Durness
Durness Diùranais | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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County | |||
Sutherland | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Highland | |||
Places related to the A838 | |||
The tiny village of Durness lies in the far north west corner of Scotland. Only Cape Wrath lies to the west, and open sea to the north, but with Cape Wrath only being accessible via a pedestrian ferry, Durness is as far as many people go. It has a real end-of-the-world feel, especially on a bleak windswept day, of which there are many, but it is also a great place to stop and recharge supplies, even stay the night and explore a little more of this remote corner of Britain. A shop, Hotel, Campsite and other facilities are available for locals and visitors alike. The other reason to stop, is Smoo Cave. It may be the only real visitor attraction for miles in either direction, but it is definitely worth a visit!
The only classified road passing through Durness is the A838. A road which is almost entirely single track along its lengthy route, there is a short section of two way road through the village itself. To the east of Durness village centre, the road makes a strange diversion south, around a shallow gully, but an unclassified connecting road is well used to cut off this detour.
From the car park near the village centre, another unclassified road heads west to Balnakeil, from where walks lead out to Farraid Head. Cape Wrath itself is reached from the ferry at Keoldale a mile or so south of Durness, which crosses the Kyle of Durness, and meets a minibus service out to the lighthouse at the cape. Despite not taking vehicles, the slipway is signed with a 7' width limit, and 7.5T weight limit, due to a weak bridge 2 miles ahead!
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
Rhiconich, Lairg, Kylesku (A894) | North and West Highlands Route, NC500. Was B870 | |
Tunga / Tongue, Thurso (A836) | North and West Highlands Route, NC500. Was B870 | |
Raon-Goilf / Golf Course, Clachan-ciuird Bhaile na Cill / Balnakeil Craft Village | ||
Ferry |
Cape Wrath | limited pedestrian ferry connecting to minibus service |