Am Buachaille and Sandwood Bay

Following severe winter gales, thousands of tons of sand can be shifted by waves, altering beach contours (a few years ago, this exposed the remains of a World War II Spitfire).

The joy of Sandwood Bay is its desolation: no roads run nearby, allowing you to enjoy solitude in all seasons. Spring brings thrift on the cliffs and purple orchids on the moor, while the brilliant white Cape Wrath lighthouse shimmers to the north. In summer you can watch gannets plummeting into waves for fish; autumn low tides reveal wet sand dotted with oystercatchers and sandpipers; and winter brings magnificent roaring waves breaking across firm sand. (Warning: the sandy beach shelves suddenly with a vicious undertow, so do not bathe, though you can safely cool off in pools and lagoons where the river draining Sandwood Loch cuts through northern sands).

Despite the vast open landscape and huge sky, eyes are constantly drawn south to the enormous Am Buachaille sea stack. First climbed in 1967 by Tom Patey, it provides a tough rock-climbing challenge requiring a 33-foot (10-metre) swim through boiling surf to gain the plinth. Beyond Am Buachaille, waves break on the tiny, rarely visited island group of Am Balg protected by ring of rocky teeth.

Before turning inland over moor grass and purple heather to your car, glance south to the contorted, indented coastline of jagged rocks, cliffs, and stacks stretching for 10 miles (16 km) to the bird sanctuary of Handa Island (which makes a splendid excursion for another day with motorboat service from the village of Tarbet all summer).

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.