July 8-10 NE Scotland - the top end!

The sky is falling .... ‘ said Henny-Penny (with apologies to all fairytale devotees). And that’s exactly what happened. 

Going back a couple of days ....... 

After over a week of warm sunny weather we have had low cloud, misty, drizzly, cool sometimes windy weather the last couple of days. Wonderfully moody! and exactly how I pictured Scotland. Last night we camped on the cliffs of Sango Bay, Durness in the Northern Highlands, overlooking a gorgeous cream and pink sandy beach. It is breathtakingly beautiful here .... and that’s true of most places we’ve seen along the north coast. Forget Edinburgh, St Andrews and Inverness, the country seats, the castles and forts, this is what I was really longing for! We’ve following the iconic North Coast 500, an 800-odd km scenic route around the north coast of Scotland. It’s quite stunning in parts.

After camping overnight near Dunnet Head, the most northern point of mainland Scotland, yesterday we drove from Duncansby Head, the mainland’s most north-easterly point to Durness between the Kyle of Durness and Loch Eriboll, a 16 km long sea loch used for centuries as a deep water anchorage safe from the often stormy seas of Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth-  stopping of course at John o’Groats.  The latter is a super touristy spot but there are some interesting views over Pentland Firth which rips through the Straits between the mainland and the Orkneys. The current is so strong it moves huge boulders along the sea floor. Mighty power! The scenery was wonder-filled and indelibly romantic - to me! Sandy beaches, wee hidden deep harbours, and heading a little way into the highlands, huge granite and limestone rocks, pink gneiss protruding through peaty grass and the soft cloudy brown of heather just starting to turn purple punctuated with fat white sheep trailing clumps of wool as they picked their way through the lushness of the hillsides. And the flowers! They are glorious. Oh the bonny roads of Scotland .....

Dunnet Head lighthouse one of many designed and built by the Stevcnsons.

Way below the lighthouse we saw a seal and lots of birds

The obligatry selfie at John o’Groats

Another Stevenson’s lighthouse. This one at Duncansby Head

While sheep gently graze - amongst the cotton grass!

The remains of a fishing port along the NE coast. Very quaint and remote-looking

A delightful little fishing port. Few fish are left around here and they rely on crabbing to survive

Great reflections

Low tide

The deep safe Loch Eriboll

Loch Eriboll

Sango Bay, Durness