Into the Wilderness ... Loch Laxford

I decided to start my "Into the Wilderness" experience by circumnavigating a small inshore Island in the North. For some reason the island of Handa had appealed to my adventuring spirit for quite a number of years.

Perhaps it was the call of the Puffin's which fired my imagination.  I tend to think of them as sea parrots .. or the clowns of the seabirds.

Or perhaps it was my abortive trip that I posted about in my blog around six years ago. You may recall that time ... when my daughter had an accident and I had to return home after a quick foray into Loch Laxford.

Or it may have just been the call of exploring somewhere new .. but whatever it was that attracted me .. that is where I headed for first.

Arriving in the area .. I had a scout round to find the best place to set up camp and also be able to beach launch my inflatable boat. The village of Scourie was an option and I parked beside the beach to have a look.

The setting was appealing ..but as there is a campsite in the village ..I decided that wild camping was not really suitable here. I took a walk along the coast.

It was a lovely warm early summer day. The sea looked blue and inviting for inflatable boating and the warm wind was not causing too much turbulence on the flattish sea surface.

Looking across to Handa ..I started getting impatient ..and wished I was on the water heading there instead of just looking across the sea at the island.

I headed back to the car.. my mind was now made up. I was going to set up camp at Loch Laxford ... beside the old boathouse. Its out the way of civilisation ..and I knew from my previous visit ..I should be left in peace to enjoy my peace and quiet.

By the time I settled into my camp.. it was late afternoon .. so I assembled the boat and explored the sea loch at Laxford.

Then I settled down for the night ..looking forward to a trip round Handa the following day ....

Scourie and the storms

Heading northwards, I stopped at the viewpoint on Struie hill which looks over the Kyle of Sutherland towards the far north west of Scotland. I could see that the wilderness where I was seeking solitude from my stresses lay under a heavy sky. I began to feel very alone as I headed into the dark distance.



I drove on through the rain without seeing the scenery, I was lost in my own thoughts as the mist swirled around the hills, hiding them from view. Eventually I arrived at Scourie. The centre of civilisation in the far north west of Scotland. I wondered about staying on the campsite in the village, just so I didn’t feel totally alone. I resisted the temptation and parked at the car park which overlooks Scourie Bay and the village.



It was blowing a gale, so to pass the afternoon I went a walk along the cliffs to the point at Rubha Shios. As I watched the waves breaking on the rocks, I was glad I wasn’t at sea in my inflatable boat. It wouldn’t last two minutes in those conditions.



I was walking on the sheltered side of the bay so the waves were not big in the off shore wind. I watched the dark squalls streak across the sea’s surface towards Handa Island.



As I continued my walk the sun occasionally illuminated the barren landscape making it look a little less hostile and desolate.



Looking back at Scourie village from the point, I thought that man had not made much of a mark in this landscape. It was still ruled by the forces of nature that created it. I felt very insignificant in the vastness of the wilderness.



Looking south from the point, I was now facing directly into the storm. All traces of mankind were now blown away.



It was the power of the sea that ruled this landscape. The noise of the wind in my ears was that loud, it drowned the noise of my thoughts. I was struggling to even breathe in the face of the storm.



Wave after wave sent spume high in the air as the water slowly carved the rocks into deep coves and clefts. I wondered if even the limpets could hang onto those rocks in such conditions.



I headed back to the car and looked for my own campsite. I found a little spot off the road on the way to Loch Laxford and set up camp. I have an airbed which I put in the back of my estate car when the rear seats are put down. I pile my belongings and inflatable boat equipment on the ground and peg a tarpaulin over it in case of rain. It had been too rough for fishing for my dinner so I cooked some tinned food on my little gas stove.



I did look for wild food to help supplement my bought food but only found a handful of raspberries. Although they couldn’t make a meal, they added a lovely flavour to my breakfast cereal.



To pass the last of the evening, I climbed a little hill beside my campsite and surveyed the start of Loch Laxford. I was determined to explore it in the inflatable boat come morning.



I then bedded down in the car for the night. That’s when the second storm hit. I had taken my mobile phone with me in case of an emergency. The emergency had now arrived. My youngest daughter phoned to tell me my eldest daughter had just been taken into hospital. The rain started to pour and the wind started to howl again as I tried to sleep in the dark. I was too far in the wilderness to visit my daughter that night.