27/11/2024
It was time for me to do some more work so we planned the next stop to be on a campsite.
Sango Sands Oasis
Sango Sands Oasis campsite is a large-ish campsite on the clifftop above Sango Sands beach and in the community of Durness. In the winter the campsite is operated like an aire. The facilities blocks are closed but you can still turn up and get a pitch, use electricity and the motorhome service point. This is a great model for campsites over the winter and I wish more would do this rather than just closing up. However I can see that it could be abused, so maybe it’s easier somewhere like this where it’s very quiet.
Our drive to the campsite was a dream, the roads were almost empty and we trundled along drinking in the amazing scenery. We were truly happy that we’d chosen to be in the highlands at this time of year. At the campsite we phoned the displayed number to advise that we had arrived. Like a number of aires we’ve been to on the continent, someone comes around on a daily basis to collect payment. We were the only people on the site that night. But we weren’t alone for long. This area is home to one of the best known tourist attractions on the NC500 – Smoo Cave – and although it was never busy, there was a steady trickle of tourists passing through including a couple of campervans who pitched up on the campsite. Other motorhomes used the Highland Council spaces in the local carpark.

Sango Sands Oasis campsite with a view
- One of the beautiful beaches in the area
- Viewpoint near the campsite
Durness Village
Durness village was small and quiet but had a couple of shops that were still open in the winter months serving the local community. We popped to Durness village stores to take advantage of it’s array of basic goods, treats and foodie gifts. Later we ventured to the other shop which was much more focussed on offering snacks to passers by, but we’re always in the market for some shortbread so didn’t come away empty handed.
A Bike Ride to Smoo Cave and Faraid Head
After a couple of days working and popping out for quick leg stretches in the rain and wind, we finally got out. We spent our last day here cycling around the area.
First of all we cycled east to Smoo Cave where we left our bikes locked up by the small car park and walked down the many steps to the bottom of the large geo. This long sheltered inlet would once have been part of the cave, but it collapsed many thousands of years ago. Archaeological evidence shows it was being used by the Norse and other early Medieval communities, probably as a safe harbour. We spotted a dipper bobbing in the stream issuing from the mouth of Smoo cave and seals in the distant sea..
- View of the geo and steps leading to Smoo Cave
- Down in the geo
The cave itself has a large entrance, worn by the sea and the stream. The huge first cavern is lit up with some coloured lights to illuminate the darker recesses and has a large display area with information about the cave. This is where you would be able to pay for your boat tour if they were running. No boats were in operation while we were there (they finish at the end of October), so we crossed the stream to a wooden platform where we could get a view into the second chamber. Unlike a lot of Scottish sea caves, this is in an area of limestone and the inner chambers have been created by flowing water dissolving the rock. In the second chamber we could see that water in action, a thundering waterfall fed by all of the recent rain and snow melt.
- The mouth of Smoo Cave
- View of the waterfall
After wandering around the geo we climbed back up to our bikes and cycled into the moorlands to Loch Meadaidh. This flattish area of heather and rocks was criss-crossed by tracks and surrounded by snowy hills.
- Tracks across the moors
- Loch Meadaidh
Eventually we found our way back to the road where we headed towards the hamlet of Balnakeil. On the way we passed the craft village, housed in some refurbished MOD buildings from the 1950s, once part of an early warning radar station to detect signs of imminent nuclear attack. We cycled around to see if anything was open. A few artists were working in their studios but it was very quiet and the cafe was sadly shut. We next stopped at the ruins of Balnakeil church, it looked as if there was a burial service taking place so we decided not to interrupt and moved on.

Balnakeil Church
We cycled on firm tide-exposed sand across the broad sweep of Balnakeil Bay to the road that appeared from the dunes. This road took us up to the grassy headland, occasionally sand covered but generally passable. At the end of the road we were stopped by a gated military compound. We ventured off road, skirting the wire fencing through boggy grass to the end of the peninsular. We took a route along the cliffs before venturing through the steep undulations of the dunes back to the beach.
It had been an interesting bike ride on varied terrain with lots to see under some lovely blue skies.
- Cycling across the sands
- Balnakeil Bay
- Finding the road under the dunes
- Faraid Head and the views east