Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information on Cape Wrath is at
W
capewrath.org.uk.
Bike rental
Bike rental is available from community
operator Bike Hub on the car park in the centre of Durness
(£12/day); contacts and opening times posted on door.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
DURNESS
Lazy Crofter Bunkhouse
T
01971 511202,
W
durnesshostel.com.
Run year-round by
Mackay's
next
door, this is the finest bunkhouse on the north coast, far
more appealing than the SYHA hostel by Smoo Cave. Has a
snug cabin atmosphere and gets extra marks for individual
reading lights in compact twins and two dorm
s. Ni
ce
terrace too, if the weather and midges allow. Dorms
£17
Ì
Mackay's
T
01971 511202,
W
visitmackays.com.
Handmade and vintage furniture, luxury linen, natural
colours and genuine hospitality make this one of the best
stays on the north coast. It also manages weekly self-
catering options: from a sweet cabin to Croft 103's eco-
chic. Food at their on-site restaurant is excellent, if you can
get a table, with continental flavours added to local
seafood, lamb and beef (booking essential; mains
£11-16).
March/April & O
ct dai
ly 6-10pm; May-Sept
noon-2.30pm & 6-10pm.
£125
.
Sango Sands Oasis
T
01971 511726,
W
sangosands
.com.
This flat, spacious site spreads over cliffs above the
turquoise waters of its namesake and beside the pub that
manages it. Campers get premier pitches, so wake to a vast
seascape. Free out of se
ason, th
ough cold-water showers
only. Closed Nov-March.
£13.50
/pitch
BALNAKIEL
Cocoa Mountain
Balnakiel Craft Village
T
01971
511233.
A rich bitter-sweet hot chocolate topped off by
white chocolate is the speciality in the bright modern café
of this chocolatier, which sells snacks (£5-7) plus its
chocolates and tru
es. A treat after time in the wilds.
March-Oct daily 9am-6pm.
Tongue to Thurso
Vast and empty, there's drama in the landscape between Tongue and hurso. It's a bleak
moorland intercut with sandy sea lochs and with few inhabitants: tiny
Tongue
is
pleasant enough, as is
Bettyhill
, further east. But the real reason to venture this far is
the landscape: a dead-end
coast road
west of Tongue;
Ben Hope
(3040ft), the most
northerly Munro; and the blanket bog of the
Flow Country
inland.
12
Tongue and around
Having taken a slow circuitous route around Loch Eriboll and east over the moors of
A'Mhoine, you roll finally into the pretty crofting township of
TONGUE
. Dominated
from a hillside spur by the ruins of
Castle
Varrich
(Caisteal Bharraich), a medieval
stronghold of the Mackays (three-mile return walk), the village is strewn above the east
shore of the
Kyle of Tongue
, which you can cross either via a causeway or by a longer
and more scenic single-track road around its southern side. When the tide recedes, this
shallow estuary becomes a mass of golden sand flats, superb on sunny days, with the
sharp profiles of
Ben Hope
(3040ft) and
Ben Loyal
(2509ft) looming like twin sentinels
to the south, and the Rabbit Islands a short way out to sea. A dead-end road offers
views of the islands, plus superb seascapes and scenery as it threads through Talmine
towards a beach at
Strathan
; take the left turn to Melness before Tongue causeway.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
TONGU
E A
ND AROUND
Ben Loyal
Tongue
T
01847 611216.
Seafood fresh off
the owner's boat is served in a relaxed pub along with
favourites such as steak pie or home-made burgers. With
decent prices (£8-14 main) and live music most Saturdays,
this is the choice of many locals.
Daily 11.30am-3pm &
5-11.30pm; food served noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm.
Cloisters
Talmine
T
01847 601286,
W
cloistertal
.demon.co.uk.
Cloisters
provides a relaxing stay in homely
rooms - think wicker furniture and peach and cream
colours - plus beautiful views towards the Orkney Islands
outside. Breakfast (and dinner at weekends) is in the
owners' converted church alongside.
£65
.
The Craggan
Talmine
T
01847 601278.
Ignore the tired
pebbledash exterior - this pub has proper restaurant cooking;
fresh mackerel with mustard mash, lemon and samphire are
typical of mains created from fresh ingredients (average £17-
18). Lunches such as ciabatta sandwiches are simpler and half
the price.
Daily 11.30am-3pm & 6-11pm; food served
noon-2pm & 6-9pm.
Tongue Hotel
T
01847 611206,
W
tonguehotel.co.uk.
This
nineteen-bedroom small hotel marries relaxed modern taste
with the architectural heritage of a former ducal hunting lodge.
