Having missed my annual attempt at watching the sun set on the longest day / weekend from the west coast of Scotland, I set off north and west early afternoon yesterday with a loose plan to wild camp near Durness, only a week late.
The weather, as all in Britain can testify to, has been, and continues to be amazing – I sat and watched the bikes air temperature gauge hit 29 degrees Celcius as I rode north on Saturday afternoon.
Heres a map of the route I took north . . . .
Only took the one photo on the way north, just up from Ben Hope . . . .
People say that the midges are their big concern when visiting the Highlands! Well, the little blighters are suffering with all this sunshine and no rain to speak of, so HURRAH to that.
BUT . . . . . .Whilst stopped to take the above photo, I was assaulted, and I mean assaulted, by several squadrons of horse flies, or cleggs as they are known up here! I had to quickly re-fit my jacket, crash hat and riding gloves, all whilst striding purposefully in any direction that was away from the flies, before I could take the picture.
I found a spot next to the Kyle of Durness that wasn’t too over-run with camper-vans – they seemed to be in every lay-by or old road section on my ride north and south - and got the tent up and put on the kettle for a brew before dinner. This is the sunset that met my eyes just after I’d finished doing the dishes . . .
Being a light sleeper, my nights under canvas in campsites are often very light on sleep. Not Saturday night, even with the temperature dipping no lower than about 16 degrees as the sun set and the occasional local blasting past on their way too / from Durness. Waking before the sun was back in the sky, I was on the road south before sun-rise and got this picture from a little way south of Durness . . . . .
Breakfast was next and Kylesku bridge seemed a very nice place to get the cooker out – and there was only 1 camper van in the first parking area next to the bridge (4 or 5 large buggers in the parking area on the other end of the bridge)
The roads, as can be expected at silly-O-clock in the morning, were mine and mine alone till just after Ullapool, with the first powered two wheelers coming into view as I approached Poolewe. I’d set my mind on doing the Gairloch loop after Ullapool, so turning right at the Corrieshalloch gorge I headed for Dundonnell . This is the view that greets you as you head westish . . . .
Little Loch Broom always gets it’s photo taken with my bike in the foreground every time I ride past the place
Final photo is of Loch Ewe from above the NATO refuelling site
Map of southerly run
433 miles in glorious sunshine, riding my thrumming and thumping V-Strom at a pace that matched my moods = BLISS
Steve T
