A remote beach in Scotland is constantly being named as one of the world’s best thanks to its Viking history and stunning views.
Sandwood Bay, in Kinlochbervie Sutherland, features stretches of pink sand, dolphins offshore and a view of the sea stack on the loch.
The 1.5-mile-long beach, owned and managed by conservation charity John Muir Trust, is home to a number of shipwrecks buried beneath the sand.
The Cape Wrath lighthouse, which was built in 1828, was used as a warning beacon to ships passing by – but not every ship could escape the treacherous waves.
It also overlooks the Am Bauchaille, which is a sea stack, also known as a vertical rock formation composed of Torridonian Sandstone.
The formation lies at the tip of the Rubh’ a Bhuachailla headland, just 1.3 miles (2km) away on foot.
And dolphins have been reported frolicking in the loch, with some visible depending on the weather conditions.
Other animals include otters, hares, foxes, and water voles that inhabit the area too.
The colour of the beach changes almost daily alongside the unpredictable weather in Scotland.
Two other UK destinations – the island of Skomer off Wales’s Pembrokeshire coast and the nearby Marloes Sands – were combined by the compilers and took ninth place in the ten-strong family holiday list.
Lonely Planet editorial director Tom Hall, said: “The destinations have been chosen by our team of European experts. Some may be surprising, some are definitely under the radar, but all of them are great places to visit right now.”
Sandwood Bay was also said to be home to a mermaid, sighted in the year 1900, as well as the ghost of a shipwreck victim who used to knock on the windows of an old cottage on stormy nights.
The beach placed ahead of popular holiday destinations abroad, including beaches in Greece and Minorca.
While the beach itself is gorgeous, almost half of the moorland around it is covered by blanket bog – an extensive flat peat bog formed as a result of rainfall. There are also hills, lochs, and dunes, too.
Despite its stunning location, Sandwood Bay is difficult to get to for most with a four mile walk across moorland to reach the remote spot.
Sandwood Bay has over 200 reviews on TripAdvisor, with everyone raving about the incredible trek and scenes.
“Worth it!” one person simply said, adding: “Arguably the most remote beach I’ve ever been to, surpassing those on the Outer Hebrides.”
