Kyle of Lochalsh

Friday, midday

Check into the Lochalsh Hotel ( doubles from £ 60, www. lochalshhotel. com) with its views over to Skye and beer garden.

1pm

Savour ‘ World Champion’ Cullen skink down at Fisherman’s Kitchen seafood shop and takeaway. Their wooden benches overlook Skye and the seafood is all local.

2pm

Check out the wee railway museum on the platform. The British rail network comes to an abrupt watery halt here, with the Isle of Mist menacing the background.

3pm

Hum that boat tune as you head over the sea to Skye on the modern bridge.

4pm

Reward yourself with a coffee or Skye ale at one of the brace of pubs in Kyleakin, before admiring the ruins of the village’s castle.

7pm

Back on the railway platform the Waterfront Seafood Restaurant offers boat- fresh langoustines, salmon and crab.

Saturday, 9am

Hit the water. Choose between one of the few glass- bottomed boat operators in Scotland ( Seaprobe Atlantis) and the adrenaline pumping RIB adventure with Wild Spirit.

1pm

Veer off the beaten track to the crofting community at Duirinish.

Common grazing is the norm with the bright new Croft Café a breath of fresh air. Squat lobsters star.

2: 30pm

Drive or cycle over Thomas Telford’s bridge and descend into Plockton, arguably the prettiest village in the West Highlands.

4pm

A walking circuit snakes around the estate at the northern end of the village, opening up views of Loch Carron and the Applecross Peninsula.

7pm

Devour queen scallops with bacon before a main of ‘ Plockton Prawns’ ( hulking langoustines) at the waterfront Plockton Hotel. Book a window table to survey the waters your dinner hailed from.

Sunday, 9am

Explore the National Trust’s Balmacara Estate. ■

A car or a bike is the best way to explore in and around Kyle of Lochalsh. Tourist information, www. visitscotland. com