Vanlife Road Trip - Part 12: NC500 North Coast - Dunnet Head to Achininiver Beach
14 - 18 September 2021
After leaving a very crowded car park at John O'Groats, we headed to the North Coast section of the NC500. We were expecting busy roads, busy beaches, busy tourist locations and no wild parking spots... Yup, we were wrong again!!
Yes, there were a lot more motorhomes on the road, and some of the key 'hotspots' on the route were busier, but most people appeared to just pull in, take a photo, and head off again, and avoided anything not on the 'official' NC500 route; which left some epic spots for us to enjoy away from the crowds...
Our first port of call was Dunnet Head. It's a gorgeous drive off of the NC500, passing beautiful lochs and bays, to visit the steep cliffs of the most northerly point of mainland Britain. A pretty lighthouse, epic cliff faces, stunning views of Orkney and the Atlantic, are your reward for making the short twisty journey up here. We had set off early, and the laybys and pull ins up to the lighthouse were full of small vans and tents who had made this their home for the night. It was peaceful at the carpark, as we were the only ones there, and we were relieved not to have to fight for a space. We stopped for a mooch around, admired the gorgeous view, chatted to the birds, and then made our way back down the same road to Dunnet Bay Beach.
Now, Dunnet Bay is one of those ugly, boring, crowded beaches that I've mentioned before...
See what I mean?!
We had arrived at Dunnet Bay early because we knew it was going to get very busy. Not only is this one of the nicest beaches in the UK, but the surf was looking epic, and the forecast was promising sun. We grabbed a prime spot, checked out the beach and surf, returned to the vans for breakfast and then got kitted out for some fun in the sun. We ran in to the water like excited kids on the first day of the summer holidays, and paddled out through the surf, ready to catch our first wave. I had my Hot69 belly board, which proved to be perfect in the lovely 3 foot surf, and as the sand bar slopes rather gently, it was easy for me to leap on to the face of the wave and get some fun rides in. George was on her surfboard and catching some lovely waves; it was just perfect. After an hour or so, we plodded back to the vans (to a now very busy carpark) for some snacks and to chill in the sun with the boys. The sun and early start became too much for us, so we retreated inside for a nap!
After enjoying a final stroll up the beach with the dogs, we made the short drive to Sibster; a Forestry Commission carpark that has some lovely short walks and a designated dog area. We spent the next day and two nights recouping and chilling under the sun, before heading to Thurso to get fuel and food, at what we were informed was the last supermarket we'd see for 200 miles and 18 days...
The drive from Thurso is another epic route, and despite being set back from the coastline, the views are stunning and you just want to stop every time you catch a glimpse of a little sandy bay. The first part of the journey is flat, and at times it feels as though you are driving across moorland, where the sandy coloured grasses mingle with the bright greens of the agricultural land. The old grey buildings of Dounreay stand out against the bright blue sea beyond, and despite the signs warning of radioactive matter, the popular surf beach of Sandside Bay forms a pretty sandy crescent leading to a picturesque fishing harbour at the end of this narrow lane.
However, we weren't heading to Sandside; we were making our way to Melvich Beach. We drove across more barren, heather spattered, moorland; little lochans reflecting the sun on their glassy surfaces, with the ocean getting closer and closer as we headed west. We entered Melvich village, drove past the hidden turning (not signposted!) to the beach, spun around in a slightly precarious spot and headed back for another shot at the lane... I made it, George over shot! Eventually, we both made it down the rough, bumpy track to a small (but perfectly formed) carpark overlooking the Halladale River. After a little recce of the beach, we grabbed our wetsuits and boards, and ran through the dunes, down the sand bank (I tried to slide down on my belly board - doesn't work; even with a push!) and in to the gorgeous sea with perfect surf.
After an epic surf, we lounged around on the grass by the vans, had a picnic and read; the sun was glorious and it seemed rude to leave, so we stayed overnight along with a crowd of vanlifers and surfers.
The morning dawned, with the promise of another beautifully sunny day, and after a gorgeous walk along the river mouth to the sea, we decided to head back to the beach for a swim. The water felt cold after being in wetsuits the day before, but it was warm enough for a short swim. The water was so clear and the GoPro came in to its own, capturing some stunning underwater footage of our swim in the turquoise water along the sandy sea floor. After a couple of wonderful days at this very pretty bay, it was time to leave.
The road carried us over more open moorland, and at Bettyhill Viewpoint, the distant peaks of Ben Hope and Ben Loyal began to take shape on the horizon. From the peaty moors, we entered a section of narrow road, hemmed in by crags, and as we entered Bettyhill, the view was dominated again by the sky and sea as they merged together.
Looking out over Torrisdale Bay and the River Naver, you could see steep coffee coloured sand dunes, perfect bays of Mediterranean blue water and islands of various shapes and sizes that dotted the coast which lay in front of us.
Shortly after following the river upstream past Achina, you cross over a small iron sided bridge and you suddenly question whether you're still on the main road... But the views looking both up and down the river soon make you stop questioning the road choice and gasp instead at the breath taking scenery surrounding you. Soon the road branches off and here you can join the B871 that weaves its way up the river to Loch Naver, and on to Altnaharra and eventually Lairg. We joined the road at Altnaharra a few days later on a different journey, and I expect the drive along the River Naver would be pretty special.
We continued along the A836, the terrain reverting to the open moors again, more glistening lochans dotted across the landscape like peaty bogs on Dartmoor, and trees and fields started to spring up as we drove further along. The flat moors turned to sloping hills full of ferns, and suddenly we were entering Coldbackie and the sea was visible once more. Just as you exit the village, there's a cliff to your left and a layby on the right; from here you can see the stunning Coldbackie Bay, supposed to be one of the best beaches in Scotland, and the cluster of islands known as Rabbit Islands. Yes, you guessed it; it used to be home to hundreds of rabbits used as food for the Mackays of Tongue. To the right, you can see Eilean nan Ron; which translates as the 'Island of the Seals'; every year hundreds of pups are born on this beautiful island that's situated just 2 miles off the north coast.
We debated hiking down to the bay, but the wind was really strong, so we decided to carry on to the local café to use their internet to find a spot where we could do some van admin. I was running low on fuel and we needed to find somewhere to fill our water and empty the rather full toilet! Weavers Craft Shop and Café was just the ticket... great view, lovely coffee, yummy food and I even made a new friend; Honey the Highland Coo! Of interest, it looks like the café is currently for sale, so if anyone has £375k they'd like to loan me to buy it, you know where I am!
I settled Honey in to her new home and we continued the drive down to Tongue. It's a funny road, and even quirkier village. You descend down the hill to a sharp switch back at the heart of the village; down a narrow lane to the left there is a little shop and a hotel, and to the right a toilet block. Then after the bend, nothing for a few hundred meters until you come to a church. I was desperately searching for the petrol station, Google told me it was near the little shop, but there's clearly no fuel there (I went up and down a few times looking for said petrol station!), then just after the church there's an old run down and closed shack on the left that has one old fashioned pump that's been converted in to a self serve fuel pump! Super random...
Fuel tank once again full, we headed off over the Kyle of Tongue Causeway and it's epic views, and mooched along the coast to Talmine. We had an appointment with a lovely lady at Bayview Campsite, where she had agreed we could fill up our water and empty our loo for a £5 donation. There was an hour to wait until she would be on site, so we wandered up and down the sandy bay, paddled in the warm sea and played on the sand stacks - I love how you can stand on the edge and they collapse!
We filled up our water and emptied the overladen loo, and discussed staying the night, as it was only £10 per van and the location was just amazing, but she could only offer us one boggy patch, as the site was full, and unfortunately the shower block was closed. So, I gave her a larger donation to thank her for her help, and we headed up the road to a spot I had read about, which potentially had a little park up we could use for the night.
Ok, so big claim here... I think this was the BEST park up of the trip - there were a few others that were pretty epic but this was something special.
Achininiver Beach lies just 1.6miles north of Talmine Bay. A single track road leads you out of Talmine up a steep hill, past cute crofts and the tiny Loch Vasgo, around a swooping bend and then, 'boom', the pale brown caramel toned sand and sapphire blue water greet you in the bay below. The sight of this beautiful beach is beyond words and the scale of it just can't be shown in these photos. It's not a hugely wide beach, but because it has a very low tide, it feels as though the sand stretches for miles before meeting the rough sea beyond the safe harbour like bay. The cliffs rise up either side of the bay offering no access to the sand below except via the steep descent where we parked, or from the farm on the other side of the river. The cliffs are covered in prickly grass; sheep, cows and horses graze amongst the fern and birds of prey circle the far rockface hunting for dinner.
We strolled down the steps, over the boggy peat puddles, hopped over the rocks and came to a fabulous grassy knoll that hosts a fire pit and a picnic bench. This would be the perfect camping spot, but it's a bit mizzly, so we decide we'll just enjoy the cosy vans tonight! Health and safety note; do not wear flip flops on wet grass... I fell directly on my butt, banged my noggin and felt suitably stupid. Fortunately we weren't making a YouTube video or anything...!!!
The beach was even more stunning up close; the sand was super soft, the water warm and clear and the tide was lapping at our feet as we bimbled towards the shrinking sandbar. Soon I was paddling through the water up to my knees fully clothed, but it was worth it to see the solo seal who was fishing just a short distance away. We watched him for a while before walking back to the vans for food and to admire the view for the next three hours. As we were chilling, I saw a large pod of dolphins swimming past the bay, they were jumping and playing as they sailed by. This truly was the most amazing spot, and there was nobody around; just us, the seal, the dolphins and the peregrine falcons...
The next morning, we were kitted up in our wetsuits and ready to play. The sun was shining, the mizzle had vanished and the sea was just inviting us to explore. We carried the SUP down the steep climb to the beach, set up our spot for the day amongst the rocks, and started the mammoth task of inflating it. After seeing the surf, George decided she wanted her surfboard, so off she went back up the slope to the vans to get the boards!
Despite best interests, the surf wasn't really big enough to catch on the surfboard and the sets were far and few between. I managed a wave on the belly board but it was definitely a SUP day. So, boards were abandoned and on the SUP we went.
If you are an avid reader, you'll remember that George is a big girls blouse and scared of anything and everything; especially deep water and seaweed - oh and seals and dolphins... and possibly fish! So, the paddle was interesting as we set off out of the bay to explore the nearby coves. I did all the hard work by paddling and keeping us afloat, as she worried about how deep the water was and if we may get attacked by a seal. So I threw her off... Yes the water was exceptionally deep; no she did not get attacked by any sea creatures!
'We' paddled around the corner of the bay to reveal another glorious white sandy beach; the waves were rather bigger and stronger here, so we surfed in to be delicately placed - aka turfed off - on the awaiting sandy shore. It was like a movie, as if we had landed on a deserted island; although of course it wasn't deserted or an island, but you would never know, as it was so undisturbed and peaceful. We played on the beach and in the waves for a while before George started panicking about getting back (!); so we launched in to the surf between sets and I paddled furiously back in to the quieter water and around to the main bay once more.
We returned to the water to swim and dive under the clear water, swimming along the sandy sea floor looking for non scary or threatening sea life, before calling it a day and climbing back up the incline, with all our gear, ready to pack the vans up and prepare to move on from our own slice of paradise.
We hadn't even meant to come this far around this coast, we were literally getting supplies and heading in towards the mountains, but fate brought us here and thank goodness she did...
We'll certainly be back one day to Achininiver Beach; we'll camp on that little grassy knoll, SUP around Rabbit Islands and explore more of this epic coastline in slow time. Of course, we'll take precautions just in case those pesky sea creatures try to eat us!
Join us next time as we head inland to check out some mountains, finally have a wash and celebrate my 100th day on the road...
Thank you for reading... if you would like to watch George's videos of our road trip please check out her YouTube channel: 2Born2Travel
Dunnet Beach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SClQCYtl5wY
Achininiver Beach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4vwtns8ENs
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