Loch Eriboll

Loch Eriboll is a 16-kilometre sea loch on Scotland’s north coast. It lies sheltered from the stormy seas of Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth, making it a safe deep-water anchorage. Bronze Age remains dot the hills above the west shore, including a souterrain and a well-preserved wheelhouse. On the eastern shore stands Ard Neakie, once home to four large lime kilns built around 1870. Before the coast road was built in 1890, a small ferry carried people between Portnancon and Ard Neakie. Both places served as fishing stations in the 19th century. The loch played a key role during the Second World War. The Royal Navy used it frequently, and sailors carved the names of their ships, such as HMS Hood and Amethyst, into hillside stones near Laid. The largest island, Eilean Choraidh, was used for bombing practice aimed at the German battleship Tirpitz. In 1945, thirty-three surrendered U-boats, including U-532 and U-295, gathered here to end the Battle of the Atlantic. Today the loch remains a quiet training ground for amphibious exercises. Crofting townships line the shores: Eriboll, Laid, Heilam, Portnancon and Rispond. At the loch’s northern end sits Eilean Hoan, surrounded by small islets like A' Ghoil-sgeir and An Cruachan. The area is largely untouched, with high rainfall and the UK’s lowest population density. Herring, haddock and lobster once supported local fishermen, though catches varied with the seasons. The loch’s wild shores and calm waters offer a peaceful glimpse of Scotland’s remote north coast.