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20 April 2023

Despite not being able to make my planned trip over to Handa Island, today is shaping up top be one of my best ever walking days, and it’s still only mid-afternoon. Having missed the last ferry to Handa, it’s back to the drawing board for the afternoon plan, but it doesn’t take me long to come up with a very attractive alternative. I need to head back north to Kinlochbervie from Scourie anyway, so I figure I’ll stay on the main road and head to Durness which is only another 20 miles or so. Boy, am I glad I made that decision because Balnakeil Beach is an absolute mega-beach. With easy parking next to the ruined Balnakeil Church, this expansive beach is spectacular in every sense, with its huge dune network forming part of the Faraid Head peninsula. Looking out to Cape Wrath on the other side of the water, I can see the golden sand of tiny Kearvaig Bay glinting in the distance. My visit there will come another day (the ferry to Cape Wrath only runs in the summer months), but no matter, I have all I need for a full afternoon in front of me.  The tide is out and so I walk for miles along the back of the dunes, past rock formations of almost artistic intricacy, across the crescent bay and back along the shore under cloudless skies.  This is a magnificent way to end the day, and I am almost glad I missed the Handa ferry (I’ll be back to visit Handa and Kearvaig as a double-header on another day).