Mallaig harbour was rebuilt in the late 19th century to serve a herring fleet that, at its peak, made the village one of the most important fish-landing ports in Europe. The herring are largely gone, but prawns and langoustines still come in by the boxload, and the rusted, working feel of the quayside is part of the appeal. CalMac ferries to Armadale on Skye nudge in beside Cromarty trawlers; smaller boats run out to the Small Isles, Inverie, and Loch Coruisk.
The harbour is the centre of town in every sense. The CalMac office, the chandlery, two or three pubs, and the best fish-and-chip shop (the Cornerstone, by the seafront) are all within a hundred metres. Stand on the breakwater on a summer evening and you can usually see seals lifting their heads in the harbour mouth and gannets folding their wings to dive offshore.