Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Durness and around
Scattered over sheltered sandy coves and grassy clifftops,
DURNESS
is the most
northwesterly village on the British mainland, straddling the point where the road
swings from peat bogs to the fertile limestone machair of the north coast. he village
sits above Sango Sands bay, whose fine beach has made it a modest resort. Beatle
John
Lennon
came here as a teenager on family holidays to stay with his Auntie Lizzie
(Elizabeth Parkes) - his memories later went into the song “In My Life” and he
revisited in 1969 with Yoko. Parkes is buried in the graveyard at Balnakiel.
Smoo Cave
A mile east of the village is
Smoo Cave
,
a gaping hole in a limestone cliff created by the
sea and a small burn. Tucked at the end of a narrow sea cove, the main chamber is
accessible via steps from the car park. he much-hyped rock formations are less
memorable than a short trip by rubber dinghy (run on demand May-Sept; £3;
T
01971 511704) into two further caverns, not least after heavy rain causes a waterfall
through the middle.
Balnakiel
he white sands of
Balnakiel Bay
are stunning in any weather, but especially spectacular
when sunny days turn the sea a brilliant turquoise. A path winds north through the
dunes behind to reach
Faraid Head
- fine views east to the mouth of Loch Eriboll and
west to Cape Wrath make this circuit (3-4hr) the best in the area.
12
Cape Wrath
he headland takes its name not from stormy seas but the Norse word
hvarf
(“turning
place”), a throwback to the days when Viking warships passed en route to raid the
Scottish coast. Yet
Cape Wrath
still exudes a powerful sense of nature in the raw. he
British mainland's most northwesterly point - and one of only two capes in the
country - is tipped by a Stevenson lighthouse and stands above
Clo Mor cliffs
, the
highest sea cliffs in Britain and a prime breeding site for sea birds. On a good day you'll
gaze out to Orkney and the Outer Hebrides.
he surprise is that Cape Wrath is so easily reached on a day-trip from Durness. he
journey begins two miles southwest at
Keoldale
. A foot-passenger
ferry
crosses the Kyle
of Durness estuary to link with a
minibus
for the fourteen-mile run to Cape Wrath and
the
Ozone
café at the lighthouse (open daily year-round). With two to three days to
spare, you could catch the ferry then walk a circuit to Sandwood Bay, catching a bus
back to Durness from Kinlochbervie. here's a basic free bothy at Kearvaig. Note that
the Ministry of Defence maintains Garvie Island (An Garbh-eilean) as an air bombing
range and so occasionally closes the road to Cape Wrath. Indeed, at the time of
research it hoped to buy up the peninsula.
ARRIVAL AND GETTING AROUND
DURNESS AND AROUND
By bus
Public transport is sparse; the key service is the D&E
Coaches (May-Sept Mon-Sat 1 daily; also Sun 1 daily in
July & Aug). It goes from Inverness (5hr 15min) via Ullapool
(3hr 40min), Lochinver (2hr) and Scourie (1hr 10min) and
has a cycle carrier.
CAPE WRATH
By ferry and minibus
The foot-passenger ferry from
Keoldale runs from April to Sept (in theory daily at 11am,
plus June-Aug 9.30am;
T
01971 511246, 07719 678729);
call to confirm tides and Ministry of Defence schedule. It
drops you on the opposite bank of the kyle to connect with
a minibus to Cape Wrath (£10 return;
T
07742 670196).
INFORMATION AND ACTIVITIES
Tourist o
ce
Just east of the centre of Durness (April-
May & Oct daily 10am-4.30pm; June-Aug daily
9.30am-5pm; Nov-March currently Tues & Thurs
10am-12.30pm;
T
01972 511368,
W
durness.org). This
helpful tourist o
ce can provide information about walks
and cycle tracks, including guided ranger walks.
