The NC500 in a VW T3 Campervan – Part 6 – Pies and a hike to Bone Caves

Day 7 – Clachtoll to Gairloch – 100 miles (160km)

The weather was looking good, and It was 100 miles to our next overnight stop near Gairloch. This was longer than we really wanted to drive, but it was our best option due to several campsites now closed for the season. We decided to plan a short hike into our day and explore the Bone Caves en route. So we left early to squeeze in as much as possible.

Lochinver Village.

Out first stop was the lovely village of Lochinver and the famous (to me at least!) Lochinver Larder pie shop. A warm pie to help us prepare for our hike and a cold one for the backpack was a great idea. Writing this years later, I remember they can post the pies, excuse me for one minute. There’s a website I need to visit – Pies by Post.

Exploring the village lead us to a lovely local gallery for a small gift for home, a painted Highland Coo’ stone we still cherish today.

Amazing Roads, Lochs and Castles.

The road South along the entire leg of this journey continued to astound us. The views took our breath away, again and again. Every few minutes we stopped to explore whatever we took our interest through the windscreen. We stumbled across the ruined Ardvreck Castle on Loch Assynt on the A837, and just had to explore. It was just magical to have all to ourselves.

Bone Caves near Inchnadamph

This beautiful and popular walk leads up a limestone valley to visit the dramatic Bone Caves. These cave openings on a steep slope at the foot of a cliff have been excavated and were found to contain the remains of species such as lynx, reindeer and polar bear which once roamed the area.

Our walk may have been longer than most. We somehow diverted from the trail as we missed a turn. However, a healthy scramble up soon got us back on the path. The weather turned on us on the way back down, and we were thankful for waterproofs and warm coffee in Bellamy.

Sands Caravan and Camping Gairloch

Once nestled and camped in the dunes, we enjoyed a walk along another deserted beach before heading back to Bellamy to rest and exhaustedly watch the sunset from the warmth of the van.