It’s Thursday 9th of September and we are travelling to our next destination of Kinlochbervie, a small fishing town on the northwest part of the NC 500 route. The weather is typically Scottish; a mixture of low cloud over the hills and rain showers. However, there were breaks in the weather for us to enjoy the drive north up the coast. Here are some photos of interesting landmarks on the way:
Wailing Widow Falls – A 50 ft. tall waterfall that is fed from Loch Gainmhich
Built in 1984, the Kylesku Bridge spans 900 ft. and crosses Loch a’ Chàirn Bhàin
Duartmore Loch and Forest
Just before arriving at our accommodation in Polin, just north of Kinlochbervie we stopped at a local beach called Oldshoremore – Wow! What a stunning bay and stretch of sand. Even though the skies were grey, the sea was a wonderful azure blue
The view of the bay and beach from the sand dunes
Hikers on the promontory overlooking the beach
An abundance of wonderful rock pools could be found all around Oldshoremore Beach
Inspired by our visit to Oldshoremore, the next day we decided to visit another beach. However this was slightly less accessible!
Sandwood Bay is best known for its remote 1-mile-long wild and spectacular beach and Am Buachaille, a sea stack. The bay lies about 5 miles south of Cape Wrath, the most north westerly point in mainland Britain. Behind the bay’s large dunes, stretches the freshwater Loch Sandwood.
It takes a 4.5 mile walk to reach the bay from the nearest car park. After exploring the length of the beach and dunes, we walked nearly 12 miles, but it was well worth it. Sandwood Bay is one of the most rugged and stunning beaches we have ever visited, anywhere in the world.
The sweeping sands of Sandwood Bay, with cloud rolling off the cliffs towards the Am Buachaille sea stack
Close up of the Am Buachaille sea stack
Inlet to Loch Sandwood
View of Loch Sandwood from the back of the sand dunes
After we arrived back from Sandwood Bay, the rain started to move in. So feeling quite exhausted we put up our feet with a good book for the afternoon.
Saturday, was a day of rest due to the inclement weather; heavy rain and winds. It was quite nice not to climb a mountain!
Sunday the weather was much better, when we travelled to our next stop. We decided to pack up and leave early in order to explore the area around Durness, before driving east on to Thurso. Leaving Kinlochbervie we caught a lovely view across Loch Inchard:
Early morning in Kinlochbervie with the view across Loch Inchard as the sun breaks through on the distance peaks and on the 2,980 ft. Ganu Mor mountain on the left
Our first stop in Durness was a quick visit to Balnakeil Bay. As we had arrived early we were hoping to find the beach deserted, which it was, except for the cows! We had heard a couple of days earlier that the nearby Cape Wrath was closed for military exercises, so it was no surprise to meet a group of armed soldiers in the Balnakeil Bay cark park, having just been dropped there by mini-bus. They had no idea what they were going to do but knew it was some sort of live round exercise! We assumed that some sort of zodiac would shortly arrive on the beach to pick them up.
The deserted beach at Balnakeil Bay, except for the odd cow!
A short drive to the other side of Durness is the fabulous Sango Bay. It is divided by a small headland into a more secluded cove to the north and Sango Sands to the south, which is known for its dramatically sculptured rocks erupting through pristine sands.
Sango Bay – the more secluded cove to the north
Sango Sands with its dramatic rock formations on the beach
Charlotte amongst the rocks
Waves crashing into the rocks
A final stop before arriving in Thurso was at the Kyle of Tongue. This is a shallow sea loch with its mouth formed at Tongue Bay. The loch is crossed by the Kyle of Tongue Bridge and Causeway.
The bridge and causeway crossing the Kyle of Tongue
The views from the Kyle of Tongue are dominated by the 2,509 ft. Ben Loyal, here partly covered in cloud
Our accommodation in Thurso was a beautifully converted barn on a small farm. The farm has a small herd of Highland Cattle and 600 free-range chickens. Four Emus provide protection for the chickens by eating or attacking any of their predators. We also had our own small herd of Highland Cattle in the lounge!
Chickens with their Emu protector, a lovely Highland Cow and our own Highland Cow footstools
The next day we visited two places that had geographical bragging rights. The first is Duncansby Head. Unlike its tacky, touristy neighbour, John o’ Groats, Duncansby Head is the real north-eastern tip of the Scottish mainland, located 1-2 miles north-east of the famous signpost! However, its main attraction are the Duncansby Stacks, a collection of four towering sea stacks just off the coast. We have become fascinated by sea stacks and how weather has crafted these sculptures. Here are some pictures of the Duncansby Stacks:
A rare picture of the photographer with Charlotte and in the background the two main sea stacks and the rock arch, Thirle Door in front of them
One of the larger stacks back-lit by the sun reflected off the sea
All four stacks visible from the cliff top
We then headed for our second location, Dunnet Head. This is most northerly point in mainland Britain. A short drive to a viewpoint at the end of the head offers a 360 degree view of the area. The Orkney Islands to the north, Duncansby Head to the east and Thurso to the West can all be seen from this vantage point. It was a very clear day and we could just see Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain. It was definitely a day for bragging.
Dunnet Head Lighthouse is also located nearby. Due to its location it was used as a radar station and U-Boat and shipping tracking station in WWII. A number of old military structures from that time are still standing.
Dunnet Head Lighthouse and the Orkney Islands in the distance
Finally we took a lovely long walk along the beach at Dunnet Bay, which lies at the south-western end of Dunnet Head.
Stretching for over 2 miles, Dunnet Bay is a fantastic sweeping arc of white sandy beach backed by rolling sand dunes. The beach is a surfer’s haven and offers some quite dramatic surf when the winds are high. Even though there was only a breeze when we visited, there were a number of surfers in the water.
The sweeping sands of Dunnet Bay as the weather front recedes out to sea
If you have been following this blog closely you will see that we have visited a number of lighthouses, and they all look the same. We have a theory that they have all been built the same way, a bit like an Ikea flat-pack! To check out this theory, on Tuesday we visited another one, this time at Strathy Point. It just happens to be located on a dramatic stretch of coastline that includes a natural stone arch – the real reason for going. As it turns out the Ikea theory still holds! Here are some photos:
Strathy Point Lighthouse was the first Scottish Lighthouse designed as an all-electric station. It became automated and unmanned in 1997.
Natural rock arch and beautiful coastline beyond
The dangerous rocks and currents mean the lighthouse is a necessity for Strathy Point
We then decided to re-visit the area around the Kyle of Tongue, which we passed through when travelling to Thurso. This included a walk to castle ruin at the top of a hill overlooking the vast estuary that is the Kyle of Tongue and another crossing of the causeway. The weather was very different this time around, so it was good to see the landscape in a new light. Here are some pictures:
The ruins of Castle Varrich
View from the castle to the seaward side of the Kyle of Tongue and the causeway, with the estuary of one of the many rivers flowing into the loch
View from the mini beach on the causeway crossing the Kyle of Tongue, looking south to the 2,509 ft. Ben Loyal mountain in the distance – no cloud on the mountain today!
Today is Wednesday and we are visiting the Castle of Mey. Shortly after the death of King George VI in 1952, his wife and now the HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, purchased the castle and over the next 2-3 years refurbished the buildings, gardens and the surrounding 30 acres of parklands. Every year The Queen Mother would visit the castle in August and October. Since her death in 2002, Prince Charles visits at least once each year, renting the castle for a few days in August.
Castle of Mey
Charlotte enjoying the castle’s Walled Garden
The coastline adjacent to the Castle of Mey
This completes our northern leg of the NC 500. Tomorrow we start the east coast section of the route and the final part of our Scotland Road Trip.
Charlotte & Graham's Travels 