Our Scotland Tour, Part 3- Dunnet Bay and Altnaharra

Day 8

Excited for the adventures ahead we hit the road again. We couldn’t believe how lucky we had been so far with the weather and today was no different. Taking the scenic A9 up the east coast we got amazing coastal views on our way to our next stop- Dunnet Bay Caravan and Motorhome club site.

After a 3 hour drive we arrived on site and were greeted yet again by a great view, looking out over Dunnet Bay. Surrounded by grassy sand dunes dancing in the wind we set up and went to explore the campsite.

It was quite a small site but it had a great disabled shower room, it was ‘L’ shaped with the shower cubicle coming off one side, and it was really warm (Which automatically gets my vote)!

Just next to the site was a pathway that lead down to the beach, there were steps at the bottom, but at the top was a fantastic decked lookout area which was perfect for wheelchairs.

Since the weather wasn’t looking as good for the following day and we wanted to make the most of the afternoon, we headed out again. Driving through miles of barren wasteland it felt like we’d been transported to another planet, and before we knew it we were there...

We “Dunnet”! We had driven from our home on the south coast of England to the mostly northerly point in mainland UK- Dunnet Head. Although this was only marking the middle of our road trip it felt like quite an accomplishment.

After taking the obligatory photo we went for a little stroll down the path to the viewpoint overlooking the cliffs. It was extremely windy but we enjoyed taking in the fresh air as well as the amazing view, before heading back to the caravan to watch the sun set over Dunnet Bay.

Day 9

By now we had travelled over 1,200 miles in just 7 days so we were both ready to have a bit of a rest. We enjoyed a nice lazy morning before heading out to John O’Groats, there we found a little bistro where we stopped for lunch, which was lovely and the staff were really friendly. Wandering around afterwards we came across a quirky little shop called “The Emporium” where they sold loads of handmade things. We couldn’t resist picking up some homemade jam and gorgeous hand painted greetings cards, sold by a lovely gentleman on behalf of his talented wife who had painted them.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Dunnet Bay, and as usual we could’ve happily stayed for longer. But it was time to start heading south, to our next stop- Altnaharra.

Day 10

As we got closer to our site it gradually got more and more rural, any signs of civilisation got fewer and further between and the roads became even more narrow and bumpy.

After driving to the middle of the Scottish highlands we arrived at Altnaharra Caravan and Motorhome club site, and boy was it worth it! As we pulled into the campsite we were blown away by the view, it was just stunning! Sitting on the Edge of Loch Naver with a backdrop of snowy mountains it was postcard perfect, and the most tranquil place we’ve ever been. All you could hear was the sound of the water lapping up against the rocks and the birds tweeting.

The site itself was quite simplistic, the only facilities being electricity and a service point with water sourced from the stream behind. As usual the wardens were lovely and friendly, they even sold delicious homemade treats in the small site shop- very handy as the nearest convenience store was almost an hours drive away!

Although we could’ve happily sat by the side of the Loch, letting the day roll by, we were only at Altnaharra for one night so we were keen to explore the north west of the highlands that we would otherwise miss out on.

We planned to set off on a little circular driving tour but it ended up lasting hours. Going down the narrow winding roads we felt like we were really in the wilderness, there was nothing but hills and mountains as far as the eye could see and we barely passed a single car. We even caught a glimpse of some wild stags grazing on the hills.

Over 120 miles later we got back to the peaceful campsite, both exhausted after a long day but extremely grateful to have such a perfect place to sleep for the night.