Hiking In Sutherland
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I’ve recently returned from a stunningly beautiful weeks hiking in the far north of Scotland. My family have Scottish roots and I lived in the wilds of Sutherland for over three years, in all honesty I left a piece of my heart behind when I returned to England. As such my journey home was akin to the warmth and familiarity of a lost love. This area of Scotland is a magical place and one of the last true wildernesses left in the UK. I’ve walked these hills and mountains for years, often putting a tent in my rucksack, packing a fishing rod and some food and simply disappearing for a week or more. In all that time I never saw another soul and at times I felt like I was the last person left alive.
Stunning Dropro footage of Assynt. I really urge you to watch all the videos for they are quite breathtaking.
Although all the pictures are mine the weather wasn't that great for taking photos of the mountains in Assynt (Sutherlands west coast) so I've included some drone footage from the excellent Dropro & The great outdoors by drone.
Here's one I took earlier .. several years earlier!
The mountains of Assynt and Sutherland are some of the oldest on the planet and would have originally been as high as the lofty peaks of mount Everest. Indeed geologists come from all over the world the view these rock formations and it’s been designated as the only geopark in Scotland. These mountains may have been worn by time, but still they rise out of a sea of stunning green moorland like islands of vertical rock. From stunning beaches and remote windswept mountainscapes this is a place full of magic and mystery and in all honesty there is nowhere quite like it in the world.
Today Sutherland is one of the most sparsely populated areas in the whole of Europe, but this wasn’t always the case. The Duke of Sutherland instigated one of the darkest times in the history of the county, the Highland clearances. The clearances saw entire families forcibly removed from their homes and land in order to make way for industrial size sheep farms. They were bullied, beaten and had their homes burned around them. Many families were scattered to the four corners of the earth where they remain to this day. Upon his death the Duke left instructions for a huge statue to be built and erected on a local peak. To this day he still watches over Sutherland but throughout the years there have been many attempts to destroy his statue.
If you look at the hills in the far distance you can see the statue of the Duke looking over Sutherland
Taking in the view
The Dornoch Firth
As the vista opened up in front of me and the wind gently pulled at my hair my heart was once again complete. The landscape resonated and captivated my soul with the sublimity of a violin concerto
Back Into The Mountains
This part of Scotland has a distinct feel to it and indeed it’s hard to believe that it’s part of the same island as the rolling hills of Southern England. That’s because it isn’t, in fact the vast area north of the Great Glen, Loch Ness and the Kessock Bridge was originally a completely separate landmass. Indeed the collision that occurred several million years ago gave rise (literally) to the highland landscape we see to this day. This part of Scotland is split by the Great Glen Fault which is still active, indeed the Kessock bridge is built to withstand regular (relatively small) earthquakes.
Fantastic Video Footage By: The Great Outdoors By Drone
Today we walked for three hours across a particularly sodden and bleak blanket bog (sometimes up to our knees). My brother was beginning to question my sanity when suddenly we were there, our very own hidden Scottish Shangri-la. This is place is very much off the beaten track and as such (like every other time I visit) we had the entire place to ourselves. The pictures don’t really do it justice and to be honest I was hoping to capture some better photos of the mountains, but the weather had other ideas. But hey this is Scotland and although it’s often known to rain, when the sun does come out I really wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.
Walking alongside the sandy loch
In a funny kind of way the weather feeds the beguiling beauty of the place. This is not an area that gives up it’s wealth easily, but when it does you feel like the richest person alive.
My dog soaking up the view
Back To The Beach
You know there are places in this world that have the ability to bring a lump to your throat and a tear to your eye, such is the power and majesty of their beauty. Places that make you yearn for the simplicity and resplendence of our connection to the natural world and lament the choices of the madmen we allow to run it.
In these moments you come to know that in reality life could be so simple for there are but a few truths that really matter and everything else is simply a deviation from that truth. The sheer joy of being alive, having love in your heart and the consciousness and health to appreciate the exquisite grandeur of the world around us. There is something profoundly beautiful in that simplicity.
Purple Heather
Sandwood Bay
For me Sandwood Bay was, is and will always be a place that tugs at my heartstrings and calls to me on the darkest of days. Again it’s not a place that displays it’s beauty easily but to compensate you often get the beach to yourself. After a four mile walk you turn the final corner and are greeted by the bay in all it’s elegant splendour, I promise it’s a vision that will remain until your dying breath. With tales of mermaids, ghostly sailors and sunken gold laden Spanish galleons this is a place that will bring out the romantic in even the hardest of hearts.
Unfortunately this was the day with camera batteries decided to give up! hence the drone footage from Jagerscot and Dropro along with a couple of stills. Both top and bottom videos give some fantastic views
The Road To Nowhere
This would have been the jetty to the old ferry across the Dornoch firth. Indeed much of this area was unreachable by road until relatively recently. Electricity didn't reach some parts of Sutherland until the 60's and 70's and many houses still don't have it. There is an entire community that lives in the middle of the mountains and it's a four to five mile walk to reach them. The postman used to do this once a week, but now the post office no longer offer this service so they have a box. They were offered a road many years ago but declined and instead have opted to live the old way and without disturbances, I can relate to that :). There are also ghost villages in the mountains and coastal peninsular some of which weren't abandoned until the 1950s. They come complete with houses and cobbled streets and are hauntingly beautiful. The weather wasn't on my side this time but next time I'll try and get some shots.
The Long & Winding Road
Back To Reality
As I’ve walked through this landscape it felt as though I was holding onto the vestiges of a beautiful dream I never wanted to wake up from. With each day the sands of time slipped through my fingers until one day I was left holding nothing but memories. One day I will be old with aching bones and fading memories. That’s one of the reasons I share my pictures and write posts that capture the essence of my feelings, because in doing so these memories will live forever.
Thanks For Sharing My Memories
Written by perceptualflaws
original photography by perceptualflaws
videos courtesy of youtube
Gifs courtesy of @justcallmemyth
I'm proud to be both a member and supporter of the Minnow Support Project - brought to you by the hard work of: @aggroed, @teamsteem, @canadian-coconut and @ausbitbank,
discord channel: https://discord.gg/HYj4yvw
beautiful nature !!!
Hey @stefaniya thanks for the support, I'm really glad you enjoyed the post.
Hey my great friend, those pictures are truly spectacular. I can see what draws you back time and time again. Cracking post buddy 😉
Hey there dude, Thanks for the support :) .. I've been feeling really rough today but writing this has made me feel a bit better :D .. really glad you enjoyed it.
Always my man. Feel better 😉
Lovely countryside :))
Hey thanks for the support @steingal I'm glad you enjoyed it
Lovely place, I'm going a lot to Eyemouth love Scotland
It's a beautiful place for sure, really glad you liked the post .. thanks for the support.
Great work with this post! Would love to visit Scotland. Upvoted and followed. Feel free to visit my site @solbadans as well. I share pictures from northern Norway.
Hey @solbadans Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, it's really appreciated. It's a stunning part of the world. I have followed you, equally I'd love to visit Norway :)
Wow, great hike. Looks like a place where I would love to trail run for days! With this kind of natural beauty, ancient castles and whisky, I must admit I love Scotland and will travel back there one day for more exploration. PS Great profile, I'm now following you. ;)
Hey @extremejogging Thanks for the support my friend, it's greatly appreciated. Lots of whiskey distilleries, beautiful castles and stunning countryside so it's a win win :) Thanks, I'm now also following you.
You packed a lot into one post! Stunning shtss and videos. I'm glad you enjoy Scotland. I always leave a piece of me behind each time I have to leave.
I'm really glad you appreciated the post @dmcamera thanks for the comment and support. It's a truly beautiful part of the world, rich in both history and landscape. Thanks again.
"These mountains may have been worn by time, but still they rise out of a sea of stunning green moorland like islands of vertical rock. " I went to the Isle of Mull years back and then took a small fishing boat from Tobermory to Faskedale ! Ineed to get back there! Was just fabulous to walk with my friends through this strange ethereal and lonely place which is Scotland !! Beautiful post really @perceptualflaws, some very nice photos indeed !
Hey @gomeravibz Thanks for taking the time to lend your support and comment my friend I really appreciate it. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but I've been away. I have been to Mull a couple of times myself and it's a truly beautiful island, did you go from Oban? Hope you manage to find some time to return my friend, the landscape calls to us all when the time is right :)
hi @perceptualflaws You were making me envious of your journeys. I live down South of England now and miss the home country. Several times, I have been round the coastal road, up from Inverness to John O' Groats, across to Durness and down the West Coast. By bike and car. Cross country too. Favourite times staying in Youth Hostels, Strathpeffer, Glen Affric, Durness. Time to go back I think.
Hey @tomcarpenter thanks for the support and great comment, I very much appreciate it. It's simply stunning isn't it, if you travel the route on the right day it's one of the most beautiful places in the world. If you didn't go past Kinlochbervie, lochinver and alongside the summer isles and inverpolly nature reserve I'd highly recommend it. I have some amazing memories of the area and I'm glad you share them, thanks again!
Yes I cycled all the way up the West Coast too. Kyle, Round Applecross (before there was a road), Ullapool, Torridon (stayed at Diabeg as well). Done trips along Loch Maree and round by Stac Polly. One of my favourite photos (on film of course) is Suilven from the coast road near Lochinver. Maybe time to digitise these, or go on another road trip. I have lived abroad for several years and after 2010 the DVLC withdrew driving licences for non-UK-residents. So that limited travel a bit on my UK holidays. Now back in Surrey it's a long way to the North.
Wow what a an experience that must have been, it's simply stunning isn't it! I'm lucky to have also have the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in these areas and they will always hold a piece of my heart. I'm in complete agreement on the Suilven front, it's a simply fantastic, ethereal mountain! Unfortunately the weather wasn't on my side for a picture this time (hence the drone footage) but I'll be back ;) .. Thanks again!!
I found a photo of Suilven and Canisp taken near Lochinver when my wife and I were on a tandem tour of the North of Scotland in 1979. I think the third one is Cul Mor.
That's a beautiful shot @tomcarpenter was it taken along the coast between Lochinver and the Inverpolly nature reserve? The rocks in this area are simply superb!!
We were going to Achmelvich Youth Hostel. In fact you can now use Google Maps Street View. It was along this road.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@58.1681603,-5.2888506,3a,75y,157.76h,87.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxaNfwYrB0ic8X9YrRnZwfw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Good post! I’m sure you will continue to shoot more.
Hey @firepower thanks for taking the time to lend your support and read my post. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but I've been away for a few days. I'm really glad you enjoyed the post and pictures. Thanks again :)