With the onset of 'flexible learning week' at university, we were granted a clear opportunity to escape the confines of Edinburgh and get up into the mountains. We set off on a week-long adventure beginning with a weekend Ski touring in Aviemore and the Northern Cairngorms. In spite of a predictable lack of snow so far in the season, we managed to get a brief glimpse of the infamous Scottish ski scene and all got pretty excited about the potential that ski touring had as a winter activity in the highlands.
Leaving the snowy Cairngorms behind, and after a morning of stocking up on some final supplies for the trip North, we set off on the A9 up towards Durness and the North West Coast. After passing Inverness, the road gradually weaved its way through increasingly remote landscapes. Towering snow-capped mountains lined the roadside accompanied by windswept lochs and the occasional isolated village and costal town. As we approached the North Coast we were fortunate to get some views of the most Northerly Munros before the sun set and we were plunged into darkness.
Durness greeted us with heavy winds and a distinct lack of a plan. Arriving an hour or so after sunset, we stopped to fill up our water tank and plan where we were going to spend the night. After looking at the map we found a beachside lay-by that looked like the spot for us and headed East along the coast for another 15 minutes. Despite it being dark we could see the swell lines coming in as we approached the beach and it looked like we would be in for a treat the next morning. After a long day of driving we cooked up a quick meal of rice and veg and settled in for our first night on the road.
We woke to clear skies and the sound of waves from the beach below our roadside camping spot. It was a truly magical sunrise to start our first full day on the road and we spent a significant amount of time taking photos before thinking about cooking breakfast. Eventually, we cooked up some eggs and then headed on our way, confident that we would be returning to make the most of the swell that the beach had to offer.
The drive to the first bothy followed the edge of Loch Eriboll, renowned for its beauty and historical significance as a refuge for warships during WW2. Upon arriving at the trailhead, we checked the route and picked a gap in the weather, which had been switching rapidly between hail storms and clear skies, before setting off. It was about a 40 minute walk on an old Landrover track that gradually disintegrated into bog. We negotiated a somewhat challenging river crossing just before reaching the bothy and spent the next half hour exploring the bothy and taking some photos.
The next few days followed a similar pattern of driving along the coastline, exploring the white sand beaches, surfing when we could and adventuring out to the most Northerly Bothies on the UK mainland. At times it felt as if it could be summer and we were incredibly lucky with the weather considering the rest of the UK was in the wake of storm Dennis. Equally at other times we were quickly reminded that it was still February, most notably by the lack of people on the beaches and more significantly, in the sea.
Having driven much of the length of the North West Coastline from Durness to Farr, we headed back down to Edinburgh via Ullapool and Aviemore. We were both pretty blown away by what Scotland had to offer even in the cold winter months and were immensely grateful for being able to explore some of the more remote parts of the UK and have them largely to ourselves.
Words: Rory Dinwoodie, Photos: Rory Dinwoodie & Oliva Grace Smith
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