Roadtrip 2011; North Coast, East to Dunnet Head...

Scotland's north coast has some dramatic scenery from lots of small and scenic beaches east of Durness from Tounge to Thurso and Dunnet...




















Along the north coast of Sutherland you will pass around the roadside of Loch Eriboll...




This loch was the scene of the surrender in 1945 of 33 of Nazi Germany`s U boat fleet which terrorised shipping to the UK...






You can read more and see more pics of this surrender here;
Loch Eriboll U Boat Surrender

Along the Coast and the County of Caithness and its old field boundary's of Caithness stone...


One beach best to avoid around here is at the infamous Dounreay Power Station...


Dounreay Nuclear Power Development Establishment was established in 1955 to pursue the UK Government policy of developing fast breeder reactor (FBR) technology.
The site was operated by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).
Three nuclear reactors were built there by the UKAEA, two of them FBRs plus a thermal research reactor used to test materials for the program, and also fabrication and reprocessing facilities for the materials test rigs and for fuel for the FBRs.


Dounreay was chosen for its remoteness as the reactor location for safety, in case of an explosion. Nice eh? build it up here in Scotland!,
The first reactor built was surrounded by a 60 metre giant steel sphere, still a feature of the landscape and nicknamed Fred the Golf Ball,

Dunnet Beach is a popular beach, east of Thurso Town...






But the campsite here is a caravan & Camping Club Site- gates shut at 8.30pm to vehicles and its lights out at 10.30pm!,
What is that all about!, whole point of being on holiday up here is to enjoy the 20 hours of light, far to regimental for me, rather free camp somewhere than do that!,
I was heading up to Dunnet Head. Scotlands most northerly point on the mainland with views across to Orkney and with the clear skies promise of a Highland sunset out at sea,
Dunnet Head Lighthouse...


And its fog horn...


During WW2 this headland was an important observation point across to Orkney with the naval Fleet based at Scapa Flow 20 miles to the North and the Atlantic convoys passing through...










The present view point at the top was a machine gun pillbox, see its 8 sides...


Also during the Cold War a Royal Observer Corps monitoring post was built here,
this would be about the 68th or 69th ROC post i have visited,
walking up i saw the bunker near the view point, then i noticed the entrance lid was open, and an ariel with a wind generator sticking up, someone was in the bunker!,
I walked up and nearing the post a head popped out!,
I met Derek who owns this post and served here in the ROC, he had stopped by on his motorbike and was recharging the batteries for some radio ham friends for the Saturday evening, we talked about the ROC, the bunkers and stuff as in front of us we watched one of the best sunsets i have seen, we were joined by 2 locals who also drove up to watch...










This lasted about 30 minutes...








As with most of the week a real chill set in after sunset so we went down into the bunker for a brew and a heat,
Down the hatch...


Derek had fitted an old stove, the chimney is piped up through the ariel shaft and then fits a chimney top when there...






This is the first ROC Post i have seen with fully working 12v electrics so i could see how it all worked, something that may be of use in the future... -:)
Some neat stuff to look at...






Derek had brought along an old stove of cold war vintage, similar to a Trangia, it had a reversible top for boiling or simmering,


Check whats written on the side!




`Big Game hunters` ! LOL, i suppose pugsley riders could use one too...
turns out showing my dad the pics he has one too!,he is gonna look it out for me,

Drinking coffee in ROC mugs Derek explained the role of the ROC and how the bunkers operated, what a fascinating inside to an interest of mine to hear it from someone who was involved,
Derek also once had a small military museum in the restored WW2 RAF Battle Headquarters at nearby Castletown and is full of info on the WW2 Airfields and sites around Caithness, he was part of a group that raised a Alan-Williams turret Airfield defence machine gun which had not been raised for 40 years, you can read about it and the Battle HQ here; Caithness Field Club

I also got a few pointers on stuff to go look for at airfields around here and down the coast at the old WW2 SS POW camp at Watton, but that's next years holiday combined with a visit to Orkney...

Around 2am we headed up top into the chill air and a cloud bank had drifted in across from Orkney, it was surreal...









Derek was stopping over at his bunker so i let him go get some sleep and headed down to the car at the Lighthouse car park...


It was 3pm and getting light again, no point camping now so i decided to just stay up and get a snooze after dawn in the car, as i brewed up on the stove the lighthouse beam pierced through the darkness overhead...


Fuelled up on strong coffee i drove the 8 or 9 miles along the coast to John o Groats, as dawn it got light, all was quiet, shame to see the Hotel here closed and derelict...










As i filmed a scan around the streetlights went off, morning!...


Time to drive south, and back onto the East Coast again, i drove down to Reiss and pulled up at a coastal car park just as the sun popped up,
time for a dawn beachride...