Durness

After breakfast, I checked out Smoo cave at the end of town. As it's a sea cave, the entrance was at the end of a little inlet between two hills. The first chamber was quite large, made from the sea. Up at the top of the chamber, along the sides, some formations could be seen. Usually, you could join a tour here. Go on a boat to see all the chambers, but with all the rain in the autumn, the water levels were too high in the cave for any tours. As a result, I could only get as far as the second chamber by following a wooden bridge to see the waterfall. Fresh water ran through creating the 2nd and 3rd chambers. I could see the boat, you'd normally take to the waterfall and last chamber, couldn't even fit under the bridge from the elevated water level.
Some of the roof collapses had neat shapes. One was a shape of a heart.
Interesting to think, looking out the entrance towards the inlet, that the cave was much longer, going towards the sea. Remnants of natural rock pillars that once held up the roof were still visible here and there. Shame it collapsed over time. I could see how it was used as a good hiding place for boats in the past.
From there, I decided to go on a walk. I parked at Balnakeil Bay and walked along the sandy beach to the other end. There were a few small caves and arches along here. Of course I had to investigate them all. Did find a good sized crab wedged in a crevice.
From here, I followed the sandy road up into the dunes that lead to Faraid Head. Up here, the dunes form a machair, a grassland area with wildflower growth due to the shell sand blown there from the wind. A military base was fenced off, preventing me from going right to the tip of the head, so I followed the path along the fencing to the other side of the cape, delighting in the view of more beaches, coastal pinnacles and dunes. I was lucky to have a few breaks in the clouds for a bit of sun. Really lit up the sand. Would be so gorgeous in the summer.
Once back at my campsite, I walked along Sango Bay for a little while, watching and listening to the waves. But, it wasn't long before I was sick of the rain and decided to treat myself to dinner inside the restaurant at the site.
The next morning, I packed up at drove to Keoldale to catch the ferry over to Cape Wrath. The most remote point in Britain. The ticket for the ferry and the Cape Wrath Minibus was only £10. It's either by foot, bike or this minibus to see the sites. I met a nice English man named Stuart who was there with his cousin. We hit it off and stuck together for the trip.
Alot of the area is used by the military for training. So signs were posted in numerous places due to live firing ranges. Here, the military actually use land, air and sea capabilities, deploying big bombs. They use old vehicles for targets. I loved the sign posted saying "DANGER when access allowed do not touch any military debris it may explode and kill you." Not sure why I find it funny, just do.
The plant life here is both Arctic and Alpine species due to the severity of weather and bedrock making it a scientific interest site. Think about it, these plants are at sea level... not at high altitudes. Very interesting indeed.
Many rare species of plants. And of course plenty of peat growth here in the moors as well from the heather, ferns and juniper. Plenty of hills and glens. Very pretty.
We drove to the head of the cape to the lighthouse. Inside the 1828 lighthouse was a cafe where I happily supported the couple who ran it. They're the only people that live in the area apparently.
It was so incredibly windy outside, that after walking around the light house and bunkers, I needed something warm to thaw me out. So, hot chocolate was in order.

On the way back to the ferry, we stopped at a good spot to view Kearvaig Beach and Stack Clò Kearvaig (the rocks protruding off the shoreline looking as 2 spires). Wasn't far along here that we came across two men, father and son, who jumped onto the bus. They told us they'd been hiking for 2 weeks. Walked from Glasgow, all the way to Cape Wrath. What an amazing adventure for them. They said it rained the whole time and were really glad to be getting back to London. Lol, I could imagine. I had a car to drive in, but I was getting tired of the rain myself. At least they had full waterproof gear.
Once back at the pier in Keoldale, Stuart and I exchanged emails with hopes to meet up again sometime if I ever get to the Yorkshire Dale area. They were headed to do the Faraid Head walk I did the day before so I continued on my way. I drove to Tongue, where I then went south along the A836. Great scenery on that drive. So many more beaches in Sutherland. And of course more glens, lochs, old pretty cottages and hills along the way. Stopped at a lovely picnic area at Bonar Bridge where the inlet is for dinner before taking a secondary road towards Alness. I found a layby that ventured off into some trees where I just slept in the car. All that driving made my mind tired and I just couldn't be bothered to set up my tent in the dark and rain.
Now, after breakfast, I head to Inverness. With all the driving yesterday, I don't have far to go and am looking forward to having a day more on my feet.