78. Coldbackie Beach

It was a beautiful Sunday morning in the village of Tongue and a perfect time to drive the few miles along the coast road to this wonderful little bay, only partly visible from the road but served by a small parking area large enough for one or two cars. From here it’s a short but steep walk down the hill to the edge of the impressive dunes, and then another steep drop onto the white sand. I think Coldbackie has all the ingredients for the perfect Scottish beach – majestic surrounding hills, high dunes, powder-white sand, turquoise water and superb volcanic rocks for additional drama. On this late-Autumn morning, with the sun rising over Tongue Bay and the Rabbit Islands, it was pure tranquility. The beach is almost split by a wall of rock at one point, but a small gap provides access to what is in effect a hidden extra beach, well out of sight from the road above. This is such a magnificent beach, and as you can see below I took a lot of photos to try and capture the tranquility and beauty of the place, as the morning sun slowly shone its light on the hills around. It was hard to leave.