Lochinver sits at the centre of some of Scotland's most dramatic and least visited landscape. The Assynt district has more mountains per square mile than almost anywhere in Britain, and each one — Suilven, Canisp, Quinag, Ben Mor Assynt — has a character entirely its own. Most can be climbed without technical equipment but all demand proper hill-walking gear and a map. The walking is long, boggy, and magnificent.
The coastline north and south of Lochinver rewards exploration on foot. A network of minor roads and tracks links a series of small bays, with short walks to empty beaches and sea-cliffs. The village has a lifeboat station and a harbour where fishing boats still work; it makes a good spot to watch them come and go.