I recently ticked off two must-do on my Scottish bucket list. The first was to summit the most northerly Munro of Ben Hope. The second was to walk to and wild camp at the stunning Sandwood Bay. Both of these fabulous places are located in the far north-west of Scotland in the gloriously scenic  region of Sutherland.

The adventure was enjoyed by the G-Force and I, as well as our top skiing pals Mr and Ms Awesome. We decided to ignore the forecast for lots of rain and just take our chances. You never know how the weather will be in the far north-west and as it happened we managed to avoid most of the rain showers, except on the walk out of Sandwood Bay.

Day one walking and camping in Sutherland

It is a long drive from Glasgow to Loch Hope but it is so, so worth it. The landscape and remote feel of the area is jaw-dropping. It also feels amazing to be able to wild camp and walk while rarely spotting another person.

En route to our secret wild camp spot on Ben Hope (I’m not going to reveal where this is but suffice to say it’s idyllic and, at this time of year, free of midgies!) we popped in another Munro ascent, Ben Klibreck. Although this didn’t look too tough on the map, the ascent was long and the top seemed to take forever to reach, especially as we ended up walking through mist and clouds for half of the walk.

We hadn’t been together as a group for a couple of months, so we passed the time catching up on chat. We also got to test two theories:

* The G-Force, who prefers to head off trail and from A to B in more of a straight line, even if this involves lots of heather, bracken and horribly steep terrain.

* Mr Awesome, who, where possible, will stick to a path in the belief that it might be longer, but it’s quicker because it’s easier underfoot.

On this Munro, Mr Awesome was the winner! I will offer the G-Force some support, though, because I do like a path but I also like a quicker, steeper ascent on occasions. The choice needs to be made on the hill and depending on the weather and who is walking with you.  Eh, Ms Awesome?!

Wild camping after a long walk requires a few essentials:

* Top speed tent erecting

* Top speed fire lighting

* Top speed cooking of hot food

* Lots of wine and beer

* A good night’s sleep in a very warm sleeping bag.

We managed most of these although Mr and Ms Awesome didn’t do so well on the tent building! I’m now wondering if they should have had the wine and beer before trying to put up the tent! I’ll say no more…

Day 2 walking and camping in Sutherland

Ben Hope was the first adventure. I had heard about its status as the most northerly of all the 283 Munros. And I’d also been told of the amazing views from the top. We did make it to the top, but sadly the clouds were too low to see anything much more than our sandwiches! Still, this was a good Munro to tick off the list and if you’re looking for an easier Munro ascent then this is an excellent  choice.

There is a path from base to summit and the going rarely becomes steep. There are bouldery sections to navigate and, last weekend, there were patches of deep snow but Ben Hope proved the prefect walk for a second day of Munro bagging.

We did enjoy fabulous views for some of the walk up, and before we reached the cloud line.

Back in the car, we drove along the banks of beautiful Loch Hope and onwards towards Kinlochbervie where we parked up and headed on foot the 4 miles to Sandwood Bay. Because  we planned to camp overnight at the remote beach, we needed to carry all our kit and food in rucksacks. The G-Force generously offered to take three-quarters of a bag of coal, too, and a bag of kindling so that we could all enjoy a fire that evening.

Having already walked a Munro, and carrying heavy rucksacks, the trek to Sandwood Bay felt far tougher that it needed to be. Many people choose to walk there and back in one day and this is a very sensible choice, but we wanted to spend the night enjoying the remote beach and the seascape.

To be honest, I wouldn’t have done it any other way. The walk in might have been a bit sore but the beach, the views of the dramatic Atlantic waves, rocks and amazing sea stack more than made up for the effort. Although we’d experienced on-off rain all day, the walk to the mile-long white sandy beach and the evening spent warming ourselves around a fire and eating barbecued food remained dry.

Going to sleep with a hot rock, warmed by the fire, in my sleeping bag and listening to the crashing waves only metres away is something I’ll remember for a long time.

Day 3 walking and camping in Sutherland

Perhaps even better was the views as we awoke the next morning. Looking out of our tents, we stared at fresh blue skies, amazing surf and a huge sandy beach. This wasn’t a warm sunny day, but we’d come prepared with lots of layers and warm jackets and so the walk along the beach and out to a massive clump of black rocks proved hugely exhilarating.

Sadly the walk back along the path to the car saw us being totally drowned. Rain and harsh headwinds meant we trudged, rather than walked. Again, Ms Awesome and I chose to pass the time by chatting but it still seemed so much further on the return leg!

That night we’d planned to camp again but we were soaked through and cold so we opted for a hostel in Ullapool. Well, we would have stayed at the hostel if the price had been more favourable. The only rooms left were a double and a triple. To secure these rooms to ourselves would have cost more than £25 each, and to sleep in bunk beds, without en-suite bathrooms, nor breakfast.

This seemed a lot and instead we headed to a nearby hotel, the Arch Inn, which offered us double rooms for £70. This meant we slept in very comfy double beds, and enjoyed en suite facilities and a cooked breakfast. The evening meals are also very good at the Arch Inn.

I am usually a fan of staying in hostels but the price difference per person of less than £10 was impossible to challenge.

Day 4 driving home from Ullapool

This is a long drive but the sun was shining and the scenery was breath-taking. I wished we could have stayed longer but I had a cake decorating lesson to give to Little Miss and three of her pals! (Bet you never knew that I enjoy making novelty cakes, as well as walking, cycling, running, snowboarding etc!)