Pink-tinged sand curves along a bay backed by dunes and small lochs.

Assynt

Sandwood Bay

A remote sweep of pale sand near Cape Wrath, guarded by the sea stack Am Buachaille and reached only by a four-mile path across the moor.

Welcome

Near the very north-west tip of mainland Scotland, a few miles from Cape Wrath, lies one of the most remote and beautiful beaches in the country.

Sandwood Bay is a long sweep of pale, pinkish sand, backed by great dunes and a freshwater loch, with the Atlantic rolling in from the west.

Off the headland stands Am Buachaille, the shepherd, a tall sea stack that guards the bay. A peaty river winds across the sand to the sea, and the cliffs around are home to fulmars, guillemots, razorbills and shags, while the dunes shelter one of the best stretches of machair on the mainland.

No road reaches Sandwood. A path of about four miles crosses the moor from the nearest road, past small lochs, and it is mostly firm and fairly easy, though muddy in places. The land is cared for by the John Muir Trust and the crofters who work it. Allow a full day, and take everything you need.

Before you go

Open coast, at any hour, reached only on foot by a four-mile path.

Where: Near Cape Wrath, IV27 4RU.
Walk in: Four miles each way.
Look for: Am Buachaille, the sea stack.

Did you know

A rocky sea stack and small island sit off a sandy beach beneath grey skies.

Did you know

The shepherd.

The sea stack off the bay is called Am Buachaille, the shepherd.

Peat pools scatter across boggy moorland beneath distant hills.

Did you know

A rare bee.

The machair at Sandwood is home to the rare great yellow bumblebee.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Sutherland

No road reaches Sandwood Bay, and that is a large part of why people love it. A path of about four miles crosses the moor from Blairmore, past small lochs, and then the dunes open onto a long sweep of pale, pinkish sand with the Atlantic rolling in. Off the southern end stands Am Buachaille, the shepherd, a tall sea stack guarding the bay. A freshwater loch lies behind the beach, and fulmars and shags nest on the cliffs. The John Muir Trust and local crofters look after the land. Allow a full day and carry everything you need.

What is on