayne operates a roll-on/roll-off carferry to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.

Gallery

Ullapool Museum Telford Church - churchyard - J H Wallace 1.JPG|Old Telford Church: memorial to J H Wallace, lost in the sinking of the SS City of Benares Ullapool Mill Street Old Burial Ground - Cameron Gravesite - image 06.JPG|Mill Street Old Burial Ground: grave of Lord Cameron, KTDSC Sgurr fiona.jpg|upright=1.3|Sgurr Fiona and the Corrag Bhuidhe pinnacles on An Teallach Ullapool in summer 2012 (5).JPG|Ullapool Ferry Terminal Ullapool-2003.jpg|A view of Ullapool from a nearby hill (Maol Calaisceig) Ullapool in summer 2012 (2).JPG|The main street in Ullapool

Climate

Ullapool has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) with, considering its northerly latitude, relatively mild temperatures year-round. With an average 1,105 sunshine hours per year, it is cloudier than any major city in Europe.

|location = Ullapool (1 m asl, averages 1981-2010) |width = 89.2% |metric first = Y |single line = Y |Jan high C = 5.1 |Feb high C = 5.5 |Mar high C = 7.0 |Apr high C = 10.0 |May high C = 13.4 |Jun high C = 15.3 |Jul high C = 17.2 |Aug high C = 16.6 |Sep high C = 14.4 |Oct high C = 10.8 |Nov high C = 7.5 |Dec high C = 5.2 |year high C = |Jan low C = -1.2 |Feb low C = -1.1 |Mar low C = 0.2 |Apr low C = 1.6 |May low C = 3.9 |Jun low C = 7.1 |Jul low C = 9.1 |Aug low C = 8.8 |Sep low C = 6.6 |Oct low C = 4.0 |Nov low C = 1.3 |Dec low C = -1.4 |year low C = |rain color = green |Jan rain mm = 236.3 |Feb rain mm = 164.0 |Mar rain mm = 175.3 |Apr rain mm = 94.0 |May rain mm = 87.7 |Jun rain mm = 85.7 |Jul rain mm = 98.2 |Aug rain mm = 103.5 |Sep rain mm = 150.3 |Oct rain mm = 199.5 |Nov rain mm = 191.8 |Dec rain mm = 180.5 |year rain mm = |unit rain days = 1 mm |Jan rain days = 19.7 |Feb rain days = 17.0 |Mar rain days = 20.4 |Apr rain days = 16.0 |May rain days = 14.7 |Jun rain days = 14.2 |Jul rain days = 14.9 |Aug rain days = 16.5 |Sep rain days = 17.4 |Oct rain days = 20.1 |Nov rain days = 19.2 |Dec rain days = 17.2 |year rain days = |Jan sun = 26 |Feb sun = 54 |Mar sun = 85 |Apr sun = 134 |May sun = 186 |Jun sun = 151 |Jul sun = 127 |Aug sun = 125 |Sep sun = 96 |Oct sun = 66 |Nov sun = 34 |Dec sun = 21 |year sun = |source 1= |source 2=

References

References

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  2. John C. Wells, ''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''
  3. Iain Mac an Tàilleir. "Placenames". Scottish Parliament.
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  6. "About – Ullapool Harbour Trust".
  7. (5 March 2013). "History". Ullapool Harbour Trust.
  8. "Welcome to Ullapool".
  9. Miller, James. (2017). "The finest road in the world: the story of travel and transport in the Scottish Highlands". Birlinn.
  10. (16 June 2016). "Dramatic Scottish coasts among top geology hotspots". [[The Scotsman]].
  11. Iain Mac an Tàilleir. "Placenames". Scottish Parliament.
  12. (2009). "Digital surface models and the landscape: interaction between bedrock and glacial geology in the Ullapool area". Scottish Journal of Geology.
  13. "Make Mine A Big Whitbread Please (1)".
  14. (1998). "Exposure dating and validation of periglacial weathering limits, northwest Scotland". Geology.
  15. "Home".
  16. Media, Web Smart. "Whats On at The Ceilidh Place in Ullapool".
  17. Spiegel, Max. "Dick Gaughan performing again".
  18. "Ullapool Guitar Festival, Ullapool – Celtic, Folk and Traditional".
  19. "An Talla Solais".
  20. "Ullapool Visitor Guide - Accommodation, Things To Do & More".
  21. (2022). "Ullapool Book Festival to be held for last time in 2023".
  22. "ANNOUNCEMENT – Ullapool Book Festival".
  23. (2011-07-14). "Tall ships to arrive in Ullapool in the Highlands". BBC News.
  24. (2011-07-18). "Tall Ships at Ullapool {{!}} The Scottish Coastal Rowing Association".
  25. "Lochbroom lift Minch Cup".
  26. "Clubs".
  27. (31 August 2017). "AUK album premiere: Mark Olson "Spokeswoman of the Bright Sun" – Listen".
  28. (2015-03-02). "Mumford & Sons unveil mini festival near Aviemore". BBC News.
  29. Goodwyn, Tom. (2011-02-16). "Mumford & Sons announce Scotland tour and ticket details". NME.
  30. (2019-09-26). "Loopallu festival bows out after 15 years". BBC News.
  31. Smail, Alexander. (2024-10-20). "Scotland's 'most remote club night' returns to Ullapool this November".
  32. "Lochbroom FM {{!}}{{!}} Local Radio in the Highlands of Scotland".
  33. "Two Lochs Radio, Wester Ross, 106 & 106.6 FM".
  34. (20 October 2020). "THE 20 MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN THE UK AND IRELAND, 20 October 2020".
  35. (January 1996). "[[Excalibur (comic book)". [[Marvel Comics]].
  36. [https://www.teamfortress.com/classes.php?class=demoman Team Fortress 2 - Demoman] Retrieved 2012-5-7.
  37. [https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Ullapool_Caber Ullapool Caber - Official Team Fortress Wiki] Retrieved 2017-1-6.
  38. . (22 October 1970). ["Ross and Cromarty council vote. Ullapool is Ferry Terminal"](https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19701022/361/0018). *[[Aberdeen Press and Journal]]*.
  39. (29 June 2018). "Shore Street & Inner Harbour Development".
  40. "Ullapool climate". Met Office.
  41. "Climate information for Ullapool". Scottish Places.

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populated-places-in-ross-and-cromartyports-and-harbours-of-scotlandport-cities-and-towns-in-scotlandfishing-communities-in-scotlandvillages-in-highland-(council-area)populated-places-established-in-17881788-establishments-in-scotlandpopulated-coastal-places-in-scotland