'Red Point': two beaches at the end of the road

To find Red Point, you must follow the little road from Kerry Bridge through Badachro and continue almost to the point at which the land finally runs out. Even before leaving your vehicle, the journey rewards you with views across the water towards Applecross, Raasay and Skye. Most people following the North Coast 500 see this coast from the opposite direction, perhaps noticing Red Point as a distant patch of sand, whereas those making the deliberate journey discover two magnificent beaches divided by a low peninsula of dunes, crofting land and rough ground.

The beaches provided one of the most memorable settings in the film What We Did on Our Holiday, starring Billy Connolly, David Tennant and Rosamund Pike. Connolly plays Gordie, a grandfather who dies peacefully while visiting the beach with his grandchildren. Remembering his wish for a Viking funeral, the children construct a makeshift vessel, place his body aboard it and set it alight, creating the beautifully absurd crisis around which much of the film revolves. The later memorial scenes also use this shoreline, where the wide sand, open sea and distant mountains provide a setting that needs very little assistance from a film crew.

Reaching the most accessible beach still requires a descent through soft dunes, which can be tiring for anyone who becomes breathless or is unsteady on their feet. Visiting both beaches involves a rough circuit of around 3.75 miles, or six kilometres, and the ground between them can be exceptionally boggy. Sally-Anne and I attempted it with the dogs one December and discovered just how quickly the farm tracks and moorland channels can become a muddy mire. We became thoroughly wet, filthy and bogged down before accepting that the second beach would have to wait for another day.

Visitors who cannot manage the dunes can still enjoy Red Point. Shortly before the road ends, there is a small parking area beside a viewpoint, from which a nearby bench looks across the sea and towards the western beach. Those seeking a much greater adventure can follow the wild coastal path past the beaches and Craig bothy towards Lower Diabaig, although this is a serious journey of roughly seven miles each way rather than a casual extension to a beach walk. Red Point is worth the diversion without attempting any of that, because sometimes sitting quietly above the Atlantic and looking back towards Applecross is quite enough.

To learn more, listen to the blogcast or book one of our North Coast Explorer private tours.