Undiscovered Scotland

 

Scourie is a welcome haven on the route north from Ullapool to Durness. For those heading north, the main "coast" road actually steers well inland. It gets fairly close as it crosses the Kylesku Bridge, but it only really finds the sea at Badcall, just south of Scourie.

Badcall is renowned mostly for being home to the Edrachilles Hotel, built in 1835 as the parish manse. A few years later a large fishing station was built on the bay itself. It is now used as a base for fish farming in Badcall Bay.

At Scourie the traveller is presented with a wonderful rocky bay stretching north-west towards Handa Island. On the south side of the bay, accessible from the road leading to the cemetery, is a stretch of sand bounded by rocks. From here you gain some nice views across the bay to Scourie itself and of the intensely rocky landscape that makes up so much of this part of north-west Sutherland. And from the right spot on the far side of Scourie Bay, you can also see the top of Ben Stack appearing over the intervening landscape to the east.

As you enter Scourie, you pass on your left its camping and caravanning site. This well serviced site offers a superb location with pitches on a number of levels overlooking the bay. Close by is the road that leads down to Scourie's pier, at the east end of Scourie Bay. Screened from the pier by trees is Scourie House, built for the Sutherland estate factor in 1846.

From the campsite the main roads leads you past a petrol station that will be welcome to those who have underestimated the distances you need to drive in north-west Scotland. And just beyond it is another welcome sight, the white-painted Scourie Hotel. This offers accommodation as well as food and drink for the passing visitor.

Most of Scourie lies on the old road that emerges opposite the Scourie Hotel, now bypassed by the A894. Here you will find a range of attractive cottages and crofts sheltering at the foot of the closely surrounding hills.

From Scourie the road north actually heads only a little north of east, towards Laxford Bridge, where you choose whether to continue on to Durness, or take the long road south-east to Lairg. Half way to Laxford Bridge you pass the minor turning on the left that leads through one of the last true wildernesses in north-west Scotland to Fanagmore and Tarbet, and from there to Handa Island.