Bed & Breakfast Sign
Gairloch Museum

Gairloch has been an important tourist destination since the late 1800s. Queen Victoria visited the area in 1877, staying at the Loch Maree Hotel. She wrote very favourably in her diary about her visit and the beauty of the area, though it apparently rained during most of her trip.  

Visiting the Highlands was made fashionable by Queen Victoria and, by the early 1900s, well-to-do people from all over the country would make the long journey north to spend a week or two enjoying the fresh air, scenery, and often fishing on the pristine lochs.  

After World War Two, widespread ownership of the motor car brought new types of visitors to Gairloch. Thanks to grants from the Highland and Island Development Board, many local people were able to adapt their homes to welcome visitors on a Bed & Breakfast basis. Signs like this one could be seen on crofthouses throughout the area and souvenirs of Gairloch could be purchased in local shops as a reminder of a holiday, or as a gift for someone at home.  

Tourism is still an important but very seasonable industry in Gairloch. The Museum welcomes around 12,000 visitors a year from around the world and bed and breakfast accommodation is still available, though in much smaller numbers.