Achnahaird – an Empty Beach for the Dog
A few hours.
The route
Achnahaird is a wide, flat bay of pale sand on the Coigach peninsula, where the tide goes out for hundreds of metres and the jagged peaks of Stac Pollaidh, Suilven and Cul Mor rise beyond the bay.
There are no shops, toilets or crowds, just dunes, rock pools and a river winding over the sand. It's a grand place to let a dog run, for an hour or a whole afternoon.
Before you go
The day
Coigach
Over a low cliff path to a wide bay of empty sand, with the mountains of Assynt and Inverpolly lined up behind it.
About two hours
Achnahaird Beach
An attraction
From Brae of Achnahaird, follow the signs to the right to the beach car park, a good-sized one for so remote a spot, reached by a single-track road with passing places. A low cliff-top path of about ten minutes leads down to the sand. At low tide the sea draws back for hundreds of metres, leaving flats and pools, with the Allt Loch Ra winding over the beach. The tide comes in fast over the flat sand, so keep an eye on it near the rocky headlands. Dogs can run on the open sand. The dunes and wet grassland behind are where lapwings and other birds nest in spring and summer, so keep the dog close and on a lead there in those months, and near any sheep. There are no toilets, shops or cafés, only bins at the car park: bring water for the dog and a flask for yourself. Achiltibuie, about four miles south, has the nearest supplies.
If it rains
All outdoors with no shelter or facilities: in heavy rain, leave it for a better day.
Where to stay
Photographs by Craig Thomson and Tony Watson via Google