Lairg is a surprisingly large settlement for inland Sutherland. It has a petrol station, pub/hotel, post office, bank, caravan site, primary school, tourist information centre, and various shops, cafes, fish n chips, B&Bs and public toilets.
Lairg used to be called The Crossroads of the North because four roads converge here, and it also has a railway station. You may also spot the empty pens of the cattle market, which looks derelict and abandoned most of the time but in August it hosts the biggest cattle market in Europe, with farmers travelling from all over Scotland to attend.
If you approach Lairg from the south, you will run alongside the Little Loch Shin. This is a manmade loch created by the hydroelectric dam scheme, and is the home of the "Broon's hoose", a small, wooden dwelling on an islet. Take a moment to look at the house as various characters stand next to the house on occasions.
Notes for visitors with limited mobility:
There are disabled toilets at the public toilets.