Gairloch ( ; , meaning "Short Loch") is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. A tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a museum, several hotels, a variety of shops, takeaway restaurants, a community centre, a leisure centre with sports facilities, a local radio station (Two Lochs Radio), beaches and nearby mountains. Gairloch is one of the principal villages on the North Coast 500 route. The parish of Gairloch extends over a much wider area, including the villages of Poolewe and Kinlochewe, and has a population of 950. The nearest railway station is located at Achnasheen, and the nearest mainland airport is in Inverness. Geography Gairloch is a loosely defined area of settlement along the shores of Loch Gairloch, but primarily comprises three main clusters of shops, houses and amenities: the Harbour area (including Charlestown on the south side of the harbour), Achtercairn and Strath. Approaching from the south (on the A832 road via Kinlochewe), the B8056 turning for Badachro, Port Henderson and other settlements on the south side of the loch leaves left from the main road over a narrow 'hump-backed' bridge. Continuing north on the A832 towards the Charlestown and the harbour are the first settlements of central Gairloch to be met. About further north, Achtercairn is centred on the road junction with the B8021 coastal road that leads west along the north shore of the loch to Strath and on towards Melvaig on the west coast. The main A832 road leaves Gairloch, heading steeply up Achtercairn Brae leading out of the village to the north and on to Poolewe. The coastal climate is affected by the Gulf Stream, bringing relatively warm waters in summer. These warm waters are ideal for jellyfish which can swarm the local waters, although most species in the UK are harmless. Following a community campaign against proposals by Scottish Water to replace the existing treatment works at Fhasaich and discharge minimally treated sewage effluent into the loch, the main Gairloch beach () and the Sands beach were given Designated Bathing Waters status for 2017, and Scottish Water was asked to revise its plans to take account of the need to maintain higher standards of seawater cleanliness in the area. In autumn 2017 it proposed additional filtering and sterilization of the effluent, but only during