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Ralph Cox•Follow
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September 7, 2022

Corner to Corner, Day 38: Durness to Lairg

https://www.cycling4charity.org.uk Good route. Almost a loch round every bend today. I had been concerned about today's route, expecting only 1 house - what if we hit a problem. There were about 100 homes. And as Lorraine said, travellers will stop. 4-500 vehicles passed. Had no problems. Solo cycled 90%, finishing together. First day in 38 of persistent rain. Ferocious waterfalls. My £1 one-use poncho gave excellent service for the 3rd time. Now discarding as covered with midges. Have 4 more.
Distance
56.3 mi
Elev Gain
2,503 ft
Time
5h 37m
Low cloud covering the future hills as we leave Durness
I commented to Lorraine that boundaries went right down to cliff edges, and in this case even across a lake, though there were no animals within. Lorraine advised the walls limited where specific owners' animals can roam. The extent of Loch Caladail may be seasonal.
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Hills l>r: slope down from 2536ft/773m Beinn Spinionnaidh or 1706ft/520m Cioch Mor, then cloud-covered peak of 1148ft/350m Cioch Bheag. On the right of the road: 177ft/54m Preas Mor. Left of road hill photo in sunnier weather: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6839604
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Erected by the Duke of Sutherland's road surveyor, Peter Lawson, acknowledging the locals' hospitality. This fascinating article narrates historical and geographic gems about our road from Durness to Rhiconich in reverse, including about the well, and has English translations for the Gaelic landscape features: http://helpful-mammal.co.uk/2019/10/13/ccxvii-rhiconich-to-durness/
The loch is unnamed on the OS Explorer map. This is about 0.7 mile before Rhiconich.
Loch Inchard as seen from Rhiconich, a hamlet with a police station contrasting it with towns in England. 4 miles from here to the sea. About the hamlet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhiconich. About the loch: https://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/Loch_Inchard
Laxford Bay opening into Loch Laxford, the (North) Minch beyond that then the Atlantic. "Laxford" = salmon fjord in old nordic languages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxford#Loch_Laxford & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Minch
Approaching Laxford Bridge. Road atlas font size suggests population, rather than the single driveways in the photo, one either side of the A838! The slatted white lines are narrowing the road.
Laxford Bridge T-junction after the bridge, seen from the part of the A838 road to Lairg, aka Midge City
Looking from the Lairg road to the T-junction sign
The actual category B listed 1834 Laxford Bridge built for a Duke of Sutherland road. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxford_Bridge
Approaching Loch nan Ealachan ( = Lake of the Swans) and beyond that 4 mile long Loch More (=Great Loch), on which the water was still. https://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/Loch_More,_Sutherland Just before this, I had cycled through Achfary, passing a building which looked official and turns out to house the Reay Forest Estate office, mentioned in the Wikipedia entry - a prime location for a cafe for MY Coffee! Alas no cafe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achfary
House at Aultanrynie on the east side near the bottom of Loch More - I watched the white cloud lower and drifted across the loch. Rain started falling as I drew level with the hamlet and was soon engulfed in torrential rain climbing after the loch. The bus we had taken yesterday to Keoldale stopped and we had a brief chat.
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17 mile Loch Shin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Shin
Approaching Fiag Bridge, it must be looking straight down the loch
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Looking back at a straight line of rain cloud. The nearest brown hill is 646ft/197m Cnoc a Laoigh. Further back is 932ft/284m Druim na Claise Carnaich. River Fiag is between them.
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6 kudos
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