The north and northwest Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 247

678729); call to confirm tides and Ministry of Defence
schedules. It drops you on the opposite bank of the kyle
to connect with a minibus to Cape Wrath (£10 return;
T 07742 670196).

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, T 07719

INFORMAT ION 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,
inclu ding guided ranger walks. Information on Cape Wrath
is at W capewrath.org.uk.
Bike rental Available from community operator Bike Hub

on the car park in the centre of Durness (£12/day); contacts
and opening times posted on door.
Golf Durness golf course ( T 01971 511364, W durness
golfclub.org), the most northwesterly course on mainland
Britain, is a nine-hole with two tee-off options per hole to
create 18 holes (£20). Closed to visitors Sun morning,
equipment rental from clubhouse (from £5).

ACCOMMODAT ION AND EATING
DURNESS
Lazy Crofter Bunkhouse T 01971 511202, W durness
hostel.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 o ut of se ason, though cold-water showers
only. April-Oct. £13.50 /pitch 4

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.

NORTH COAST WALKING AND CYCLING
Ordnance Survey Explorer maps 447 & 448
Rising up from the southern end of the Kyle of Tongue, Ben Hope and Ben Loyal offer
moderate-to-hard walks, rewarded on a decent day by vast views over the empty landscape.
Ben Hope (3041ft), which was given its name (“Hill of the Bay”) by the Vikings, is the most
northerly of Scotland's Munros - they say that from its summit at the summer equinox, the sun
never vanishes entirely beneath the horizon. It's suprisingly accessible - the best approach is a
four-hour round-trip from the road that runs down the west side of Loch Hope. Start at a
sheep shed by the roadside, just under two miles beyond the southern end of Loch Hope.
Ben Loyal (2506ft), though lower, is a longer hike at around six hours. To avoid the worst of
the bogs, follow the northern spur from Ribigill Farm, a mile south of Tongue. At the end of the
southbound farm-track, a path emerges; follow this up a steepish slope to gain the first peak
on the ridge from where the walking to the top is easier.
For shorter walks or cycles , there are well-marked woodland trails at Borgie Forest , six
miles west of Tongue, and Truderscraig Forest by Syre, twelve miles south of Bettyhill on the
B871. Near the entrance to Borgie Forest is the a'chraobh , a spiral feature created using native
trees and carved local stone. If you follow the signs to “ Rosal Pre-Clearance Village ”, a stop on
the Strathnaver Trail (see p.252), you'll find an area clear of trees with what little remains of the
village - fifteen families were evicted between 1814 and 1818. Information boards explain the
crofters' lifestyles in the eighteenth century before the upheavals of the Highland Clearances.