Durness

Durness ( Scottish Gaelic: Diùranais ) is a village of about 400 inhabitants in the north-west Highlands of Scotland just 50 kilometers by road west of Tongue. It is located on the Straits Kyle of Durness, in the extremely sparsely populated former Scottish county of Sutherland in the Highland district. The village can only be reached on two -lane roads. The main economic factors of the village are agriculture and tourism.

The main attractions in Durness are the Cave Smoo Cave with its small river and an underground waterfall, and many unspoilt sandy beaches and cliffs, where can observe numerous species of seabirds, seals and the occasional whale.

Offers tourists a spectacular Durness situated campsite on the cliffs above the beach, a hostel, a number of private accommodation and a hotel.

A large colony of puffins can be seen north of the village in the great sand dunes on Faraid Head and photographed.

A few kilometers to the northwest lies Cape Wrath - the most north-western headland of the British mainland. Lack road access can be achieved with a shuttle minibus only on foot or in a combination of a small pedestrian ferry across the Kyle of Durness. In Cape Wrath, there is a lighthouse and an abandoned military object. From Cape Wrath to the town border of Durness submits only temporarily blocked a military firing range, which is used by the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and the U.S. Air Force. The resulting explosions have not prevented numerous seabirds breed on the Cape and its cliffs.

East of Durness lies Loch Eriboll, known for its otters and minke whales. As the lake has a sea connection, it can be used by ocean-going vessels as an anchorage in stormy weather. Nearby is the Portnancon - basement.

In Balnakeil, one located one kilometer west of Durness hamlet, a craft village was built. One can also find a very old cemetery with the ruins of a chapel from 1619, this chapel of the hijackers and supposedly eight tenfold murderer Donald Macmurchow is buried, who financed the church after a change of heart -. To be buried there. On the associated and already used in the Crusader period cemetery also the Gaelic poet Rob Donn MacKay is buried.