Reiss Sands – A Beach Walk with the Dog and a Farm Lunch
A few hours.
The route
Sinclair's Bay is a great sweep of pale sand just north of Wick, with high dunes behind it and a castle at each end, and locals call its southern half Reiss Sands.
There's no seasonal dog ban here, so a dog can run the length of the shore. Lunch is at Puldagon Farm, a family farm three miles south-west of Wick that rears its own Highland beef and welcomes well-behaved dogs in its downstairs dining room.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is House of the Northern Gate, 16 miles away. Sleeps 18.
Book a table at Puldagon Farm on 01955 602228, Wednesday to Sunday (it opens 10am to 4pm and is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays), and say you're bringing a dog: dogs eat with you in the downstairs dining room.
The day
Sinclair's Bay
A big, empty beach, an hour or so on the sand, and a farm lunch with the dog at your feet.
About two and a half hours
Reiss Sands
An attraction
Park in the free car park opposite the golf course at Reiss, beside the A99, and take the short walk through the dunes to the sand. The beach curves away north for miles, sheltered by its dunes at this end, with a burn, a stream, splitting the bay in two; it makes a good place to turn. Walk as far as you like and back; an hour suits most dogs. There's no seasonal dog ban, so a dog can run free on the sand all year. Keep it on a lead through the dunes, past the golf course and near the horses that are ridden here too, and pick up after it. There are no toilets at the bay; the nearest are in Wick.
23 min by car
Puldagon Farm Shop
Lunch
Lunch is 23 minutes' drive away at Puldagon Farm, through Wick and out on the Thurso road, then south on the Tannach road, about three miles from the town. The family has farmed here since 1925 and turned an old barn into a bright restaurant and farm shop. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the downstairs dining room. It opens Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, for full breakfasts, Scrabster haddock and hand-cut chips, burgers of the farm's own Highland beef and home baking, with a children's menu. Book a table on 01955 602228. On a Monday or Tuesday, when it's shut, the bar at Mackays Hotel in Wick welcomes dogs for a drink or a bite to eat.
If it rains
The beach is out in the weather and best on a dry morning, though the dunes give some shelter at the Reiss end. Puldagon's restaurant is indoors, with the dog beside you downstairs.
Where to stay
Photograph by Livvy Tan via Google