Achnahaird Bay

Beach in Sutherland

View Towards Achnahaird Bay
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Gordon Hatton

This narrow inlet is a wonderful place to spend a day at the beach and a great place for birdwatching, with seabirds and waders regularly seen. At low tide an extensive tidal estuary of sand flats and salt marsh is exposed, fringed by dunes, and past that, machair. These habitats support a diversity of liverworts, mosses and the rare petalwort. Lapwings nest in the wetter sections of dune grasslands, while the lime-rich machair provides excellent grazing for sheep. Ringed plover and common sandpiper also nest around the bay. Two coastal walks, one to the north of the car park and one to the east offer good views, interesting geology and wildlife spotting opportunities. The bay is one of the locations on the North West Highlands Snorkel Trail, which includes a rich and diverse array of marine habitats and species and has been put together by the Scottish Wildlife Trust


The Achnahaird Bay appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Sutherland!

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Visiting Achnahaird Bay

Duration: 20 minutes

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