Introduction
Tonight, I am reporting on the small village of Durness which sits on the NW tip of the Scottish mainland. Location is 100 miles NW of Inverness. Population is about 350 persons.
Information on Durness
The name points to the Viking period. It is derived from the Old Norse dyr meaning a wild beast such as deer, fox or wolf.
The village sits back from a rugged coast line where the cliffs dip down to sandy coves. Here sea-bird colonies outnumber the human population. Surrounding the village are well maintained crofts (small farms).
Balnakeil Craft Village
This community is located about one mile from Durness. The following information has been taken from the village’s website:
The Craft Village is the most North Westerly community on mainland Britain. It has a fascinating history having being converted in the 1970s from an austere disused military camp. It is now a creative community of artists and crafts people.
The village is set in some of the most spectacular landscape in the Scottish Highlands. It is close to the renowned Balnakeil Beach with it’s impressive dunes and spectacular cliffs,
The village consists of a collection of homes and businesses. In addition to arts and crafts businesses, there is a bookshop,restaurant, and chocolate shop. Most of the houses are privately owned and each owner has a share in various areas of common land. This is a close knit community.
John Lennon connection
From the age of nine famous Beatle, John Lennon shared his holidays with his cousins at Sangomore in Durness. In 1969 he returned with his son Julian, wife Yoko Ono, and her daughter Kyoko.
In August 2002 Television program Beechgrove Garden broadcast the creation of the Village Hall garden by the local gardening group. The garden includes an area dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, the John Lennon Memorial Garden. Amongst the established planting are lyrics from popular Beatles songs. There is also seating with extensive views of the surrounding mountains, a perfect contemplative spot.
Cape Wrath Ferry
The Cape Wrath Ferry Service, an open boat, runs 7 days per week during May to September. This ferry allows visitors to go to Cape Wrath Lighthouse and see the natural beauty of north west Sutherland. The lighthouse dates from1827 and is built on top of 400 ft cliffs. This spot marks the remote NW corner of the British mainland.
North Coast 500 Driving Route
Many visitors arrive at Durness through participating the NC500, a 500 mile route around northern Scotland.
Smoo Cave
Smoo Cave is situated about 130 feet underground. This site has a long and complex history, from both geological and human occupation perspectives. Human occupation can be tgraced back at least 5000 years.The caves are limestone. Tours are undertaken by a local caving expert with some travel undertaken underground by boat. For more information see website smoocave tours.weebly.com
More information for the visitor
The publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland includes sections on the North Coast 500 route and Inverness, plus much more. The ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is also available via Kindle.