185. Murkle Beach

I leave Thurso after a short walk on the town beach and head east along the A836 coast road to Dunnet Head, but first I stop by the side of the road at Murkle to wander down to beautiful Murkle beach. This beach is surely easily missed by most coastal travellers, with no signage or car parking and only accessible directly via an indistinct farm track. For some reason, as I walk down this half-mile track I am attacked by midges for the one and only time on the trip. By the time I reach the beach they hold off, but re-start their attack when I return along the farm track. The beach itself is lovely, a wide bay, backed by rolling hills and low dunes.