Northern Sutherland

Northern Sutherland comprises of the far north west tip of the Scottish mainland and is an area of mountains, moors, lochs, rock, bog and wild and beautiful coastlines – with spectacular cliffs and stacks and some of the countries most beautiful beaches. In between all this it has welcoming settlements nestled in sheltered locations such as Scourie, Durness, Tongue, Bettyhill, Melvich, Altnaharra and Lairg.

Northern Sutherland is an area of stunning natural beauty, it has a feeling of space and solitude – probably more so than any other area of mainland Britain. The North Coast 500 (NC500) scenic route follows the main roads around the coast and provides access to many of the excellent sights, more are accessible for the adventurous further off the beaten track. The Flow Country is a globally important expanse of blanket bog and peatland wilderness that occupies much of the interior and east of the area between the mountains – World Heritage status is currently being applied for, see more here.

In terms of mountains the interior has plenty of choice: Ben Hope is the most northerly Munro and a spectacular hill; Ben Klibreck above Altnaharra is a massive 10 kilometre long ridge whose highest top, Meall nan Con, also has Munro status; Foinaven and Arkle in the west comprise of one of the most spectacular mountain masses in Scotland but are less frequented as they are below 3000 feet; Ben Loyal is feted for its fine ramparts above Tongue and has an intriguing granitic summit terrain. Also, the hills of the Reay Forest south of Foinaven provide exceptionally rough and wild terrain away from the “crowds” and are highly recommended. The west of Sutherland is part of the North West Highlands Geopark – one of the UNESCO Global Geoparks – an area of international geological significance.

Discover and explore Northern Sutherland through the articles and links below.

Northern Sutherland Select Photo Gallery

A select gallery of only my very best Northern Sutherland photos. From dawn over the Flow Country to the majesty ...
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Dun Dornaigil Broch and Strath More

Dun Dornaigil (or Dun Dornadilla) is an excellent example of an iron age broch built around 2000 to 2500 years ...
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Ard Neackie & Loch Eriboll

Ard Neackie is a small scenic peninsula on the east side of Loch Eriboll joined to the mainland by a ...
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Loch Hope and the Hope to Altnaharra Road

The hamlet of Hope on the A838 (North Coast 500 route) is at the north end of Loch Hope. From ...
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Farr Bay, Bettyhill

Farr Bay on the east side of the north coast village of Bettyhill is a stunningly scenic location. It is ...
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Ceannabeinne Durness – Grey November Day but Still Beautiful

Saturday was a grey day in the far north, there was some mizzle in Caithness to start. The forecast had seemed okay so I set out with my boy to head west and do something. No firm plans, just a need (on my part) to get out of the house ...
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Ben Hope Summit Camp

Back in July I had a free weekend that coincided with good weather in the north west. This generally seems to be a rare occurrence with good weather appearing to only happen during the working week. Whilst having climbed Ben Hope many times I had never spent a night high ...
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Puffin Colony – Wester Clett, Sutherland

Just on the Sutherland side of the Sutherland/Caithness border is a deep geo, or coastal inlet, with a steep sided island called Wester Clett in the middle. Wester Clett has been popularly named "Puffin Island", which is fair enough given the number of puffins here in the summer months. The ...
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