The Destitution Road was built by men working to earn their rations during the potato blight of the 1800s

Dundonnel might look unremarkable on a map in comparison to its northerly, popular neighbour, Ullapool. Yet the area features one of the mainland’s most remarkable mountains, easily rivalling Skye’s Cuillins, as well as spectacular geological features and nationally-important wildlife.

The area around Dundonnel and the Fisherfield Forest to the south is often referred to as ‘the Great Wilderness’, as thousands of hectares lie uninhabited by people. It also contains some of Scotland’s finest Munros (mountains over 3,000ft), and for this reason attracts many mountaineers looking for a challenge.

For hillwalkers, Dundonnel is best known for An Teallach, a towering mountain with near-vertical sides and a ‘toothed’ ridgeline of consecutive craggy peaks. The full traverse requires mountaineering skills and a strong head for heights, and should only be undertaken by those with the right skills and equipment, or led by one of many mountain guides available in the area. However if this is a little out of your comfort zone, a very different but equally spectacular route on the mountain is much more accessible (although without a path in many places, requires navigation). Coire Toll an Lochan is one of Scotland’s finest corries – bowl-shaped valleys carved out of the mountainside by ice – with views up the steep sides of An Teallach to its towering ridgeline. The walk takes 4-5 hours and is relatively easy, climbing only 490m, yet with views to challenge any hillwalk in Scotland.

Keep an eye out as you drive around the area, as it is populated by wild goats and semi-wild sheep, which care very little for the rules of the road! Take extra care on corners, and if you do stop for a photo, make sure it’s in a safe place. Thanks to the lack of human settlements, the area is great for other wildlife too, including golden eagles, red squirrels (brought back here by reintroduction in recent years) and red deer.

As you turn off the Ullapool road to head south to Dundonnel, don’t miss a visit to Corrishalloch Gorge, just a few hundred meters past the junction. This spectacular, narrow, vertical-sided gorge is spanned by a footbridge – only for those with a head for heights! The walls of the gorge are blanketed with mosses, lichens and ferns, giving it a prehistoric and wild feel. Woodland trails let you explore the area further where you can admire the waterfalls of the River Droma and keep an eye out for birds including golden eagles which are sometimes seen over the gorge.

To the west of Dundonnel are Ardressie Falls, where the Allt Airdeasaidh tumbles down rocky slopes with the summit of Sail Mhor in the background. The walk to the falls is steep but short (a 1.5mile journey there are back) and the path is eroded in places, so take good, sturdy footwear!

Dundonnel may be small but is surely one of the best locations for mountaineering and lower-level walks in a truly wild and sparsely inhabited area. Thanks to its isolation, wildlife flourishes here and so keep an eye out in the trees for a leaping red squirrel or even higher for a soaring golden eagle!