NC500 #5 Western Sutherland to Ullapool

After a very comfortable night & wonderful breakfast in Tongue, the Kyle of Tongue bridge took us out of town  towards the causeway & a beautiful scenic & we came across the most perfect (in my mind) harbour & lighthouse. 

We stopped at the top & looked down on the most beautiful white crescent sands & a few boats bobbing along near it - a double beach. It looked so idyllic that it was hard to tear myself away & the photos do not do it justice. 

   

This area is known for a dark period of history - the Highland Clearances, forced evictions of thousands of tenant farmers & their families. It is a complicated  time in Scottish history that I am not fully up to speed on so the info on the link is probably the best history. 

This north western part of Sutherland is stunning. 

The gift of time is wonderful; we booked hotels that we not too far apart so we could have a full day to explore between them, especially as the coast is so fascinating.  There is always so much to see & do that you have to just decide what you want from each stretch, it leaves you wanting more ... 

Smoo cave is a must stop, a unique cave accessed by a long path down to the beach below. 

There is a very good overview of its position in this image - a unique cave worth the visit & steps 

On the Durness coastline, we stopped at Balnakeil & the ruined church & graveyard. It is an interesting place with the MOD occupying part of Faraid Head where there is an abundance of wildlife & coastal birds as well as seals. The Scottish poet Rob Donn is buried in this graveyard. 

A beautiful stretch of beach lies below the church, another pristine sandy one with beautiful turquoise waters. 

Castle Ardvrek is another landmark castle along the way - I decided to take photos of the names on the map because you start to forget which is which along the way when there is so much to see. It is perched on an island, accessible only by a narrow band of shingle beach. It was originally built by the MacLeod's of Assynt in 1590 & is said to be haunted by the weeping daughter of the Macleod chief.  

It was absolutely tipping down with rain so we did not walk to the castle but stopped at the lookout to enjoy it. However, it was interesting to see a small rowing boat with 2 people in it out on the choppy waters, like time stood still.

This coastline again has such stunning crescent shaped coves & beaches but the weather was turning & we did not have the sunlight to do it all justice. 

Kylesku Bridge is a known landmark & it is impressive, worth stopping at the pull in before to appreciate the engineering & beauty of it with the Assynt mountains behind it. It was only built in 1982 but has been recognised as a innovative structure. You do not fully appreciate it when driving over so the look out stop is essential (along with a coffee & something sweet at the catering van there)  

The weather had turned & it highlighted the dramatic landscape of high mountains, many with snow now & the deep valleys with intense greenery. 

The Old Man of Stoer lighthouse & stacks were another impressive stop, they are a real landmark along this coast too. 

The Stoer Head Lighthouse is a beacon with its white structure & yellow details.  Lighthouses are always perched up high & this means the winds really get up & you can appreciate the rough seas & rocks below. It is dramatic looking out on the wild seas ... 

No seaside stay is complete without a walk around the harbour & a fish & chip supper. I am rather partial to fish & chips at the coast & this was a very generous portion that hubby helped me finish (he had fish too, but not with chips so he was happy to help out.) 

Ullapool, like many towns along this coastline,  is a ferry port to the various Islands, this one to Stornoway & the outer Hebrides. Several guests at our hotel were up bright & early to catch the morning ferry after breakfast. 

Ullapool was founded in 1788 & the port was designed by the famous Scottish Engineer Thomas Telford (also designer in Wick) 

Leaving Ullapool, you drive along the picturesque Loch Broom with its windy road & impressive mountains. To be continued, do follow, share & enjoy, 

Dee 🛳️⛴️🚣‍♂️🚤⚓️

NC500 #4 The North Sea & coast of Scotland

After the excitement of the sea stacks & the windswept coast of Castle Sinclair near Wick, it is just a short drive to the furthest land point on the Isles - the infamous John o' Groats in Caithness, Scottish Highlands. 

We stopped off first at Duncansby Head Lighthouse & sea stacks high on the exposed point of the headland as it juts out in to the North Sea with the Pentland & Moray firth to each side of it. The wind was terrific & it was a struggle to open the car door against it.  The wind whipped around the high point & it tugged at all your coat & hair. I wish I had packed a bobble hat to protect my ears from the wind

The famous stacks were a fair walk in the wind & rain but I still had my preference of the wild coast at Castle Sinclair. 

Then onto John o' Groats to have photos taken at the iconic sign, to walk the harbour wall & visit the touristy shops along the sea front. 

Dunnet Head , some 12 miles south east of Duncansby is acknowledged as the most northernmost point of the Scottish & British mainlands. However, it is in a nature reserve & could certainly not take the tourists who flock to the John o' Groats signs for their picture. We did both & looked out on the cliff walls where seabirds nest. On the blustery day, it was impossible to focus in on anything in particular as it is another very exposed spot. 

It was disappointing that the Castle of Mey was not open on the day - it only opens Wednesday to Friday so I did not get to visit the castle & gardens of the late Queen Mother. 

Our route continued along the beautiful north coast, calling in at beautiful harbours, sandy beaches & coves. They are unexpected & quite beautiful, even on a breezy June day. 

At Dunnet links beach, we wandered along the tide line & I collected some seashells, just something I love to do. I was impressed that we did not see plastic pollution along the pristine sands & it was just glorious to have this part of the beach to ourselves. Heaven is the small things when you clear your mind & refresh your soul. 

We watched the ferry load at Gills Bay,  then along Strathy & Farr beaches, to the  crescent shaped Melvich beach & river mouth in the northwest Sutherland region. Many of the beautiful white sandy beaches are accessed by single track roads & they are far less inhabited.  Rugged cliffs & rocky outcrops are beautiful backdrops to the turquoise waters & white sands. A really beautiful, largely unspoilt part of the trip.

We walked along the harbour at Skerray Bay where a large stone wall protected the small harbour from the elements. 

The view from the harbour, across the bay was quite lovely.  

Some Dutch tourists came along & we chatted.  We had passed on our parking slip to them in John o' Groats & they remembered us.  

We chatted as we have visited several of the same places in Southern Africa & I have several lines of Dutch Ancestry. It was an interesting interlude with like minded travellers. 

  

We travelled to Tongue, an old Norse word & were in the land of the Gaels, Picts & Vikings.  So many cultures converged on this northern point of the Isles. 

We arrived at our hotel in Tongue late afternoon & were rewarded with a lovely room with a view. Some places you could easily spend a few nights in. 

The food was really good & the hotel goes the extra mile for guests & provide a flask of milk for the room alongside their generous tea / coffee / hot chocolate & biscuit offerings. Nice to see that they are removing as much single use plastics as they can (the milk containers with the tiny bit of milk) 

We looked at our maps & guide books to plan the next days adventures along the route - so much to see & do that it is worth having an idea of what to expect.  

From the hotel patio, Varrich castle can be seen on the hillside opposite, it was once the ancient seat of the Clan Mackay, thought to be 1000 years old. 

The current remains we built on top of an old Nordic Fort. However,  we decided not to do the 40 min each way walk as there are so many fantastic castles in Scotland & we could not visit them all. . We took a photo from the hotel only. 

The sea air guarantees a good nights sleep & we could hear rain against the windows in the night. 

What a treat to see the northern most headland of Scotland, somewhere we have not been to before. 

I hope you are enjoying the trip, 

Dee