Saturday August 8:
I woke early and wandered a mile down the road to Smoo Cave while it was still quiet. The cave, formed by both coastal and riverine erosion attacking from both sides, was very impressive. Approaching form the front you are met by the gaping cave mouth, then further in is a beautiful waterfall cascading through a hole created by river water pouring through the cave roof. There is a short boat trip you which takes you deeper into the cave, but that didn’t start until later in the morning so I missed out.
I walked back to the tourist information centre near the campsite to find out the ‘ferry’ times to get over to Cape Wrath, then hopped on the bike for the three mile ride to the crossing point. I think they had been quite liberal with the use of the word ferry. A small open-topped wooden boat is not really the image conjured up when I hear that word. The boat carried about 10 people and had to make two trips to get everyone across the Kyle of Durness. The five minute crossing by boat is the only way to access this remote north-western corner of Scotland as they are no proper roads to, or in Cape Wrath.
I was on the first crossing so we chatted with our driver, a typically friendly Scottish bloke, while we waited for the rest of the party. Once everyone was over we climbed aboard the knackered old LDV school minibus to begin the journey to the Cape Wrath Lighthouse. I was pretty shocked when the driver told us the 11 mile drive would take an hour, but as soon as we headed up the battered stone track I could see why. The track was built in the 1828 as a horse and cart track and was last resurfaced in the 1950s, and after the first few hundred meters or so, pretty much all trace of tarmac vanished.
Cape Wrath is part owned by local sheep farmers, the Ministry of Defence, and the rest by wealthy families who use the few homes to holiday in for just a few weeks a year. The landscape was pretty bleak. Large expanses of peat bog covered in heather, with a complete lack of trees. There are several small bridges along the track, including one built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson, the famous Scottish lighthouse builder.
Not far along the track you reach a military check point, from then on you are entering one of the largest live firing training zones in the UK. For a few weeks a year, the area hosts a massive international ‘war games’ exercise where NATO countries bombard the area with shells from naval destroyers and missiles from various aircraft. You could see the bomb craters in some places, and our driver and guide said one year the Americans shelled a neighbouring island by mistake. Luckily it too was uninhabited. Thankfully, none of this was taking place when I visited and there were no military personnel to be seen, just a few 4x4s and quad bikes which were left there.
After an hour of back-jarring discomfort we reached the lighthouse perched on top of the 400 foot high, spectacular cliffs. The light house, built by Robert Stevenson in 1828 is located at the most north-western point in the UK, and you couldn’t get much more remote. During the summer tourist season, the poor bloke in the little cafe lives up here full-time. He must be pretty fond of his own company.
The lighthouse, like all UK lighthouses is unmanned, with the last keeper leaving during the 1990s. There’s also a couple of derelict buildings overlooking the lighthouse from just up the hill to the east. These are an old ship tracking station built by Lloyds of London Insurers and an old coastguard station, both unused since the Second World War. It would have been interesting to have a look at those but time and health and safety wouldn’t allow.
I had a good wander round the outside of the lighthouse buildings and scared myself by standing right on the cliff edges, even taking a ‘selfie’ for good measure, before it was time to head back. By now the wind had dropped so the dreaded midges were out in force so we were eaten alive waiting for the ‘ferry’ to take us back across the Kyle of Durness.
Back at the campsite I headed out to the onsite pub for some hearty grub. I was just about to leave when I saw a biker couple I’d met when I was setting up the tent yesterday. They invited me to sit with them and we had a good laugh and a good few drinks!
Further information:
Cape Wrath and the lighthouse – http://www.visitcapewrath.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Wrath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Wrath_Lighthouse
Robert Stevenson (lighthouse builder) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Stevenson_(civil_engineer)
Things to do in Durness – https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g551805-Activities-Durness_Caithness_and_Sutherland_Scottish_Highlands_Scotland.html
Flickr album – https://www.flickr.com/photos/135003299@N02/albums/72157658955568361/with/20712440200/
A Very British Adventure 