We've been pleasantly surprised by how good the 4G signal has been so far on
the trip, either on Vodafone, Virgin or EE that we have across devices, but
today we've landed in the first real black spot so we're reliant on a very
ropey campsite wifi, so photos may have to wait until tomorrow!
This morning we left an overcast Durness on the drive to Achmelvich. Although
only 35 miles as the crow flies, it was close to 2 hours of driving on the
often narrow roads of the NC500, although beyond Laxford Bridge the road did
improve a lot, at least until the final few miles into Achmelvich.
Talking of bridges, our first stopping point on the journey was at the Kylesku
Bridge to take in the view. Just from the North Carpark it was
impressive, but from the top of the bank opposite it took it to another
level.
It also gave the kids a chance to do a bit of rock climbing even
higher.
It was then just a couple of miles to our next stop, well that was the plan
until we discovered the so called carpark was little more than a lay-by big
enough for a couple of cars! So instead of heading to the bottom of the
Wailing Widow Falls, we instead parked up at the top close to Loch na
Gainmhich. This wasn't ideal on a number of fronts. First the
waterfall is a massive drop of over 50ft so not the safest for the kids at the
top, and secondly the walk whilst not very far is across a peat bog so very
damp and squelchy. From the top it was difficult to fully see the
waterfall, but for us today it was the only option.
We were then back on the road for Achmelvich Beach, the location for our next
overnight stay. As you can see from the photos from earlier in the day
the morning mist had burnt off leaving a glorious day, by far the best so far
on the holiday (and looking at the forecast it's unlikely to be beaten).
After navigating what seemed like an endless twisting single lane road we made
it to the beach, checked-in and parked up. After a quick lunch we headed
for the beach for an afternoon of playing in the water and building
sandcastles. The beach was very picturesque and surprisingly quiet, but
then considering the local road, maybe it's not actually that much of a
surprise.
After more swimming, splashing and bodyboarding, Amber and Forrest went on an
explore over the headland to another cove. This involved walking on some
pathways close to the peninsula's edge and some rock scrambling to get down
into the bay and so wouldn't have been suitable for the younger members of the
group.
Whilst they were away myself and the girls created a large sandcastle with
obligatory moat. I used to spend many an hour on Lowestoft beach doing
the same and the excitement of when the water finally filled the moat was
still there. By this time Matty and Forrest had both reappeared but their
battle to try and stem the tide by building ramparts was as futile King
Canute's.
We finished the day off with fish and chips from the on site chippy. We
continue to head south tomorrow with a yellow weather warning of
thunderstorms, that's more like what we should expect from the Highlands.
Blogged by Matt.
