Woke early to a beautiful morning this
morning and we were away relatively early after breakfast to head even further
north to walk to Sandwood Bay from Blaimore.
The road took us alongside Loch Assynt and then north through Kylesku and
Scourie, before eventually turning off the main road to Durness and John O’
Groats towards Kinlochbervie and then again on the single track road through
Oldshoremore to Blaimore. The views
south from here to Handa Island were fabulous: cliffs, beaches, breaking waves
and the swirl of tidal currents. We
quickly parked up, donned packs and set off across the moors to Sandwood. The 4 ½ mile path, undulating, but never hard
going, passed by several lochans and gave extensive views to Foinavon before
rounding a shoulder and suddenly giving a view down into Sandwood Loch,
surprisingly in quite a deep valley.
Shortly afterwards we could see vertiginous cliffs heading towards Cape
Wrath, the air misty with sea spray.
Soon the bay itself came into view below us; a mile long crescent of
pristine beach backed by extensive sand dunes.
Before we could actually see the beach we knew we had arrived as we
became away of the distant roar of the surf.
Our path led us steeply down and then through the dunes and onto the
beach itself which we had virtually to ourselves; not many people make the
effort to walk over 4 miles for a
paddle. To left and right were high
craggy cliffs and at the southern tip of the bay towered the finger-like
bastion of the sea stack Am Buachaille.
In front of us the pounding surf and calmer sea beyond. The colours would have well graced an
artist’s palette: inky blue, turquoise and jade green as the waves curled over
to crash in on themselves and then the gleaming white of the surf as it pounded
onto the creamy sand; the sky a clear cerulean blue and the beach backed by
grey, green marram grass. Always on the horizon was a smudge of grey; sea mist
I wondered? I was fascinated by the way
the waves, once broken rush up the beach in a sheet of white foam and then
recede with a sibilant hiss. The
steepness of the beach meant there was a strong backwash and we could hear the
constant rumble as sand and pebbles were pulled back and reclaimed by the
sea. Not a place for a safe swim or
paddle; the domain of the wet-suited, experienced surfer. We enjoyed a wonderful couple of hours, here revelling in the sights, sounds and smells of the bay, drawing and taking
photographs. All too soon it was time to
make our way back with the westerly sun lighting up the flow country and
mountains beyond. The whole of this area
is owned and protected by the John Muir Trust who look after some of the finest
wild areas in the UK. At Sandwood much
of the land is farmed by traditional crafting techniques. Just before reaching the car we met a couple
intending to wild camp in the bay, carrying, not only large packs of camping
gear, but a surf board and wet suits as well.
Magic!! Following a quick visit
and more photographs at Oldshoremore beach we began the journey home stopping
off for a drink at the Kylesku Hotel.
The light was amazing and the mountain and coastal views just stunning.
Once back at the van it was time for a hasty one pot
corn-beef hash and then the day was capped beautifully with the most wonderful
dark star lit sky with the Milky Way arching clearly right overhead. We even had a satellite and a shooting star.
What a day!!!
To view large, click on an image.
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