Badbea to Helmsdale 03/03/2013. The weather had been good all the previous week and still remained that way for our walk. After leaving some cars at the end of the walk at Helmsdale, we set off down the track to Badbea village. We stopped to look at the monument which has been erected there and then headed south. The sheep track we were following climbed higher from Badbea and as we looked back it was easier to pick out the scattered ruins of the crofts. It must have been a hard life for the families who had been forced to live there. We stopped for a short break and it was then I realised my tragic mistake. Instead of packing my lunch box with my cheese scones I had taken a plastic tub with cold lasagne, the left overs from Friday nights tea! I could have thrown it over the cliffs,but I resisted the urge as it would come in handy for Monday nights meal. Hamish and Alyson came to the rescue and gave me a giant scone packed with a ham salad mixture. I probably did them a favour in eating it as its calorific value would have put several extra inches on their waistlines! We headed off again and soon had to negotiate the Ousdale Burn. This lies in a seriously deep gulley which we had to scramble down and then clamber up the other side. At the top lies Ousdale broch which is in very good condition and deserves a look. We headed further along the coast and finally reached our destination at Helmsdale.

Badbea.	Scrambling down Ousdale gulley.
Ousdale Burn.	Ousdale Broch.
The coastline before Navidale.	The coastline, looking to Navidale.
Having a rest on the shore.	Navidale Cemetery.