The thing about
epic journeys is that sometimes they make your actual arrival a disappointment.
Not so with Applecross. Certainly your gob will be truly smacked by the cliffs
and lunar landscape of the Bealach na Ba (Britain's second highest mountain pass at 626 metres above sea level), your route to the site and one of the
most spectacular roads in Britain.
But on getting
here you’ll feel like your adventure is just starting. Snuggled behind sleepy
farm buildings and shielded from the worst of the elements by a native hazel
wood, the campsite reclines along a curved grassy shelf right above the village
rooftops. Through the trees you’ll glimpse an awesome panorama: from
high-shouldered hills on the right, across a golden-sanded bay to the far
mountains of Skye and Raasay. There’s a sense of being somewhere otherworldly and
the campers you share it with feel like fellow pilgrims.
The campsite has
its own beautiful café, where you will be delighted to see the wooden bar area
opening out into a long flower tunnel, with neat tables, a small fountain and
children’s play area. Come later in the summer and you’ll see the vines that
twist prettily across the roof are bearing huge bunches of grapes. It’s a
magical place to come for a coffee, and the quirky, relaxed and oddly exotic
atmosphere makes it feel more like a travellers’ café in South East Asia than
any Scottish campsite has a right to do.
Applecross must
also be the only campsite in Britain with its own broch, a round Iron Age house. The remains of this ancient stone
wigwam occupy a prime spot just a few feet behind the modern wooden ones, and
it’s reassuring to think that people have known this was a camping spot worth
journeying to for around 2,000 years.
From here you will get some of the finest views you will ever see of Scotland’s largest island, Skye, with its world-famous and unmistakable Cuillin Mountains. The site does have a few statics, a B&B and 10 camping huts (eight wishbones and two wigwams) to go along with the space for 60 tents but, aside from the height of summer, it doesn’t usually get too crowded, mainly because of the effort required to get here.
Down in the tiny village (little more than a string of whitewashed houses clinging to the seafront) the highlight is the legendary Applecross Inn. This is the hub of the community where locals and visitors mingle over lobster and langoustines (called prawns up here) hauled ashore by the bloke sitting in the corner who now looks a bit worse for wear after a few too many celebratory pints. Yes, you can walk all around the Applecross Peninsula, go out on an adrenaline-filled RIB (rigid inflatable boat) ride and cruise around on a stately sea kayak, but most campers seem to prefer to split their time between the Inn and the campsite (where every year in late summer you can join in an archeological dig) – while their cars sit sweating away in anticipation of the nightmare trip back across the Bealach na Ba.
