Town

Living in Gairloch: Liveability Score 37/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Gairloch is 37/100, built from 7 categories. Measured against other towns, bills stands out most: 71/100 where the typical UK town scores 47/100. Broadband falls furthest short: 10/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

That is 13 points below the national benchmark of 50, the bottom quarter of all UK towns and villages. Also scoring 80 or better: environment (83). Transport (6), lifestyle (7) and schools (10) all fall below 30/100. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the IV21 postcode district.

37
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Gairloch scores 37 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Gairloch.
Or compare:
IV21 2AA IV21

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
—

Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.

Environment
83
Air Quality NO₂ 0.7 · PM2.5 3.2 · PM10 5 µg/m³
89
Green Space 68
Parks None
Sports Pitches Some 1
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 1

Services

Schools
10
2 schools in area
2Good
  • Gairloch High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2017
    Good
  • Gairloch Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
Healthcare
—
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service220.6 mi
Cumberland Infirmary221.7 mi
Hexham General Hospital235 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust195.2 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
Nearest GP surgeryAultbea & Gairloch Medical Practice8.9 mi
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

A&E, dentist and pharmacy data, and CQC ratings, are currently available for England only, not Scotland.

Broadband
10
Full fibre (FTTP)62.1%
available across Highland
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
10.8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
10.8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
96.8%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 18 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
59
Employment rate53.2%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed52%Unemployed2.7%Retired35.2%Student1.3%Other inactive8.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial36.2%Skilled & technical37.3%Routine & elementary26.5%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications43.5%
Home ownership72.9%
Among the least-deprived 39% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
Council tax Highland · 2025-26
A £1,018
B £1,188
C £1,357
D £1,527
E £2,006
F £2,481
G £2,990
H £3,741
Energy North Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band D
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
6
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

No nearby stations or motorway junctions found.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
7
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 5
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 2
Retail Shopping Adequate 7
Takeaways None
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Gairloch. HM Land Registry's Price Paid dataset covers England and Wales only. Scottish sales are recorded separately by Registers of Scotland, which we don't yet include. This is a gap in the data we hold, not a sign of an inactive market.

Nearby places

Aultbea 29 8.7 mi away ⇄
Ullapool 42 23 mi away ⇄
Lochcarron 34 24 mi away ⇄
Portree 42 29 mi away ⇄
Kyle of Lochalsh 34 31 mi away ⇄
Lower Breakish 0 34 mi away ⇄
Breakish 0 34 mi away ⇄
Broadford 36 35 mi away ⇄
Lower Bayble 37 37 mi away ⇄
Upper Bayble 0 37 mi away ⇄
Swordale 0 38 mi away ⇄
Liurbost 27 40 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Gairloch a nice place to live?

Gairloch has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Gairloch is 37/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Gairloch?

Among the top-rated schools in Gairloch are Gairloch High School and Gairloch Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Gairloch in total.

Postcode districts in Gairloch

IV21 36 ⇄

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