Strathy Bay – Sand, Dunes and Low Cliffs on the North Coast
A few hours.
The route
Strathy Bay is a wide sweep of pale sand on Sutherland's north coast, backed by dunes, with the River Strathy running out along its western side and low cliffs closing in the eastern end.
It's a quiet beach below a small crofting village, a few minutes' walk from the car, with lunch along the coast at the Store in Bettyhill.
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 Lundies House in Tongue, 8 miles away.
Strathy Beach
An attraction
Strathy Bay is a wide curve of pale sand at the mouth of the River Strathy, with low cliffs closing it in at either end and the river running out along its western side. Park in the small car park at the end of the minor road on the east side of the river; check the signs for any charge. It's about five minutes down a grassy, sandy path to the beach. Near low tide the beach runs half a mile out, and at high water there's little of it left, so check the tide times before you go. A narrow sea cave runs right through the eastern cliffs, and when a swell comes in from the north the surfers follow it. The old graveyard on its bluff east of the river is one of the few places to see the village and the bay together. Strathy grew during the Clearances, when families cleared from Strathnaver were settled here as crofters. Give it an hour or so.
23 min by car
The Store Bistro & Bar
Lunch
It's 23 minutes' drive west along the coast to Bettyhill and the Store. It was the village shop, and the old shelves are still inside, some with brand names a hundred years old. Expect slow-cooked soups, bacon rolls, cooked breakfasts and homemade cakes, chocolate fudge cake among them. It opens 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, and from 11am on Saturday and Sunday.
If it rains
The beach is fine in a shower and bleak in a gale. On a wet day, keep to a short look from the dunes and go on to the Store.
On the way
- The Farr Stone
The Farr Stone is a Pictish cross-slab carved about 850 AD, standing by the west gable of the old parish church of Farr, now the Strathnaver Museum, on the east side of Bettyhill. Park in the car park behind the museum; the stone is outside, so it can be seen in any month, while the museum opens Monday to Saturday from April to October and Tuesday to Thursday, 10am to 2pm, in November and March. The Store is 2 minutes' drive on.
Where to stay
Make it a weekend
Days that start near The Store Bistro & Bar.
Maps from OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors; heights from Mapzen's terrain tiles.