Scotland's Far North

I have wanted to run this workshop again ever since I last did in 2022. For one reason and another the timings didn't work out so I'm really pleased that a return is possible in 2027.

 

The far north of Scotland is generally a gentler landscape than further south, more one of rolling moorland and low cliffs than high mountains and fjord like sea lochs. Having said that, it does contain the magnificent multi-summited Ben Loyal and Britain's highest sea cliff, Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point of the Scottish mainland.

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I still consider this a region for making quieter, more contemplative images, a place to sink into the detail of vast shell sand beaches and ancient rocks.

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We will be based close to the village of Durness. The settlement remained very isolated until relatively recently. In 1894 it was noted that anyone covering the 20 miles from Tongue had to use three ferries, across the Kyle of Tongue, the River Hope, and Loch Eriboll. A “good” road south was not completed until1893. I remember first visiting in the late 1970s when the shop had a sign outside saying “Fresh vegetables on Thursdays” and the bank set up in the Village Hall for a few hours once a week. A short time ago this was an area largely devoid of visitors. There didn’t seem much to draw people so far off the beaten track. The North Coast 500 tourist route instigated an increase in summer visitors who quickly pass through, spending only a night or two. The landscape deserves a a deeper and longer examination. Visitor numbers should still be low in early May and we'll hopefully be there before the even more annoying midges.

Durness sits on a patch of limestone, so it's better drained and more fertile than the surrounding landscape which sits on impermeable gneiss and is carpeted by boggy heathland. The limestone has been eroded into caves, Smoo Cave at the edge of the village is the most famous of these. The beaches and sea stacks will likely attract more of our attention.

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Our accommodation could not be closer to the sea. Less than a minute’s walk takes you onto Balnakeil Beach, a kilometre long broad sweep of golden sand backed by an extensive dune system covered in marram grass. Beyond the beach the land rises to Faraid Head, with a 360º panoramic view, including towards Cape Wrath. A great spot at the beginning or end of the day. Just to the east of the village, the small bay at Sango Sands has a selection of impressive sea stacks. The beach faces nor’-nor’-east and at this time of year is perfectly positioned to catch first light.

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Further afield, 20 miles south of Durness, the long beach at Oldshormore and the nearby cove at Shegra will provide more opportunities. If weather and light are favourable we may continue south towards the impressive bridge at Kylesku.

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To the east, the road meanders around the 10 mile long inlet of Loch Eriboll. Fascinatingly, this was the site where 33 German U-boat commanders surrendered their vessels at the end of WW2. We will likely stop to photograph Eriboll’s most notable feature, Ard Neackie, an attractively shaped island joined to the mainland by an isthmus of pebbles and sand. Further on we come to the Kyle of Tongue and its nearby view of the magnificent Ben Loyal, superb at any time of day but especially good in the last light of evening.

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