Cape Wrath Coastal Walk

Cape Wrath occupies the north-westernmost corner of mainland Britain, and reaching it involves both a ferry crossing and a journey of either 19 km on foot or a ride in the cape's famous minibus. The lighthouse at the cape stands on cliff tops 122 metres above the sea, and the Clo Mor cliffs stretching east are the highest on mainland Britain at 281 metres. The moorland and coastal landscape of the Cape Wrath peninsula is managed by the Ministry of Defence as a training area, which paradoxically protects it from development and keeps it entirely wild. It is an active live firing range, the Cape Wrath Training Centre, and access, the ferry and the minibus can all be stopped during military exercises. Check the published Cape Wrath firing times on GOV.UK before you set out, and never cross the range boundary when red warning flags are flying. The passenger ferry from Keoldale across the Kyle of Durness runs from May to September only, and every sailing depends on the tide and the weather, so crossings can be delayed or cancelled at short notice. Well behaved dogs are welcome on both the ferry and the minibus.

For those seeking the most remote and untamed dog walk in Scotland, Cape Wrath is the answer. Once past the ferry and away from the minibus track, the landscape is as close to true wilderness as the British Isles can offer. Sheep graze across the open moorland of the Parph, so keep your dog on a lead or under close control whenever sheep are about, and on a lead at lambing time in spring. The cliffs demand careful management near the edge but the approach moorland is boundless in every direction. The Cape Wrath Café at the lighthouse is seasonal but dog-friendly and operates from a corrugated iron building that has become something of a legend among walkers. Ferry sailing times are posted at the Keoldale jetty.