Information
Dates: 5th April - 9th September
2012
Tel: 01971 511 264
Reception open between 7.30am-10am
& 3.30pm - 11.45p April - September, 7.30am-10.30am and
5.00pm - 23.45pm October - March (winter
opening)
Main building closed between 11am
and 4pm
Dormitory building closed between
10am and 5pm
Please note that we do not accept stag or hen parties at any of
our hostels.
Local Attractions
- Durness Highland Gathering -----last Friday in July
- Explore the wild and remote countryside around Durness using
the footpath network. Booklet available.
- Lovely walk across Balnakiel Beach and out to Faraid Head, lots
of birds,wild flowers and a puffin colony
- For the more serious walkers there are Ben Hope, Foinaven,
Cranstackie and many more hills less than an hours drive away
- Ranger Guided walks and events throughout the season
Don’t miss
Balnakiel Craft Village
Well worth a visit to discover local artists, local crafts
shops, ceramics and silks and a well stocked bookshop, visit Coco
Mountain for the best hot chocolate and handmade truffles.
Ferry trip to Cape Wrath
Take the ferry across the Kyle of Durness then the 11 mile bus
ride to the north-west tip of Scotland or it is possible to
walk or cycle. Visit Website
Smoo Cave
(next to the hostel) Visit Website
Sandwood Bay
(10miles) it is possible to walk into Sandwood Bay from Cape
Wrath if you are an experienced walker or there is a track from
Blairmore.
Puffin colony at Faraid Head
Fantastic sandy beaches
John Lennon Memorial Garden
Plus the house he stayed in for his childhood holidays!
Handa Island
Drive to Tarbet and get the ferry to the island and see
guillemots, puffins, razorbills, skuas, kittiwakes and terns.
Altnaharra Church
A small church just to
the north of Altnaharra.
Visit Website
Balnakeil Bay
Magnificent sandy bay
leading to Faraid Head near Durness.
Visit Website
Balnakiel Craft Village
Discover local
artists, local craft shops, ceramics and silks and a well stocked
bookshop. Visit Coco Mountain for the best hot chocolate and
handmade truffles.
Visit
Website
Dun Dornaigil
Also known as Dun
Dornadilla, a well-preserved broch with a distinctive entrance,
standing to a height of up to 6.7 metres.
10m S of Hope, Sutherland off the A838.
Visit Website
Durness Highland Gathering
Ferry trip to
Cape Wrath: Take the ferry across the Kyle of Durness then the 11
mile bus ride to the North-West tip of Scotland. It is possible to
walk or cycle. Last Friday in July
Visit Website
Handa Island
Drive to Tarbet and get the ferry to the island and see
guillemots, puffins, razorbills, skuas, kittiwakes and terns.
View
Website
John Lennon Memorial Garden
Visit the memorial garden and see the house where he used to
spend his childhood holidays.
Visit
Website
Loch Eriboll
A loch that bites deeply into the north coast of Sutherland.
Visit Website
Strathnaver
The place in Scotland which,
more than any other, brings home the reality of "The
Clearances"
Visit Website
Strathnaver Museum & Trail
Story of a
past way of life in this remote area, with special emphasis on the
Clearances.
Clachan, Bettyhill KW14 7SS.
Visit Website
Smoo Cave
A must-see tourist attraction for people visiting the north-west
coast. Next to the hostel.
Visit Website
Eating & Drinking
Menus for most restaurants available in the
hostel
- Balnakiel Bistro (2 miles)
- Sango Sands Oasis (1/4 mile)
- Smoo Cave Hotel-also serves breakfast (1/4 mile)
- Seafood Platter serves local seafood ( across road from
hostel)
- Mackays Hotel-(1/2 mile)
Mackay's Rooms & Restaurant
Durness, IV27 4PN
1/2 a mile from the hostel.
Visit Website
Cocoa Mountain
Serving coffees, teas and
'the best' hot chocolate.
19A Balnakeil Craft Village, Durness
Visit Website
Loch Croispol Licensed Restaurant
17C Balnakeil Craft Village, Durness
Visit Website
Balnakeil Bistro
14, Craft Village, Balnakeil, Lairg, Sutherland IV27 4PT
2 miles from the hostel.
Tel: 01971 511232
Sango Sands Oasis
1/4 mile from the hostel.
Tel: 01971 511222
Seafood Platter
Across the road from the hostel. Serves local seafood.
Visit
Website
Smoo Cave Hotel
Durness, Sutherland, IV27
4PZ
1/4 mile from the hostel. Also serves breakfast.
Tel: 01971 511227
Visit Website
Local Services
Tourist information centre
Shop and Post Office
Petrol
ATM
Doctors Surgery
Walkers
Explore the wild and remote countryside around Durness using the
footpath network. Booklet available.
Ranger Guided walks and events throughout the season
Moderate
Balnakeil
A beautiful coastal walk along a
lovely sandy beach with great views of the cliffs.
Distance: 4km/2.5miles, Duration: 1hr, Height Gain: 50 metres/165
feet
View
Route
Braebag Bone Caves
A rewarding walk into
the wilds to have a look at the bone caves.
Distance: 4.5km/2.8miles, Duration: 2hrs, Height Gain: 225
metres/742.5 feet
View
Route
Longer walks
Sandwood Bay
Wild, beautiful and fairly
remote but definitely worth the effort!
Distance: 13km/8.1miles Duration: 4hrs, Height Gain: 240 metres/792
feet
View
Route
Long Distance Routes
Cape Wrath Trail
The route runs from Fort
William to Cape Wrath and is a great trek for experienced
walkers.
Distance: 320km/200 miles, Duration: 14-16 days Height Gain: 580
metres/1914 feet
View
Route
Hill Mountain Walks
Ben Hope
An ascent of Scotland's most
Northerly Munro.
Distance: 13km/8.1miles, Duration: 5hrs, Height Gain: 900
metres/2970 feet
View
Route
Ben Loyal
An ascent often referred to as
the Queen of Scottish Mountains.
Distance: 13km/8.1miles, Duration: 5hrs, Height Gain: 750
metres/2475 feet
View
Route
Disclaimer: All
walking routes are hosted on external sites, therefore SYHA can
hold no responsibility towards their accuracy. SYHA would also like
to acknowledge the British
Mountaineering Council Participation Statement: "The BMC
recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a
danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these
activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be
responsible for their own actions".
Wildlife
Otters breed around the lochs in the area and guests of the
hostel report seeing them on the Balnakiel Beach, around the lochs
of Durness and on the shores of Eribol.
Red deer are plentiful in the hills around Durness and frequent
the village, particularly in winter.
Guests have seen killer whales close in at Balnakiel beach
The area is ideal for birdwatching.
Other wildlife also common in the area include corncrake,
buzzards, badgers, foxes, wildcats, Greenshank, golden plover,
cuckoos, stonechats, wheatears, cormorants, oyster catches, eider
ducks, megansa, dunlin guillemot, kittiwake, golden eagle,
ptarmigan, crossbill, crested tit, fulmars Breed, kittiwakes,
shags, red throated divers, black throated, greenshank, red deer,
guillemot, razorbill, great skua, puffin.
Handa Island
A rugged off shore island,
Handa is one of the largest seabird colonies in Europe.
View Website
Faraid Head
Visit the puffin colony.
View
Website
Bird watching
Corncrakes at Balnakiel
Great Northern Divers on Eribol
Puffins at Faraid Head
Visit Handa Island
Buzzards, eagles, cuckoos, stonechats, wheatears, cormorants,
shags,oyster catchers, eider ducks, meganza and many
more.
Otters breed around the lochs in the area, and guests report
seeing them on Balnakiel Beach, around the lochs of Durness and on
the shores of Eribol.
Red deer are plentiful in the hills around
Durness and come into the village especially in the winter
Badgers, foxes and maybe even wildcats!!
Guests have seen killer whales close in at
Balnakiel beach.
Active & Adventure
Cycling
The Far North West
Long distances here
with few food stops
View Route
Take the ferry across the Kyle of Durness and cycle 11 miles
through spectacular scenery to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath.
Long distances through Sutherlands hills on
single track roads with impressive views of sea-lochs and
mountains.
Stalkers tracks into the hills
Hilly
The Far North West
A steady climb then a
long descent to Durness, the most northerly point of the
route.
View Route
Kyle of Durness to Cape Wrath
An eleven mile journey to the north-west tip of Scotland and the
lighthouse at Cape Wrath.
View Route
The Far North West
Long climbs with
impressive views of sea-lochs and mountains.
View Route
Difficult
The Far North West
190 miles in the wildest and most
rugged scenery in Scotland. If you like hills to get your teeth
into, this is for you!
View Route
Also:
Long distances through Sutherlands
hills on single track roads with impressive views of sea-lochs and
mountains. Stalkers tracks into the hills.
Fishing
On the famous Durness limestone lochs
Visit Website
Sea, river and salmon fishing and stalking
Tel: 01971 511224
Visit Website
On the famous Durness limestone lochs
Contact Martin Mackay 01971511255
Visit
Website
Sea, river and salmon fishing and stalking
Contact 01971511224
Visit Website
Golf
The most northerly course on mainland
Britain with a memorable last hole!
Visit Website