Hopeman to Covesea Skerries Lighthouse

[BlackPanther]

Last weekend was extremely windy over Highlands, so although we had plans to go north to climb Ben Klibreck, we had to swallow our pride and save that for another day. Luckily, the coast of Moray has so much to offer, that we had no problem with finding a nice seaside walk instead.

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Our route started in the village of Hopeman. From here, there is a good path along the coast all the way to Covesea Skerries Lighthouse, and further on to Lossiemouth. In the summer, if you want to play on the beach it is better to do this walk when the tide is low.

The east beach in Hopeman from the car park

We left our car on the parking by the east beach. There was a glimpse of good weather, it looked like Hopeman gave us some hope

The east beach and the car park from the dunes

We headed east along the coast. Views were fantastic from the very beginning and basically every corner we turned, there was another lovely scene to surprise us. To start with, very cute-looking traditional beach-huts, then more picturesque views of the coastline: beautiful cliff formations and rocky beaches. Just have a look:

Beach-huts in Hopeman

Rocky steps...

Pebbles and stones...

The Clashach Cove

After climbing some rocky steps, the path split and one branch descended into Clashach Cove with its remote beach and caves. We stayed on the main path, which took us past the Clashach Quarry, very busy on Saturday morning

One closer look at Clashach Cove

The path past the quarry and for a couple of km further along has been recently widened by cutting out quite a lot of gorse. Walking there felt like being in the middle of a scratchy jungle It must be fantastic though to be there when all that gorse is in flower
Once out of the jungle, we took some more pictures from another viewpoint:

The coastguard lookout on the cliffs

There was much more to see, as the path climbed around the top of a higher part of the cliffs. The next section of the coast was a virtually inaccessible sandy bay with more caves and an impressive sea-stack.

Caves and sea-stack

When we approached the stack, we noticed from above, that it had an arch in the middle, making it look like a fat man on two short legs

Fat man :)

Past that point there were more rocky views, and eventually the slender shape of Covesea Skerries Lighthouse came into sight.

Looking back west

The Lighthouse on the horizon

As the tide was at its highest point, we walked towards the lighthouse across the dunes, where sometimes the path was hard to find among the grass. By the time we got there, the tide turned so we could go down to the beach to begin our return route that way. It was also nice to explore what was hiding in the sand

Covesea Skerries Lighthouse

The beach below the lighthouse

A starfish on the sand

More sand to play on...

To return to the car, we retraced our steps along the coastal path and admired all the splendid views once more... Truly an unforgettable trip and I'm sure Scottish coast has much more to give

[Merry-walker]

What a super place this is. Love the scenery and rocks.

Smashing pictures

[LeithySuburbs]

Luckily, the coast of Moray has so much to offer

Yes, excellent golfing .

Re: Covesea Skerries Lighthouse pic - soon to be known as the "Leaning Tower of Moray" .

Seriously... I like this area too and am fortunate enough to have relatives there for easy and free accomodation .

[ChrisW]

Love the coast and love walking so what better, a great report and pics - I've made a note of this one for myself. Thanks for posting