Home » Mellon Charles
A sheltered beach once owned and used by the Ministry of Defence. The old WW2 pier is a fantastic place to explore.
Urchins, anemones and wrasse can be seen beneath the waves and in the summer, look out for arctic terns. Kelp along the rocky shoreline also provides habitat for juvenile fish.

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Facilities

Parking

Gallery

What other people say

How to get there

By road

From Ullapool, drive south along the A835, turning west onto the A832 to Aultbea. Follow the coastline north to Mellon Charles and arriving at The Boom Beach. A very large car park is available in front of the beach.

The nearest electric vehicle charging station is in Gairloch (16 miles away).

 

By rail

The nearest train station is Achnasheen (44 miles away)

By bus

Buses are provided locally by George Rapson Travel

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Driving

Public
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Walking

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Local conditions

Here is the wind forecast and tide times for this snorkel site. It is your responsibility to assess whether these conditions are suitable for snorkelling.

Other considerations

More information

  • The Ullapool Sea Savers are a group of young people in Ullapool who work hard to raise awareness of and protect marine life, both locally and globally. The Scottish Wildlife Trust are proud to have supported their formation and inspiring activities. Visit their website and social media channels to find out what they’re working on and lend your support.
  • Connect with Seaful, a UK charity helping more people to reconnect to the ocean and waterways, for their mental health benefits, and to nurture stewardship of our blue spaces.

Wildlife warning

Please be a responsible snorkeller; do not touch, take or tease wildlife.

This area is home to breeding seabirds (April-September) and seals (harbour seals June-July, grey seals August-December). Please behave responsibly and stay distant, wildlife should be left undisturbed. For more information see sealalliance.org and nature.scot. Avoid disturbing ground-nesting birds and livestock; follow the Outdoor Access and Marine Wildlife Watching codes.

Stay safe

  • Take extra care when approaching and swimming alongside the concrete jetty. Keep a safe distance, looking out for any underwater obstructions and potential sharp edges.

Snorkelling can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is your responsibility to check the conditions present on the day and assess whether it is safe to snorkel.

Please read our top tips to being a safe and responsible snorkeller.

Look out for the following species on your snorkel...

Fish
Small-spotted catshark
Ballan wrasse
Butterfish
Poor Cod
Crustaceans
Shore Crab
Velvet Swimming Crab
Hermit crab
Brown crab
Molluscs
Painted topshell
Dog whelk
Flat periwinkle
Common limpet
Other invertebrates
Snakelocks anemone
Common cuttlefish
Dead man’s fingers
Lightbulb sea squirt
Jellyfish
Lion’s mane jellyfish
Moon jellyfish
Barrel jellyfish
Stalked jellyfish
Starfish and urchins
Common starfish
Common Brittlestar
Sunstar
Common urchin
Marine plants
Cuvie kelp
Maerl
Seagrass
Bladder wrack

Species records

Visit the NBN Atlas to see all species records from this site

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Top tips

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Snorkelling can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk.

Information is provided free of charge; it is your responsibility to check the conditions present on the day and assess whether it is safe to snorkel.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust strives to provide accurate information but cannot accept responsibility for changes, errors or omissions.

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