163. Bay MacNeil Beach

It’s a baking hot day and the sky is cloudless as I follow the superb waymarked coast path from Sanna Bay, through the delightful settlement of Portuairk and on towards the Ardnamurchan lighthouse. As the lighthouse comes into view, the glorious Bay MacNeil sets the scene perfectly with its white sand, turquoise water, high dunes and volcanic rock formations. It’s a perfect set up anyway, but with the lighthouse standing proud across the bay it is hard to think of a more tranquil vista. Technically, Bay MacNeil is the most westerly (named) beach on the British mainland.  After leaving the bay, I follow the path around a private caravan park and onto the road leading up to the lighthouse, where a welcome tea and cake awaited in the excellent cafe. My server is a Londoner who lives in one of the caravans behind the bay. I make the two hour walk back to Sanna Bay, which I’m not about to complain about, and reflect on another superb, highly memorable walking day which I would never have experienced if I hadn’t come up with this project back in 2019. I’m grateful for having an imagination!