Just got back from a few days in the far North West of Scotland. We camped at Sango Sands campsite in Durness. I've been up this way 6 times before for normal surfing (it is an awesome area for waves up there) but haven't been back for 5 years and have never kitesurfed up there so it was a bit of an exploratory holiday and I thought I would share the knowledge in case anyone else heads up that way.
The nearest spot to Durness is Balnakeil bay. Large sweeping bay, works in a good number of wind directions if your happy to walk the length of it (2.5 miles with only access to 1 end but a stunning walk).
Spot 1 - Balnakeil Bay
Be careful where you leave your kit though. I didn't realise that the beach is a highway / shortcut to Durness village so quite a few 4x4's going past.
Beach Highway:
Spot 2 - West side of the Kyle of Tongue as the tide goes out. This is an awesome spot for those loving flat water.
Spot 3 - Oldshoremore. Possibly a little small for kitesurfing but can have awesome waves on it's day. Flat while I was there as it was a NW swell and this is protected by the headland but it is a little beauty
Spot 4 - Sandwood Bay. This is the most stunning beach I've seen. It will most likely stay this way as well as it is a 4.5 mile walk to get there!!!! People had camped up in the dunes and taken surfing kit so there is nothing to stop you taking kiting kit if you can handle the walk. I think this would be a heaven for me to go with a small tent and a couple of kites / board and stay for a few days for some complete escapism! It works on any wind direction as there is the main beach and then a butter flat loch on the other side of the dunes.
On the Kyle of Durness (just outside Durness village) there is a really interesting shallow river bed that fills with the tide (just like Budle). This also has great kiting possibilities if you fancy some flat water.
Sango Sands (the campsite) has a fantastic beach but the cliffs are to high for kitesurfing not to mention the numerous rocks. However, the surf is lovely here and pretty reliable so don't forgot to pack a surfboard!
Me out surfing after a BBQ at the campsite:
On the way back we also stayed with Katie's parents in Dundee so I got to try out a local spot there called Monifieth close to the mouth of the river Tay. This works great in a SW and was really flat at low tide even with 30-40 mph winds. I was on the 7.5m Kahoona and loving the big airs - this kite can really jump!
If anyone heads up that way and wants more info just let me know. The wind is pretty reliable. I was there for just 4 days and got 3 days of wind and 3 days of surf and was always able to surf or kitesurf. This is fairly common so you would be pretty unlucky to not get out at all. The weather is very changeable though and not particularly warm!
