Hidden Gem in Inverness-shire

Achmelvich Beach in the Assynt district of northwest Sutherland is one of the most beautiful small beaches in Scotland, a crescent of brilliant white shell-sand enclosed between rocky headlands of ancient Lewisian gneiss above clear turquoise water that creates a landscape of almost improbable beauty in the latitude of the far north of Scotland. The combination of the beach, the surrounding Assynt landscape of mountains, lochs and gneiss moorland and the complete absence of commercial development makes Achmelvich one of the finest unspoiled beach experiences available in Britain. The sand of Achmelvich is composed largely of crushed shell and coral fragments giving it the brilliant white colour and fine texture characteristic of the best Hebridean and northwest Sutherland beaches. The colour of the water over this pale sand in clear conditions produces the turquoise hues that make photographs of Achmelvich appear improbably tropical for a beach in the extreme north of Scotland. The beach faces west and the evening light in the long summer evenings of this latitude creates a golden quality on the sand and water that is among the finest natural light effects available at any British beach. The surrounding Assynt landscape provides walking of exceptional quality, the mountains of Suilven, Quinag and Canisp rising from the moorland above the coast as distinctive sandstone towers visible from the beach, and the loch-scattered moorland between the beach and the mountains one of the most primordially ancient landscapes in Europe.

Sandwood Bay in the Sutherland district of the far northwest of Scotland is one of the most remote and most beautiful beaches in Britain, a kilometre-long strand of pink shell-sand backed by an extensive dune system and the freshwater Sandwood Loch that is accessible only by a walk of approximately four miles from the end of the nearest road at Blairmore near Kinlochbervie. The combination of the remoteness, the extraordinary quality of the beach, the sea stack of Am Buachaille rising from the Atlantic offshore and the vast Sutherland sky creates a landscape experience of extraordinary power that rewards the effort of the walk emphatically. The beach faces southwest into the Atlantic and receives the full force of the ocean swell, its sand constantly in motion and the waves capable of considerable size and power in the frequent Atlantic storms. In calm conditions the turquoise water over the pink sand creates a colour combination of striking beauty that is entirely unexpected in the latitude of northwest Scotland, and the combination of the beach colours, the sea stack and the dunes provides a photogenic composition that has made Sandwood one of the most published beach photographs in Scotland. The sea stack of Am Buachaille rises about sixty metres from the sea immediately south of the beach and provides a dramatic focal point for the view from the shore. The stack is separated from the mainland cliff by a deep channel and its ascent, accomplished by a handful of rock climbers, requires significant technical skill and commitment. The ghost of a bearded sailor, said to haunt the old shepherd's cottage above the beach, is one of the most reported of Highland apparitions, with numerous accounts from different periods. Whether or not this gives pause, Sandwood Bay's atmosphere of complete solitude and elemental natural power makes it an experience unlike any other on the Scottish coast.