Tag: North coast 500

I was looking up the name for washed up items which are left littering the shorelines of the coast when I stumbled across what is observed to be a proper marine term. ‘Wrack line’ or a ‘wrack zone’ came to my attention.

There is a quaint pebble beach which is tricky to reach down at the base of the Whaligoe Steps. It is a challenge to negotiate due to not only the slippery ground beneath foot, but also due to debris which periodically drops down from the overhanging cliff face.

On a daily basis you can see an item left to rest until the tide rolls in again to manoeuvre it to a new location. This morning I thought I would share my findings.

I went for a stroll down the Whaligoe Steps this fine morning and captured the amazing sunrise photograph you can see on this post. I will share with you some other visual delights too if you can spare a moment to browse.

I think these might well be a couple of herring gulls. They are simply contemplating life this morning in their habitat. Footage filmed 22nd of August.

Isn’t nature a wonderful aspect of life?

With sightings of sea-life and bird-life around the Whaligoe Steps being rife, I really hope to capture some stunning photographs/footage to share with you in future posts. Keep your fingers crossed.

All those familiar with this local area and since the upturn in numbers of visitors to the Whaligoe Steps, agree that currently as I type this blog entry the car park is not fit for purpose. It has been this way for about the last four years.

Designed originally to host vehicles relating to residents – whether they be for the residents themselves, health reason related visits, commerce or extended friends and family, the car park now hosts mostly tourists. Being objective, it does make a difference what time the visit takes place, but it is still a major disruption worthy of note. More blogs in the future about this.

The examples below give you an insight in to the little lane which is the only access to the parking facilities currently.

Campervans and cars, occasionally convoys of cars and campervans, and also vehicles pulling trailers pass the row of resident buildings which run adjacent to it. The little lane and car park are simply not designed for this consistent volume of traffic.

Thanks for your time, take care and be safe.

These photos were taken in the very early hours of August 15th, 2021. They share with you a risk to be aware of.

Due to the volume of visitors at this time, it could prove fundamentally dangerous if irresponsible behaviour like throwing these objects was to continue. All that is needed is a little consideration for the wellbeing of others.

At the time of writing, the Mason as you can witness is still in the motions of maintenance and repair of the Whaligoe Steps, so please keep this in mind.

Take care and be safe.

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The photo shows a car park that is certainly busy. On the right hand side is a little space which homes a large cone and a couple of makeshift buckets with reflective tape stuck on them. If you look carefully there is also a hint of a white painted line. That painted line is part of “No 4” which informs visitors that the parking space is designed for a local resident.

Thanks to this photograph, you will note that the local resident cannot get in to their parking space or under this duress leave the parking space either if that was applicable. This occurrence at certain times of year are commonplace which you will witness in future blogs.

(What you will not be able to decipher is that the resident has to park their vehicle about a quarter to half a mile away due to the events).

Also note how close the red car nearest to us in this photo is parked in relation to the wall. The wall has been newly repaired and rebuilt due to property damage. More on this in a future blog.

Campervans are impressive vehicles and there are a few in this photo. Size-wise they are quite a sight on the local country roads here in Caithness.

Take care and be safe.