Information
Dates: 30th April - 14th September
2010
Tel: 01971 511 264
Please note that we do not accept stag or hen parties at any of
our hostels.
Local Attractions
Altnaharra Church
A small church just to
the north of Altnaharra.
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Balnakeil Bay
Magnificent sandy bay
leading to Faraid Head near Durness.
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Balnakiel Craft Village
Discover local
artists, local craft shops, ceramics and silks and a well stocked
bookshop.
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.
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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
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Loch Eriboll
A loch that bites deeply into the north coast of Sutherland.
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Strathnaver
The place in Scotland which,
more than any other, brings home the reality of "The
Clearances"
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Strathnaver Museum & Trail
Story of a
past way of life in this remote area, with special emphasis on the
Clearances.
Clachan, Bettyhill KW14 7SS.
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Smoo Cave
A must-see tourist attraction for people visiting the north-west
coast.
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Eating & Drinking
Mackay's Rooms & Restaurant
Durness, IV27 4PN
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Cocoa Mountain
Serving coffees, teas and
'the best' hot chocolate.
19A Balnakeil Craft Village, Durness
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Loch Croispol Licensed Restaurant
17C Balnakeil Craft Village, Durness
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Balnakeil Bistro
14, Craft Village,
Balnakeil, Lairg, Sutherland IV27 4PT
Tel: 01971 511232
Sango Sands Oasis
Tel: 01971 511222
Smoo Cave Hotel
Durness, Sutherland, IV27
4PZ
Tel: 01971 511227
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Walkers
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
Other wildlife also common in the area include badgers, foxes,
wildcats, Greenshank, golden plover, 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.
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Active & Adventure
Cycling
The Far North West
Long distances here
with few food stops
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Hilly
The Far North West
A steady climb then a
long descent to Durness, the most northerly point of the
route.
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Kyle of Durness to Cape Wrath
An eleven mile journey to the north-west tip of Scotland
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The Far North West
Long climbs with
impressive views of sea-lochs and mountains.
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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!
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Also:
Take the ferry across the Kylse 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.
Fishing
On the famous Durness limestone lochs
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Sea, river and salmon fishing and stalking
Tel: 01971 511224
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Golf
The most northerly course on mainland
Britain with a memorable last hole!
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