Wild Camp on a Hidden Beach

The first day of our three day expedition was taking us to a hidden little bay on the West Coast of Scotland, one of my favourite places, and probably dads too – Arisaig. Beautiful clear waters, white sandy beaches, it's what I like to call the Scottish Bahamas because from photos, that’s exactly what it looks like.

The little bay we were aiming for was Rhu Point Beach (Port Nam Murrach) which is a secluded bay that is situated South West of Arisaig town. Neither dad or I had been to this bay before, we had only seen photos and YouTube videos and that was enough to get our attention.

Dad and I set of early from Edinburgh, mostly to avoid the usual terrible traffic on the City Bypass, but also to make the most of our time together, and allow us some time to stop for a coffee without stressing about time.

The weather leaving Edinburgh was a bit overcast, however, once we got up to Arisaig, it turned into a glorious day, the sun was shining, albeit, a bit cool, but that was ok for March weather, we got lucky! We parked up in Arisaig town for some essentials, and treated ourselves to an ice lolly.

A quick pit stop and two ice lolly’s later, we got back in the car and made the last bit of our journey, about 15 minutes, along a very windy single track road, that took us along the coast line… thank goodness for passing places!

We arrived at a little car park, sorted our gear, and headed on a relaxing walk toward the beach. It was a lovely walk that probably took about 40 minutes (with stopping for photos and Camping on The Wildside footage).

According to OS Maps, we were very close to the beach, we went up a small but steep hill, through an old dyke and as we were going over the mound, I caught a glimpse of the bright, cerulean blue ocean, contrasting with the white sandy, clean beach, and I got pretty excited.

What excited me even more was the fact that other than a few sheep, that eventually wandered off, we had the entire bay to ourselves, jackpot!.. (fellow campers will understand that feeling).

We stood for a few minutes, taking in the beautiful clear views of some Inner Hebridean Islands, including Muck, Rùm, Eigg and Skye. We then walked further down toward the grass, scouting out the best place for pitching our tents. The sun kept hiding behind some clouds, then reappearing again. So it was warm then cool and typical West Coast weather, it was a little windy too, but the tents were up, and kit organised. Now the first thing dad and I always do once our tents are pitched and organised, is, of course... a cup of tea (and some lunch).

We knew that as it was March, we’d probably need a fire in the evening as temperatures drop significantly, especially next to the sea. So we gathered some driftwood, sticks and rocks and prepared a firepit on the beach, safely away from any grass or tents.

Our accommodation was sorted, we were fed and watered and our heating was prepared for the evening. We participated in some R&R by doing some fishing. After a few casts my cheap fishing rod decided to give up the ghost, and the handle broke off, however, a silver lining, I got to enjoy the most beautiful sunset with a wee dram and dad continued fishing.

When the sun dipped behind isles and disappeared, the temperature cooled down pretty fast. We made a quick bite to eat for dinner, got wrapped up and headed to the firepit. We weren’t there long until I was shivering away, it was a struggle trying to keep warm next to the fire but also avoiding the smoke in my eyes. So after some good father daughter chat, and some cheese and biscuits and a wee cider, we decided to call it a night.

The next morning was very still, peaceful and quiet, with the only sound being the waves crashing in to the shore, it reminded me of when I went camping as a child and caravanning to Oban in my grandads caravan. We had a morning coffee and enjoyed the quietness. We got organised, tidied up and packed our kit away, ensuring that we left no trace, and headed on our way up to Glencoe for our next adventure!

Rhu Beach was a beautiful hidden gem, with stunning views. I would love to go back here, maybe in the summer when the weather is warm.

Stay tuned for my next blog post, it's not one to miss... lets just say, it was a pretty cold night in Glencoe...

"Scotland’s wild beauty calls tae those seekin’ adventure, but it rewards the weel-prepared. Step oot, respect the land, and always return wi’ a tale tae tell."