SNT (day 18) - Loch Glendhu to Sandwood Beach (Cape Wrath Trail)

Big day, I've placed myself strategically for the last push, in the most remote beach in UK (apparently).

First few miles in the morning were an easy road walk. The stubborn horses were gone, perhaps they went back through the same hole in the fence they escaped yesterday.

Cape Wrath wouldn't be itself if there wasn't a pathless section every now and then and soon enough there was one, soon after climbing Ben Dreavie, next four miles were a boggy, shaggy, inarticulate mess (still beautiful though). Gradually it became a road and then the process repeated itself along the lake with super complicated name: Loch a' Gharbh-bhaid Mhoir, very heavy metal sounding name indeed, I loved it.

After hiking in deep mud along steep metal sounding lake for few hours, trail eventually surfaced at Rhiconich, small village with police station at which I've been told by Dave I met yesterday, Cape Wrath Firing Range report was posted and indeed there was! 

Basically, last 8 miles of the Cape Wrath Trail was a military zone and few times a month it would be closed so the soldiers could have a firing practice, this month (June) it was between 15th and 19th, I was in luck as it was 11th today, I had four days to spare!

From here on the trail to my relief was a simple road walk, I visited a fishing town of Kinlochbervie as it had a small SPAR supermarket, bought few snacks and topped up my water, I've also had the smallest fish and chips ever in a food truck just outside the town.

At this point I've decided to get as close to the firing range as possible, that last section was meant to be very tough so I wanted to have plenty of time in the morning to tackle it. I've hiked an additional six miles and ended up at very cool looking Sandwood Bay with it's beach hailed to be the most remote in Britain, to be fair it was only accessible by foot on a 4.5 mile trail, so a 9 mile return hike for day hikers just wanted to see it, it was quite an effort to get to.

I found an amazing campsite above the beach, overlooking the whole area, the ocean was very calm and weather was good. I soaked my feet in the Atlantic, pitched the tent, had a big bag of pickled onion Monster Munch for dinner and fell asleep to the sounds of chirping birds and gentle rain tapping on my tent.

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