[This walk was completed on the 16th May, 2023]
Strathy Bay beach is beautiful. It doesn’t look very large on the map, but the feeling of space and light is almost overwhelming. I walk down the sand towards the waves, feeling the coldness of the sea as the wind carries spray towards me.
As so often in Scotland, the beach is practically empty. Just one man and his dog are walking on the sands.
At the far end of the beach, the rocks look as though they have been carved by a giant with a ruler and a scalpel. Just think of the eons of history that are compressed into those massive slabs.
Makes me dizzy thinking about it.
But, sadly, I must now leave the beach and go back up to join the road. I head towards the dunes, and stop to take more photographs of the lovely sands and the cold sea beyond.
There is supposed to be a car park here, but I can’t see any sign of one. Luckily, the path through the dunes appears to be well-trodden, so I guess this must be the right way to go.
At the top of the climb, I stop to take more photographs. Beautiful Strathy Bay.
Ah, here is a proper track and a large cemetery. When I die, I would like to be buried in such a place with a sea view.
Here is a car park, which serves the cemetery as well as beach visitors, and it has a lovely log-cabin toilet.
I walk past some cottages and a farm, and here the track merges with the main road.
So, I face another couple of miles of road walking through empty bog-land. (“Slog” is the word I later write on my map to describe this section.)
A sign warns me about sheep, although this poor animal seems to have a hole punched in its belly. Oh, hang on, not a sheep after all – it’s a unicorn!
Sadly, I don’t see any unicorns on this stretch of the road. But it is also cycle route number 1 on the National Cycle Network. This looong route links Dover to John o’Groats.
So, I don’t see any unicorns, but I do meet the occasional cyclist.
I come to a parking spot on the crest of a hill. A nearby croft offers TAROT READINGS. Perhaps I should go and get my fortune told? But maybe I don’t want to know what the future holds – I must say I have been really feeling my age on this trip…
… my mileage has been low, I get easily fatigued, and the improvement in fitness I expected as the weeks have progressed has not materialised.
Adjacent to the parking space is a walled garden area, full of fading daffodils – one of those Marie Curie Fields of Hope. I make my way over to the bench, wading through the long grass, and sit down for a drink and a snack. Enjoy the view.
Back on the road, and onwards towards the next settlement, Melvich.
The road sign warned of unicorns, but it didn’t warn about my main foe, cattle, which are lurking in camouflage among the grasses. Luckily these cows are some distance away. I stop to take photographs of the little herd.
One last push to get over the next ridge.. and I pass a “Welcome to Melvich” sign. I’m nearly there.
Ah, a view of the sea. And, yes, that is Melvich ahead. Hardly a town, but a fairly large place by Highland standards.
My van is parked in a layby opposite the turn off to Port Skerra. There are public toilets here, a little cafe, and an electric charging point.
You find many electric charging points scattered across Scotland. An admirable idea, but I don’t think I have ever seen one in use. (I’m not sure how quickly you can charge your vehicle at one of these points, and perhaps the fact you are only allowed to stay for 2 hours puts people off. Also, see Jon Combe’s nightmarish account of his experience of hiring an electric car in Scotland!)
Anyway, another walk done.
On a positive note, the campsite in Melvich is superb. It may not have a stunning sea view (like Durness or Tongue) but they have single-sex facilities and the shower block is heated – warm and dry and clean. It also has a little cafe attached which opens in the evenings, although they like you to book a table in advance. I give it 9.9 out of 10.
Miles walked today = 8 miles
Total around coast = 4,999.5 miles
Route: first part in black, this part in red:
Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK) 
Great to see you walking again
I recently also did the Limestone way
Very nice
Sent from my iPhone
ah, well done for doing the Limestone Way. I enjoyed it too.
What a gorgeous beach and my ears pricked up at the mention of a fine campsite! 🙂
What a refreshing walk this must have been..!! Clean and Empty beaches with great views of layers of sedimentary rocks are awesome sights to behold.. Add to it the cute Scottish cows curiously looking at the visitor.. Fantastic pictures.. Great you didn’t consider taking the EV and wasting 4-6 hours of your time on desolate roads.. walking in such picturesque landscapes is indeed therapeutic.. Thanks for sharing.. 🙂
It was a great day! My heart likes the idea of electric vehicles, but I don’t think we’ve got the practicalities sorted out yet.
Yes that was a lovely beach wasn’t it? I was surprised there aren’t more sandy beaches around the north coast of Scotland but at least the ones you do encounter are almost without exception, stunning. (and usually deserted). I don’t remember the toilet block there so I suspect that is new (or I missed it).
Glad you found a good campsite in Melvich too. I was rather put off by the very noisy and crowded one in Durness, I don’t think I’ve camped on my coastal walk since that one! (Though as I usually fly up it makes camping somewhat tricky with the limited luggage capacity and a tent and sleeping bag taking up a lot of room. That usually makes driving more practical but then I lose a day at the start and a day at the end to do all the driving so I usually settle on flying and hotel these days, to make the most of my limited time).
Yes regarding the electric car I think depending on the capacity of the power of the charger (they vary) you could add between 20% and 50% charge in 2 hours, which was far from ideal. The “Shell” one I used at the end was faster and I think was supposed to get to about 80% in 35 minutes or so, but I never put that to the test! (and I hope I don’t have cause to do so again!)
The beaches are stunning up there. I still shudder when I think of your experience with the electric car in Scotland. Nightmare!
That really is a lovely area. It’s a pity that we miss so much when we are driving and dealing with the traffic. By the way, there are a lot fewer cars in your photos than I expected. I suspect you wait until the road is empty before you take your photo.
Yes, as you guessed, I tend to take photos when there is no traffic. Actually the roads weren’t too bad (this was in May) but I think things hot up in the middle of summer.
Thanks Ruth for the lovely photos, including those Scottish cows, and the EV info too!
They really were very cuddly looking cows!
A glorious bay and amazing rock formations. I am disappointed that you didn’t see a unicorn, but glad you found a decent campsite.
Something I found out later: guess what the National animal of Scotland is?
Ah, yes, I had forgotten that it’s the unicorn.