Durness, Sutherland; Sango Bay Home Chain Radar

Around the coastal village of Durness you cant help but notice the amount of WW2 buildings scattered about, a lot of Air Raid Bunkers...









And Accommodation Buildings...







And a Scattering of Military buildings and Concrete Structures on a Headland above the Sea...





The once very remote area around here was changed forever during WW2 when a Chain Home Radar Base was built at Leirinbeg above Sango Bay at Durness in 1940,
Also known as Sangomore, Smoo Radar Station and Gee Station it was a Type 7000 Radar Station...

The Chain Home Radar Stations were a coastal network of Long range radar around the Coastline...


They could detect incoming Aircraft,speed ,height and a rough estimate of numbers, the Radar only worked for high level so a `Chain Low` radar was introduced for incoming low level aircraft detection,
Chain Home looked nothing like later radar equipment. The antenna did not rotate: the transmitting array was formed of fixed wires strung between 110 m (360 ft)-high metal towers which sent out a "floodlight" beam of radio energy about 100° wide...


Only One tower remains today complete in great Baddow, England...


The receiving array was on wooden towers about 73 m (240 ft) high, and consisted of two antennas at right angles to each other.
The receiving antennas were directional, so the signal strength received by each depended on the angle between it and the target. An operator would manually adjust a comparator device to find what angle to the target best matched the relative strengths of the two received signals. The angle of elevation to the target was estimated by similar comparison of the signal strengths from a second pair of receiving antennas closer to the ground, which produced a different sensitivity in elevation. The time delay of the echo determined the range to the target.

Today the Towers are gone, Border fencing and signage disappeared, but a few of the buildings are there,
Road side vehicle shed, possibly Home Guard...



Entrance Guard House...



Several of the buildings, including the transmitter/receiver block, with tracks and bunkers connected with the radar station with at mast bases...






















And a further two mast bases...











Many other buildings are also visible that like the Stations are today used by Locals for storage...






























In 1940 The chain Home radar bases came under attack by German Aircraft during The battle of Britain in 1940 but only one was destroyed, although it was thought it to be undeveloped compared to what was a further advanced radar was being used by Germany it was the eyes and ears of the RAF fighter squadrons as seen here in the famous 1969 Battle of Britain film the RAF were often scrambled and surprised the attackers... check out the remote controlled Stukas!...

Roadtrip 2013; Sutherland...

2 weeks summer hols!, and just home from a few days up in the far NW corner of Scotland in Sutherland.
leaving at midnight and driving up, then returning leaving late evening means 2 days not wasted travelling, so pack 5 days into 3.
It is a long drive from the SE corner to the NE corner of Scotland, but i had an appointment with some amazing dunes and a SURLY Moonlander...worth the long drive. The car odometer would  read exactly 666 miles once i got home - Yikes! -:)

Overcast but this was dark as it gets mid summer in the highlands...

Nearing Loch Shin....

Kyle of Lochalsh (Plockton) is where my family Clan Mathieson is from.
Mathiesons also settled here at Loch Shin and were loyal to the Duke of Sutherland and so fought against the Jacobite's, an so Lochalsh Mathiesons in the 1745 Rebellion. Clan against Clan. A crazy and brutal time in Scottish history. wiki link to Clan Mathieson

Daylight at 4am...

6 hours driving and i rolled into the car park at Faraid Head... time for a power nap...

7am and woken by the bellow of the cattle gathering for feeding...

I love old kirk ruins...

In the ruin at Balnakeil is the tomb of Donald Macmurchow. A notorious highwayman who murdered 18 people. He then helped fund the church here later in life and so was buried there!.

When i bought the SURLY Moonlander i said i will be back to Fariad Head and ride those amazing dunes...
Nothing else has matched the big Moonlander yet for having 100mm rims and 4.7" tyres and also as important with a decent chain line with tyre clearance in 1st gear (nearly an inch)...
With no rocks here and very soft sand between the labyrinth of windswept hard pack dunes, the tyres were aired down to 6 psi...
The dunes at Faraid Head are amongst the highest in the UK. They are most probably the longest as the sands are blown up over a Penulsia.
What an amazing place to ride such an amazing bicycle...

Song is `Nightbook` by Ludovico Einaudi
click on the cog icon to view in HD




The M.O.D  were manning the base up on top of the Penulsia and all day RAF Typhoons  were live bombing Garvie island off of Cape Wrath.... Boom!

Mid day and along to Durness campsite. Home for a couple of days...

Mid day and time for a Scottish  breakfast!.... instant porridge with honey added,  Local made oatcakes and blackcurrant jam from Fife,  fruit teas and a skinned shin...

Overcast evening but was asleep before 9 anyway as knackered after the drive, only a few hours sleep and 4 fantastic hours dune riding...

Next day was a cracker!, after filming yesterday today was for pictures and what a day, big blue skies!
Time for an amazing hot chocolate from Cocoa Mountain to take down and sit at the shore...

Big sky day...

White sands and a turquoise sea, a Highland paradise... this is why i take my summer hols mid June, before the Trade holidays... deserted!...

Its a hard life but someone has to do it...

Around the top of the Penulsia...

The Typhoo fighters were coming in again on bomb runs on Garvie Island... awesome noise!

"Bombs gone..."
.
.
.
.
"The pickles are in the barrel"... "Home for tea chaps"...  -:)

2 people on the beach! lol

Great campsite perched above the sea...

Evening walk along to Smoo Cave...

Cloud again this evening so sadly no Highland sunset into the sea...

Sandwood...
Next day and along the road for another beachride...

Sandwood is often described as the most remote and beautiful beach in Britain. Accessable by a 4 1/2 mile  track through typical Sutherland heather and rocks and small lochs...
It is managed by The John Muir Trust. I have already done a Sandwood blog post on my previous visit so roll the pics...
9am and no sign of any day visitors yet... -:)

Always an amazing site as you round the bend in the track and the view opens up over the Bay...

2 walkers were just leaving having camped last evening.  I had the place to myself... -:)

A mile and a half of sand and dunes... -:)

Happy...

The sand is always soft here at Sandwood and i struggled a bit on the SURLY Pugsley last time above the wet sand of the previous tide. No probs with the bigger Moonlander with its tyres aired down to 6 psi..

Anyone who says anything about bicycle erosion when your on a fat bike just show them your tracks, then point to their foot prints... -:)

Some film
Song is `Take My Soul` by Thievery Corporation
click on the cog icon to view in HD





Back to the car and a couple i met walking out on the track were delighted when i told them they would have the entire Bay to themselves...it is a real special place Sandwood...


On the road back to Kinlochbervie is another lovely beach, Oldshoremore...

And that is that, 3 amazing days in Sutherland. home around Loch Eribol. here is a link to a previous blogpost on Operation Deadlight that took place here in 1945 and saw the surrender of 33 German U boats...

Good to get away but also good to get home as i want to go ride my other bikes!,  spend time during the day visiting my dad and get in some `me time`...