Discovering new beaches

Its been a wet old week, even by Glencoe standards. Boats have been sailing past the office windows and Trench Foot is more of a concern than Swine Flu. And with more rain in the forecast, but a glimmer of hope in between, we set off in search of blue skies...

The beach near Smirisary.

It all seemed a bit pointless as we drove over the Ballachulish Bridge. The car was buffeted by the wind and the latest passing squall pelted the car with yet more rain. But, in the belief that the foecast weather window would appear we pressed on.

We stopped for soup and a sandwich at the NTS Visitor Centre at Glenfinnan. And then as we climbed up the hill heading west towards Lochailort, the skies, at last, began to look less threatending. We parked up at the end of the road past Glenuig, with the intention of finding a beach we'd always missed on our previous visits to Smirisary.

The path is fairly easy to follow, though in parts extremely rough underfoot. And, it has to be said, its probably one of the wettest paths I've been on in recent years, especially after the monsoon. Think waders, not wellies. But the views are absolutely fantastic, high above the sea and looking out towards the Small Isles. The sun had put in a brief appearance, and all was well with the world again.

The beach is a cracking spot, typical of the west coast beaches. With a fresh breeze and a bit of sunshine, you could literally feel the batteries being recharged. A stunning and rather discreet little corner of Lochaber.

For more details of the walk and a downloadable map, see the Walk Highlands web site.