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It was a last minute decision to come to Arisaig. The original plan was to take the boat over to Barra and work our way up throught the Uists to Harris and Lewis, staying in B & Bs as we went. We had held off booking anything to see what the weather was doing but when we got the green light on that there was still a niggle because staying in B & Bs can be tricky with dogs.
So when we found a dog friendly cottage in Arisaig, free the week we wanted, we went there instead. We had a fantastic week of weather exploring the beautiful coastline and visiting two of the Small Isles. No regrets at all. The cottage was great and the owners who lived next door couldn't have been more helpful. It can be found under "Bluebell Cottage, Arisaig" and as photos will show we landed on the right week for bluebells!
On our first day we headed for Camusdarach to see why this location was chosen for the 1980s film "Local Hero" and with Mark Knopfler's wistful "Going Home" tune playing in our heads we parked at the car park off the B8008 by Glenancross. The walk starts by crossing a footbridge which is signed 'To the beaches' - one of the delights of Camusdarach being that it boasts three pristine beaches, not just one.
The path was lined with spring flowers.
Bluebells
Hawthorn
Broom
What immediately struck us about these beaches was that we had them almost to ourselves and what was remarkable about that was that it was glorious weather on a Sunday afternoon in late May. Compare this with most of the holiday beaches you can fly to in Europe or the Mediterranean - covered in sun loungers and parasols, fringed by pedalos and surfers and backed by concrete hotels and apartment blocks. Of course it's the weather that tips the balance.... but on a day like we got, I know which I prefer.
Sea thrift
Back to the film. The unlikely hero of the tale lived in a shack just above the waterline and since he owned the beach the proposed US development couldn't go ahead unless he agreed to sell, which he refused to do at any price - all much to the consternation of the dollar-hungry local community.
View of Eigg and Rum from where Ben's shack would have been - no wonder he wouldn't sell
Rubha da Chuain peninsula
From the beach beyond the Rubha da Chuain peninsula we climbed wooden steps to a kissing gate which leads to a path alongside a fence.
The gate
Path leading to the Camusdarach campsite
Bluebell woods
This path leads to the campsite, which it crosses to connect with a tarmac drive.
A week of wall to wall sunshine and hardly anyone was here!
The tarmac drive curves left to an old stone-built farm where you bear right to pass through the farm buildings and on to a track.
Farm buildings
After the farm we saw the clumps of pines but our initial attempt to reach them was thwarted by a locked gate and no way through for the dogs. So we retraced our steps and found another way round which may be the way we should have gone in the first place.
Grassy path passes through what's left of two clumps of pine trees
Looking back at the pines
From there the path slopes down to rejoin the outward route near the footbridge and back to the car park.
After frolics in the surf these two slept like logs
