NC500 2017 - Day 6 - Durness to Keiss
Thusday 6th July 2017
Durness to Keiss
Route
The weather forecast wasn't great for today but we managed to escape the rain.
The first part of the drive was much more scenic than we imagined.
Our first coffee stop was at the causeway across the Kyle of Tongue.
Soon the single track road widened out and we made fast progress passed the decommissioned nuclear power station at Dounreay.
We picked up some lunch supplies from Lidl, the first sign of civilisation in Thurso, the most northern town in mainland Britain. We actually ate our lunch at Dunnet head which has a latitude on N 58.40.142, higher than John O'Groats.
There were puffins on the cliffs, a lighthouse and derelict military lookout posts and an earthcache but little else but we could see the tip of The Old Man of Hoy sea stack just of the Orkneys.
Just back on the main road was a stop I had been looking forward to, The Dunnet Head distillery. No tours of the factory available today, but after a little taster we decided to buy the original Rock Rose gin.
A brief stop at the Castle of Mey before we headed on to John O'Groats for the obligatory photo opportunity and an ice cream.
Our final stop of the day was the most spectacular at Dunscansby Head, the most North Westerly tip of mainland Britain and where the Atlantic Ocean becomes the North Sea.
We walked out to view the amazing sea stacks standing up like wizards hats. The sea was calm today but is notorious for it's unpredictable currents.
More puffins and other birds nestled on the rocky ledges quite safe from predators.
Our B&B proved a little tricky to find so we ended up in Wick where we had a curry before back tracking to Keiss.
Durness to Keiss
Route
The weather forecast wasn't great for today but we managed to escape the rain.
The first part of the drive was much more scenic than we imagined.
Our first coffee stop was at the causeway across the Kyle of Tongue.
Soon the single track road widened out and we made fast progress passed the decommissioned nuclear power station at Dounreay.
We picked up some lunch supplies from Lidl, the first sign of civilisation in Thurso, the most northern town in mainland Britain. We actually ate our lunch at Dunnet head which has a latitude on N 58.40.142, higher than John O'Groats.
There were puffins on the cliffs, a lighthouse and derelict military lookout posts and an earthcache but little else but we could see the tip of The Old Man of Hoy sea stack just of the Orkneys.
Just back on the main road was a stop I had been looking forward to, The Dunnet Head distillery. No tours of the factory available today, but after a little taster we decided to buy the original Rock Rose gin.
A brief stop at the Castle of Mey before we headed on to John O'Groats for the obligatory photo opportunity and an ice cream.
Our final stop of the day was the most spectacular at Dunscansby Head, the most North Westerly tip of mainland Britain and where the Atlantic Ocean becomes the North Sea.
We walked out to view the amazing sea stacks standing up like wizards hats. The sea was calm today but is notorious for it's unpredictable currents.
More puffins and other birds nestled on the rocky ledges quite safe from predators.
Our B&B proved a little tricky to find so we ended up in Wick where we had a curry before back tracking to Keiss.
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