Ullapool's Loopallu festival to come to an end

Glasgow band The Van T's in Loopallu's big top in 2016

This year's Loopallu music festival in the north west Highlands will be its last, organisers have confirmed.

The two-day event, now in its 15th year, takes place in September in the village of Ullapool.

Organisers said increasing demand from tourists for accommodation had made it harder for festival-goers to find somewhere to stay.

Last year's headliners included Hunter and the Bear, Idlewild, Gun and Tidelines.

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There had previously been fears that the 2017 Loopallu would be the last because it could no longer access its usual site.

A change of venue, moving from a site near a beachside campsite to Ullapool's pier, allowed the event to continue.

Crime writer Val McDermid has previously appeared at Loopallu

But organiser Robert Hicks told BBC Scotland that this year's Loopallu - which takes its name from Ullapool spelt backwards - was "definitely the last".

"When we started the village was near deserted in September," he said.

"Fast forward 15 years, many more people are visiting the north west Highlands which is a wonderful thing, but it's made accommodating the Loopallu faithful even harder as there's such a demand for beds.

"So better to bow out than fade away. We're having a bit of a retrospective of the years where the line up is concerned."

Mark Radcliffe and his bands have preformed at the festival in the past

This September's headline acts have all previously performed at Loopallu.

In previous years, The Wonder Stuff, Twin Atlantic and Mark Radcliffe's bands Galleon Blast and UNE and Glasgow act The Van T's have played at Loopallu.

Best-selling Scottish crime writers Val McDermid and Ian Rankin have also given talks at the festival.