3. Slaggan Bay

So I’m enjoying my long weekend in Wester Ross and my first two days of walking have included two beaches, but at this stage, the ‘Scottish Beach Project’ still isn’t a thing. Things change quite a but after this third day. I had read about Slaggan Bay on the excellent Walk Highlands website and I knew this was one for me. A gentle three-mile walk to a hidden sandy bay. I set off early from my digs in Gairloch and follow the coast road up to the village of Aultbea, which leads up to Mellon Udrigle (my next stop). There is parking for a few cars by the road but I am the only visitor on this quiet Monday morning. The walk along a simple track past a waterlily-filled loch is stunning all the way, but the real prize is the beach beyond the ruins of Slaggan, once a crofting village with its own school. I climb down onto the beach and spend a long time here. I would say it’s about now that the idea of a walking project purely devoted to Scottish beaches is formed. For that reason, Slaggan Bay remains a very special place for me.

Revisit: 21st September 2024

When I decide to visit Wester Ross to mark five years of the project, this is the walk I am most looking forward to. Even after five years and 200+ beaches, I still haven’t found a more enjoyable walk than this gentle 5k out-and-back hike to Slaggan Bay. And on a beautiful day like this, it is as memorable as it was in 2019. I love this walk and the bay is one of the most idyllic places I’ve ever been to. A couple have moored a small boat in one corner of the beach and are camping beside the bay, giving me a wave as I look down from the cliff above.