Vanlife Road Trip - Part 13: NC500 North Coast - Tongue to Durness
18 - 25 September 2021
The drive along the lanes through Talmine and back to Tongue were just as stunning as they had been on the way to our epic park up at Achininiver Beach. Just before we crossed the causeway, we pulled over at the Melness Cemetery. The cemetery itself is one of beauty, the grand gravestones from the mid 1800s mingling with the more recent memorials, all celebrating the lives of locals through the centuries.
The cemetery sits on the western shore of the Kyle of Tongue, and the views looking north are worth stopping for... From here you can see the causeway spanning the water, with the site of the Mackays' Castle Varrich to the left and the peaks of Ben Loyal and Ben Hope poking their heads up towards the clouds at the northern end of the estuary.
As you head over the causeway, keep an eye out for a quirky road sign... in fact I saw a lot of these throughout the north of Scotland. I appreciate someone has technically defaced these signs, but the ones I saw were so well done, you couldn't help but smile, and I'm sure the signs appreciate a little more attention from the many passers by! So, keep an eye out, as you never know what you may see on the side of the road...
We retraced our steps through Tongue and headed in land towards Loch Loyal. The road winds across moorland for a few miles, small Lochans scattered around the landscape. As you drive further away from the coast, the landscape changes to rolling hills, and then, bam, mountains and huge Lochs fill the horizon. There's a great pull in at Cnoc Craggie with amazing views down the valley, looking over the Lochs and beyond to Altnaharra. We pulled in to take some photos and pondered whether to stop here the night, but I had read about a cool park up right on the side of the Loch a little further away. We carried on past the many passing places, cute boathouses and fern lined shores, until we were nearly at the end of the Loch and I started to wonder if this park up existed. Finally, I found the spot I was looking for; a great grassy pull in, off the road, on the edge of the Loch. I flung the van without much care around the tight turning, and reversed in, bumping over a few pot holes, to this awesome place we would call home for the night.
We considered a swim, but we were exhausted, so settled down for the night and the next day made use of the Karcher for an outside shower, as we stank. We even treated ourselves to a few kettles worth of hot water! This was an amazing park up, the midges were out but not unbearable, it was super peaceful, and the sky was stunning through the night.
The road to Ben Hope did not disappoint; it swept through the picturesque valley towards Loch Naver and Altnaharra, where we peeled off to the right, away from the many fishermen making their way to the local hotel made famous for hosting fishing trips in the beautiful surrounding Lochs and rivers. The road narrows even more and at times you feel as if you've taken a wrong turn (not that there are any turns) as you bump over rough tracks, pass huge deer fences and young woodlands. We were travelling along, gawping at the views, when we were met with an even more wonderful site...
Google calls it 'Romantic bridge in the middle of nowhere'; and to be honest, that's a pretty perfect title for this setting. The bridge actually spans the Meadie Burn where it joins, the too beautiful for words, Loch Meadie. This pretty Loch is actually four miles in length and has a handful of mini islands scattered within it, each hosting an eco system reflecting how the wider landscape would have looked in the past before burning and grazing. I could have spent days here, exploring, paddling, painting. It was so delightful and having the opportunity to paint this view would be amazing. Next time... (wish the photos did it justice!)
We continued the drive up the valley towards Ben Hope; stopping to visit our first Broch. Broch Dun Dornaigil is a really good example of these ancient drystone roundhouses built in the Iron Ages and believed to have been somewhat of a status symbol for wealthy and important locals. This Broch stands around 7m in places and it clearly goes much further underground. Unfortunately it can't be entered, but you get the sense of its size and how it would have dominated the landscape in the past.
As we approached the carpark for Ben Hope we knew we were back in tourist country. Large motorhomes, vans and cars were everywhere, with people decamping ready to climb up this impressive mountain. Ben Hope stands at 927m and is the most northerly Munro; it's very popular with walkers as it's an accessible peak with a steep but short approach from the car park. You climb up the side of Allt a'Mhuiseil, a gorgeous waterfall, which can be slippery and wet in places, and then join a steep track weaving amongst crags to a grassy slope on the southern ridge. Finally a steep climb takes you to the summit and the trig point, with views over this spectacular landscape, the many Lochans glistening in the sun and the Atlantic stretching away in the distance.
We didn't climb up on this occasion; it was hot, crowded and we had other plans! We mooched up the side of the waterfall, decided not to swim as we were nice and clean after out jet wash shower, had a sit down, admired the view and headed back to the vans to search out the perfect spot for the night.
Found a spot...
OK, so I was driving along avoiding people who couldn't reverse, and saw a little sheltered spot just off the road. It looked accessible, possibly provided access to the Loch for fishermen, so I swung on in. In hindsight, it may have been a bigger drop than I anticipated but the van held up to the abuse and it proved to be one of the best park ups EVER. Amongst trees and right on the edge of Loch Hope, under the shadow of Ben Hope, it offered level (ish) parking, shelter, direct access to the water and a nice view or two!
There was a little sandy spot besides the waters edge and I decided I could get Buttercup down to it; surely with her chunky tyres I'd be able to reverse back out in the morning... So I shifted my van down on to the sand and we sat and watched the world go by. The sunset was heavenly, and the gentle lapping of the water against the green wooden fishing boats calmed the soul. The dogs were happy as they could just run around and play whilst we enjoyed a cup of tea, or four, in this peaceful and enchanting place.
We woke to fishermen coming down to load up their pretty boats for a day on the Loch, and we chatted to them about our travels, the van, my off road driving and what they hoped to catch, before they whizzed off to their allocated spots to cast off for the day. After breakfast we commenced the expedition to exit the park up; this involved me overrevving George's van and bumping it roughly back up on to the road, before doing likewise with Buttercup (no dramas with the sand thankfully). Soon we were waving goodbye to our private slice of heaven on the shores of Loch Hope and heading onwards to the 'main road' and Ard Neackie.
On the day we visited this unusual mound of land, that's not quite an island, the Royal Marines were out playing cowboys and Indians and as it was so windy, we enjoyed the views from afar. This pretty piece of land, bought by the Countess of Sutherland from the Mackays, is attached to the mainland by a sandy spit and still features the old Ferry House and the large lime kilns built in 1870. It's definitely a spot I'd like to visit again and take the time to stroll around to see the quarry and views from the far side of the 'island'.
The road from Ard Neackie to Ceannabeinne Beach is nearly 15 miles and takes around 40 minutes to drive. It's a beautiful drive, through craggy moorland peppered with Lochans, tiny fishing hamlets and the never ending presence of the huge Loch to your right; but unfortunately there aren't many places to stop and enjoy the views. Locals aren't patient with motorhomes here; which is understandable, and we were careful to ensure we pulled over whenever a car got close behind us to let it pass. It's a busy section and you start to realise that you are now in the heart of NC500 land and the tourist zone...
As you drive over the hill to start the descent in to Ceannabeinne Beach, the bright blue sea and white sandy beach come in to focus and you catch your breath as you stare at the sight in front to you. Surely this can't be the north of Scotland...
We turned off and headed up towards the Golden Eagle zip line; alas it wasn't open with the winds being so strong, but it did mean the little pull in before the carpark was available. The wind was of concern and we kept debating whether to move to the main carpark below, but it was full of motorhomes and cars pulling in to take a photo and drive off again 3 minutes later; so we stayed put up on the ledge, gently rocking with the wind and admiring the epic view.
We took a stroll down to the beach to stretch dogs and humans legs, before heading back to the van to bunker down as the wind and rain got progressively worst. However, it was the perfect movie afternoon. The next day, after a slightly fretful night on the cliff edge, the sun made an appearance and George went off to meet Dave (One Man and His Whippet) for a surf. Feeling a little bluh, I had a day in the van chilling and reading, before heading out later for a stroll on the beach in some rather gusty winds with George and Dave - and the many dogs! The sea was being whipped in to huge crashing waves, the sand blasting your bare skin and the wind almost causing you to stumble, but boy was it beautiful. The beach was empty with the weather being so rubbish, but that wasn't going to stop us from enjoying this white sandy beach and its bright blue water, playing on the sand dunes and exploring the little caves dotted around the bay.
A few hours later we felt it would be rude not to go in for a dip; so decked in our super warm swim suits (no, they're not warm at all!) and Dryrobes (very warm and toasty), we plodded down to the beach, stored our kit under a rock - which subsequently got blown away, as George chose the smallest rock known to man - and ran in to the sea. It was very very cold, with freezing spray that took your breath away... but we swam, jumped waves, dived under the water and entertained a local surfer, who declared us insane!
That night, we moved the van down to the main carpark out of the wind, and I concocted dinner for the three of us, which we took to Dave's tiny home on wheels. We provided food, he provided wine! We enjoyed dinner, wine, stories about our travel and crazy experiences, and even had a sing along before it was time to call it a night.
22 September 2021: 100 days on the road...
A knock on the door early the next morning could mean only one thing; Dave was up and it was time to hit the surf. We wrestled in to our wetsuits, grabbed the boards and ran down to the beach to join Dave for a play in some epic waves. Our friendly surfer was out from the day before and commented on us being more appropriately attired (!), before he paddled out back and started grabbing some epic waves. The conditions were perfect and we played around in the smaller sets, leaving the big boy waves to the pros. Afterwards we said goodbye to Dave as he headed off back to work and we jumped back in the sea for a swim in the clear water; the wetsuits allowing us to play for longer in this stunning place.
Ceannabeinne Beach was the busiest beach we encountered on our entire journey, and to be fair, it wasn't even that busy. People mainly pulled in to the carpark, took a photo and carried on... the only people around for any length of time were surfers, and we know how awesome they are!
We reluctantly left the beauty of this epic location and mooched up the road following the motorhome convoy to Smoo Cave... we parked just up from the Youth Hostel where there's a large parking area for motorhomes and vans, plus a launderette. Great idea; you can do your laundry whilst visiting the caves! We didn't as we were off to a site for the night, but noted for another visit... We decided to walk to the cave without the dogs, as we were unsure of the descent and if little Max's legs would cope. As it happened, the walk is really easy and pretty short. I assumed it to be an epic hike with a huge descent! The cave itself is pretty impressive to see; the outer cave has been formed by the sea creating a large cavern with an entrance nearly 50ft high and 130ft wide, and the gorge leading up to the entrance (once part of the cave) is almost 600m in length. You can envisage the stormy sea whipping around Geodha Smoo carving out this awesome natural feature.
Inside Smoo Cave you enter a large initial cavern which features mossy walls, dripping with sea water and condensation, and small cubbyholes scatter the cliff sides, where birds have set up home over the years. The name Smoo is thought to originate from the Norse for smuggler and you can definitely imagine this being a smugglers cave in the past. Once you pass through the first cavern you enter a small tunnel which leads to cavern two, formed from fresh water and Allt Smoo, a 20m high waterfall that plummets in to a deep pool below from the fast flowing river above ground; finally beyond here is a small third cavern, only accessible during low rainfall by boat and out of view to visitors standing on the viewing platform under the waterfall.
We retreated back out of the cave and climbed up the other side of Geodha Smoo, taking in the views from the top of the cliff back towards the cave and out to the sea beyond the gorge; before walking to the top of the waterfall and watching it plunge through a large hole in to the cavern below...
This was a great attraction to visit and I'm so glad we did the tourist thing and stopped to have a walk around. In nice weather, it would be a great day out and you could perhaps encompass a walk further along the headland.
We retrieved the dogs and vans and set off once more to our final destination for a few days; Sango Sands campsite at Durness.
We had had many discussions on what to do to celebrate my 100th day on the road; initially we were going to camp somewhere epic, then we considered a beach day, and then with the weather turning pretty pants and a storm incoming, we decided to treat ourselves to a campsite with hot showers for a couple of nights. Sango Sands is a great site; it's pretty basic, but clean, very friendly and has the most amazing views; plus they have a café and it's only £10 a night!
We weren't after an electric pitch, so we could park anywhere; we chose a spot right on the cliff edge overlooking the beach... Epic.
Our own private beach again! We walked down the steep 'path' to the beach and had a little stroll and play on the sand with the dogs. The surf looked great but we were tired, so phoned through to the café for fish and chips, lit the wood burner and settled in with fizz pop, food and a movie...
The perfect end to my 100th day on the road.
After a couple days of van admin (laundry, cleaning the vans, grocery shop etc), lounging around eating snacks, binge watching Netflix series and mooching on the beach, it was time to head off from our fabulous little perch on the cliff edge - we had to shift the vans on the second night to face the wind as there were 60mph winds trying to push the van off the cliff! The site had been just what we needed for a few days rest and recuperation after weeks of exciting adventures and wild camping in some of the most stunning places in the UK.
We visited the quaint village store once more to stock up on goodies (no more shops until Ullapool apparently) and set off to Balnakeil Beach; one of the most northerly beaches in Scotland.
Balnakeil Beach is at the end a long single track road, and you can park in front of the old historic church. The beach is easily accessed from the small carpark and the stunning white sandy beach stretches out in front of you, hugged by towering sand dunes and clear blue water lapping its shore. Kick your shoes off and stroll the 1.5miles bay barefoot through the deep soft sand, before joining the path to the distant rocky headland of Faraid Head and its sea bird colonies.
It was a blustery day with poor surf conditions and we didn't fancy a long walk; so we grabbed the sand board and hit the dunes... Our skin was sandblasted by the wind, but we climbed up the dunes and rode on down - who needs to see where they're going?! After an hour of fun and giggles, we packed up and returned to the vans, ready for a luxury hot chocolate and stroll around Balnakeil Craft Village.
Balnakeil Craft Village originated from an old MOD early warning station built in the mid 1950s but it was thankfully never commissioned. In 1964 the site became the setting of this quirky, alternative village, now home to a wide variety of craftsmen and women, making and selling everything from hand thrown pottery to luxury chocolates.
We strolled around this fabulously eccentric village, chatting to the friendly and really interesting residents and artists, whilst perusing some stunning pieces of art (no more room in the van!) before indulging in a very overpriced hot chocolate from Cocoa Mountain. The hot chocolate was extremely rich, made from three types of chocolate...in fact, you won't hear me say this often, but it was just too damn sweet! So, I kept the majority of mine and turned it in to two further hot chocolates with some hot milk later (nom nom nom).
And then that was it; the top of the NC500 was complete. This stretch of Scotland's most famous route did not disappoint; it was busy in places, but we never struggled to park up, find a stretch of beach all to ourselves, or even somewhere totally away from the crowds. It was perfect.
I'll definitely be coming back to the north of Scotland; but maybe to set up a little art gallery in an old MOD hut and just live my life as a happy hippy... One can dream!
In loving memory of Spike.. living his best life
Join us next time as we head out to Scotland's most remote beach, grapple with more storms, run out of gas and hike to the UKs highest waterfall...
To see the crazy videos that accompany this part of the adventure; please visit George's YouTube Channel: 2Born2Travel
Loch Loyal and Loch Hope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZDq7x-D2h8
Ceannabeinne Beach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxfeOdSqELY
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