Epic Northern Coddiwomple Part 3: Tim’s Timewarp, Scary Point and Beautiful Beaches

Wednesday 5th June

And it’s raining! 

Even though our tour was based on the NC500, we had decided to chop off the top far right hand corner to Wick and John O Groats and we headed straight up through the middle on the A897 to the north coast instead .

It may be described as an A road, but a lot of it is single-track and it is very remote. The weather closed in sometimes, but then cleared to reveal wide expanses of wild, mountainous countryside. I was delighted to spot a small herd of Red Deer grazing at the foot of one of the hills. We also spotted Wheatear birds and our first Highland Cows.

I was also amused to spot a flimsy one-man tent fitted with a solar panel, set up in a field. I’m really not too sure how much power he would actually get!

Our detour to the north coast brought us out near Strathy Point (which is beautiful but bleak) and we meandered our way along the single-track road through Bettyhill and Tongue (which was “shut”). Bearing in mind that it was early June when we did this trip, we were really surprised that a well-advertised tourist route like the NC500 has hardly any cafes or hotels open for lunch etc, but we did  find a roadside cafe, just outside Tongue that I can’t remember the name of!

As I was in charge of the map during this trip it was up to me to find things to do and places of interest en route and I spotted Castle Varrich on the map which looked like it could be a good place for a walk. The castle itself is set on a high rock overlooking the Kyle of Tongue and the village of Tongue, but its origins are unknown.

It is accessed by a lovely walk from the car park in Tongue, through fields and across the river before a steeper stomp up to the ruined tower. Here we were rewarded with spectacular views of the Kyle of Tongue but we were at risk of getting blown off the top!

Our end goal for that night was Durness, the most northwesterly village on the British mainland. The village sits above Sango Sands Bay and I had found a campsite there where you could just chance your luck to get in. The views from here were breathtaking, turquoise seas, large rolling waves and rocky cliffs. I was in my element!

The only issue was the wind! We gave up trying to put the windbreak up, we were in danger of taking off with it!  The onsite bar provided take-away meals that we could eat in the bar. We chose pizzas…much better than the tinned Ravioli and tinned peas we would’ve eaten if we’d been parked up somewhere remote.

We noticed that most of our fellow travellers were all of a certain age, which Tim decided he fitted into whilst I’m still a trainee! Everyone discussed the NC500; where to stop, where to eat, where is dog friendly and which is the best way around to travel it. We also noted that many people don’t leave their campers to explore, they prefer to keep driving to their next stopover and stay there before moving on to the next one.

Having said that, we were tucked up by 7.30 out of the howling wind and driving rain and feeling very cosy. The sun doesn’t set until after 10.00 and I had thought I may see the Northern Lights…no chance!

Tim must’ve fallen asleep quite early though because the following conversation took place:

T: “How did you sleep?”

Me: “I haven’t yet, I’ve been dozing.”

T: “What? So you haven’t slept at all?”

Me: “Not yet. It’s only 10.20.”

T: “In the morning?!”

Me: <incredulous> “What the fuck?! No, at night!”

T: “But it feels like 5.00am to me. Are you sure?”

Me: “You’re losing it…it’s still 10.30 at night. It doesn’t get dark ‘til late.”

T: “Let me look, you’re trying to confuse me! Oh, it’s only 10.30!”

Me: <giggling> “Give me strength!”

Thursday 6th June

Waking to the sound of the sea and the gentle pattering of drizzly rain, we got up and showered early. Making tea wasn’t an option as our milk had gone off, so it was black coffee for us.

I wanted to go to Balnakiel Bay, a mile northwest of Durness. The sun was shining by now and the sea was a brilliant Mediterranean turquoise colour. This is my kind of place and all Tim could get out of me was “Oh wow!” and “look at that!” There is a walk around to the headland of Faraid Head and Cape Wrath but that would’ve taken 3-4 hours, which we didn’t have time for. Therefore we stuck to stomping along the sandy beach, up through the other-worldly sand dunes and back again, taking about 1.5 hours. We had parked next to an old fishing community’s ruined church and it was a very special place, so full of atmosphere. I could’ve stayed for hours! There is also a craft village nearby and a cafe called Cocoa Mountain, where we enjoyed croissants and delicious hot chocolate before continuing our journey.

The golden beaches eventually gave way to rugged peaks, lochs and glens along more single-track roads. The NC500 hugs a lot of the coast and it reminded us both of Tasmania.

We decided to head to Scourie Point for a walk, but first we stopped for lunch at The Shorehouse cafe in Tarbet. It’s accessed via a very narrow, twisty lane to a remote bay, which reminded me of Guernsey. Their warm Scottish Smoked Salmon baguettes are heavenly!

I’ve renamed Scourie Point “Scary Point” as the walk around the headland was rough and on steep cliff edges, which wasn’t much fun in the strong, gusty wind. (It’s also not good when you get a form of vertigo and have hypermobile ankles and knees!) However, we were rewarded by terrific views towards the Western Isles and the Old Man of Stoer. The only problem was I was too scared to take any photos, and I was very relieved when we made it back to the van! 

Our next port of call for the night was a campsite in the area of Assynt, heading towards Lochinver. This region’s scenery is cinematic, so spectacular; more stunning lochs and lakes set against a back-drop of high peaks made for a spectacular drive. I took plenty of photos but to be honest they don’t do the area justice and they just flatten it to a two-dimensional image.

We stopped for a cuppa in a remote cafe in Drumbeg (The Little Soap and Candle Company), owned by a lady who makes beautiful scented candles and soap. I think I’ve bought enough soap to last us about a year, so at least we’ll smell nice! Please take a look at her website as hers is a very inspirational story.

The drive to the campsite encountered more dramatic scenery and a little bit of traffic drama too. We were about a mile away from our site when we were stopped by a small queue of cars. It turned out that a lorry carrying a large mobile home from the site we were staying at was attempting to navigate the narrow lane. It got itself wedged on a lump of rock lining the side of the road and ripped off the back of it. Whoops!

The Shore Caravan site at Alchmelvich was situated right on the end of the peninsula, an idyllic location if it wasn’t for the strong wind! Thankfully an onsite fish & chip takeaway, washed down by a can of cider (and a beer for Tim) was enough for us. Oh, and someone hadn’t put the lid back on the coffee pot properly…spilt coffee in a cool box is messy!

And here we will leave you as this has been quite a long post!

Next time we will continue down the west coast, and if I thought Scourie Point was scary, wait ’til you read the next bit!