Elphin's name means 'bright rock', perhaps due to the limestone outcrop that gives the area its unusually lush, green grass

As you wind your way north on the A835 from Ullapool, an unusual green oasis appears among the heather moorland. White cottages are scattered over this green blanket, looking like a scene in a fairy tale. To the west, the iconic pillar of Suilven is silhouetted against the sky. This is Elphin – a tiny but quaint settlement that provides access to some of the north west’s finest hills, a mysterious cave system and a world-shaking discovery.

The area’s green vegetation is thanks to an underlying outcrop of limestone, which fertilises the sol and allows grass to grow where elsewhere only heather prevails. It’s said that this limestone also fertilises the freshwater lochs and leads to fish larger than any others in the northwest!

Just north of Elphin, the Inchnadamph Bone Caves are hidden up on the hillside to the east of the main road. A short (1.5 mile) but scenic walk through a valley leads you up to the cave openings on a steep cliff. The caves get their name from the bones of reindeer, lynx, polar bear and humans found in these caves – dating back to over 47,000 years old!

Elphin gives access to some of the finest mountains in the north west, including Cul Mor, Ben More Assynt and Canisp. The village has spectacular mountain views in all directions.

A little south of Elphin lies Knockan Crag Nature Reserve. It is here that, in the 18th century, rocks were discovered that shook the world – revealing older fossils on top of younger ones, they were the first suggestion that continents moved. This was a highly controversial interpretation at the time, but today geologists flock to the area to study the rocks (chances are, on a rainy day, you’ll see troops of mac-wearing, drenched students trudging up to the site!).

Elphin lacks the shops and restaurants of its southerly neighbour, Ullapool, but don’t miss a visit to Elphin Tearooms – their cakes are a real treat after a day on the hills (or just as a break on a long drive).

Elphin may be small but the area is grand in its landscape scenery, geological discoveries and archaeological importance. Just 15 miles north of Ullapool, it is well worth a visit.