Sandwood Bay

Day 5: 34 miles; 15k cycle

We have been sleeping very well in the van but this morning we had an earlier start. The parking at the start of the Sandwood Bay path can get quite busy so we wanted to get there early. But maybe on a Monday in September we needn’t have worried as we were the 3rd vehicle to arrive :).

We were last here in August 2017 for a bike packing trip. This time the trail seemed shorter and easier – something to do with carrying less gear I suspect, as this time we were just here for a day trip and not carrying all the camping gear.

The view as we came around the final turn in the trail was just as awesome as the first time we saw it.

And once we got down to the beach it was just as lovely as we remembered.

On the way back we checked out the local pier which didn’t look like it got much use so of course Illya decided to ride down it. And we topped up with fuel at the local shop which sold just about everything. There aren’t many shops or fuel stops in this part of Scotland so community shops like this are really important and spending some money here helps everyone.

As we were now a day ahead of our rough travel plan we needed somewhere to spend the night. Apps like SearchforSites and Park4Night are quite handy in these situations. We’ve stopped with a great view at the impressive Kylesku bridge crossing. I am hopeful tomorrow I might have some of the seafood at the local pub like I did on one of our first trips to this area in 2012.

The plan for the next 4 days involves some of the best beaches ever …. and I say that as a “gal” who grew up in the Caribbean.