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Walks
in Sutherland.

It’s 20:05 in Sutherland.
Sutherland

Achmelvich coves and the Moine Thrust.

Two short walks in the west of Sutherland show off this rocky, watery country well. Near Lochinver, a path follows the headlands past small white-sand beaches in rocky coves, and leads out to a tiny concrete 'castle' on the point. North of Ullapool, a trail at Knockan Crag explains the Moine Thrust, where older rocks were found lying on top of younger ones, and how this part of Scotland was made. Both are easy enough for most walkers, with big views over the lone mountains of Assynt. Wear boots with a good grip, as the rock is slippery when wet.

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From the magazine15 hours agoThe printed copy of Issue 03Issue 03Winter 2021

The photographer Richard Gaston walked 240 miles from Fort William to Cape Wrath, the north-west tip of mainland Britain, and found his moment of euphoria at Sandwood Bay.

The self-sufficient walk took more than two and a half weeks and is regarded as one of the most challenging long-distance walks in the country. Rain lashed the glens of Knoydart, but there were rewards too, from morning sun lighting Eas a' Chual Aluinn, the highest waterfall in the UK, to mist over Loch Stack at sunrise. The days settled into a rhythm of 13 miles, with green tea and porridge every morning. Then, eight miles from the end, came Sandwood Bay, with Atlantic waves on its mile-long white sands. As he says, 'waking up and going to sleep in the elements for days on end allowed a connection to the land I hadn’t experienced before'.

Read the full story in Issue 03
Walk of the day11 hours ago

Achmelvich Coast Walk.

Small white-sand beaches in rocky coves near Lochinver, with a path along the headlands past the tiny concrete Hermit's Castle.

Read about it
Did you know6 hours ago

Eas a' Chual Aluinn, near Kylesku in Sutherland, is the highest waterfall in the UK, with a sheer drop of 200 metres.

Eas a' Chual Aluinn is Gaelic for 'waterfall of the beautiful tresses', and Countryfile reckons it is three to four times the height of Niagara Falls. It takes some effort to reach. The walk is a 10-kilometre out-and-back from the A894 between Kylesku and Lochinver, and takes four to six hours depending on conditions. The easier way is a boat trip of about 75 minutes from Kylesku. The second and third highest falls are in the Highlands too: Steall Falls in Glen Nevis, at 120 metres, and the Falls of Glomach in Ross-shire, at 113.

Read about it
From the magazine2 hours ago

Graeme Johncock, a writer who travels Scotland for Hidden Scotland's Around Scotland column, reached the Wailing Widow Falls, near Kylesku in Sutherland, by a rough trek over rocks and through mud.

The falls were the final stop on a trip through the far north-west of Scotland, and as Graeme puts it, 'Our last stop took a little more effort than the usual leisurely walk from a car park'. The trek ran along a gorge to the enormous waterfall, which crashes down from Loch na Gainmhich high above. Earlier that day he had wound his way past the mountains Suilven and Stac Pollaidh, with hardly a soul to be seen, and at Achnahaird beach a curious seal kept a wary eye on him from the waves. The falls made an impressive end to the day, and for Graeme they showed that Scotland has incredible surprises even in its furthest corners.

See Wailing Widow Falls · Sutherland
LunchJust nowSutherlandPeet's Lochinver10.0 milesSutherlandCult Cafe10.0 milesSutherlandCeilidh Place10.1 miles

Lunch near Knockan Crag Trail.

The three good places closest to it: Peet's Lochinver, Cult Cafe and Ceilidh Place.

See Knockan Crag Trail

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