walk to Rispond Bay & Harbour

A walk along the coast heading East from Durness passing several bays and beaches.

The harbour at Rispond was once very busy, mainly with wool exports. Salt herring was processed at the harbour and it is believed that the first herring to be exported from Scotland to Russia left Rispond and was shipped to St Petersburg. 

During the Second World War Rispond was occupied by the RAF who maintained a look-out for the naval convoys converging in Loch Eriboll. After the war it was bought by Sir Reginald Rootes of the Rootes Group Cars fame and was used as a holiday retreat until 1986.

On the beach at Sango Bay

An unusually wide variety of rock types for such a relatively small area can be found within the Durness parish. This is partly due to extensive faulting in the area which has placed a variety rocks of different ages in contact with one another. A down-faulted section of the Moine Thrust can also be seen in the area at both Faraid Head and Sango Bay despite the main thrust area being found several miles east at Loch Eriboll. The thrust exposures within Sango Bay are the most accessible localities to observe the Moine Thrust Zone. Additionally, Sango Bay (geologically a graben) also exposes some of the best basin bounding fault outcrops in the British Isles.

Smoo Cave

After a wet day I took an early evening stroll to Smoo Cave. After all the rain during the day the stream into the cave was in full flow. In the cave was like standing in a shower so I was unable to take pictures of the waterfall.

Smoo Cave is a large combined sea cave and freshwater cave in Durness. The cave name is thought to originate from the Norse 'smjugg' or 'smuga', meaning a hole or hiding-place.

The cave is unique within the UK in that the first chamber has been formed by the action of the sea, whereas the inner chambers are freshwater passages, formed from rainwater dissolving the carbonate dolomites. Partway through the cave the waters of Allt Smoo also drop in as a 20 metres (66 ft) high waterfall.