Achmelvich Beach

Achmelvich is Assynt's postcard cove - a small horseshoe of blinding white shell sand and clear jade water tucked among pink Lewisian gneiss knolls, with the jagged Assynt peaks (Suilven, Canisp, Quinag) crowding the skyline inland. From the newish car park it is a two-minute walk to the sand; launch from the dune grass or the beach itself. The obvious shot is a top-down of the turquoise shallows and the sand bar, but the real prize is climbing to altitude and pulling the tiny beach into the foreground with Suilven's whaleback rising behind - a composition that sells Assynt in one frame. There is also the curious Hermit's Castle, a miniature concrete bunker on the headland, which makes a quirky mid-air subject. The bay is fairly sheltered compared with the open north coast, but gusts still swirl around the rock knolls so expect some buffeting near the headlands. It is a small, popular beach in summer with a campsite adjacent, so keep launches away from tents and swimmers and fly early. The single-track road in is slow. Low tide exposes more sand and cleaner colour; a bright day makes the water glow.