Discover the oldest rocks in Britain, fossils of early life and evidence of a massive asteroid impact. Learn about Coigach’s journey across the planet in the last 3 billion years and how the landscape has been shaped in deserts, floods and under ice.
This award winning trail takes you on a series of geologically focused excursions around the peninsula and visits spectacular coastline, beaches and hills with commanding views of the Summer Isles and the mountains of Coigach and Assynt.
Our leaflet is a guide to this amazing story and can be downloaded as a low resolution PDF from the link at the bottom of this page. There are also links for a basic glossary of terms used in the leaflet and gpx and kml files (see note below) of the points of interest on the trail.
Sites on the shore are best visited at low tide and can be slippery so please take care and check the weather forecast and the tide times before you set out. Both are available in the information section of this site.
Please consider purchasing a printed copy of the trail leaflet when you are in the area which will help to support this and other local projects aimed at enhancing your visit. Copies are available from most businesses in Achiltibuie, Ullapool Bookshop, The Rock Stop, and Tourist Information Centres in Ullapool, and Inverness.
Discounted copies of the trail are available for retailers and for education. Please email us through our contact page to get in touch.
We would welcome feedback on the trail through our contact page or via visitor comments so please let us know what you think or just tell us what was good about your holiday.
BUY A PRINTED COPY from the North West Highlands Geopark website HERE
DOWNLOAD – The Coigach Geotrail (2.2MB PDF) (For computers, tablets and smartphones – not suitable for home printing)
DOWNLOAD – Coigach Geotrail Glossary (63KB PDF)
Need help finding the locations on the map?
Our free GPX & KML files can display the points of interest marked on the geotrail map on your phone, tablet or handheld gps device.
CLICK HERE for downloads and more information about these files and how to use them
This leaflet has been produced in collaboration with the British Geological Survey and the North West Highlands Geopark. Further information about the Geopark area can be found on their website.
We are indebted to the author Dr Patrick Cossey for his contribution to the project and to Pete Harrison(NWHG) and Maarten Krabbendam(BGS) for their assistance. We are also grateful to the following organisations for their financial support without which it would not have been possible. The Coigach Assynt Living Landscape Partnership, The Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Natural Heritage, The Curry Fund of the Geologists’ Association, Highland Council, Coigach Community Development Company and Coigach Community Council.
