Sandwood Bay

In 1976 I was just six years old yet it is a year that I still have very vivid memories of. It was one of the hottest summers on record in Britain and the heat wave burned well into mid September. It was also the first time that my parents took me to Sutherland, in the far north west corner of Scotland and the first time that I set eyes upon Sandwood Bay. Think of Britain's finest beaches and you will probably think of Cornwall with its fine sandy bays and crashing waves that roll in from the Atlantic and turn it into the surfer's paradise that it is renowned for. Think again, and think about Sutherland, 600 miles to the north. Sutherland has many ...  Read the complete review

Of course, I’d heard about the ghost of the Bearded Sailor. And so many people had said, “If you’re going to the North West, you must go to Sandwood Bay”. I was half expecting a burger van and an ice cream stall, and “Coaches by Appointment”. But no. Although on the A838 near Riconich, a signpost screams out “Sandwood Bay”, from then on you’re on your own as far as navigation is concerned. First find Kinlochbervie in West Sutherland. Got it? Okay, some three miles north west of there is the village of Oldshorebeg. That’s the easy bit. A little further on, between Blairmore and Sheigra, you will find a ...  Read the complete review