SYHA - ratings, reviews and travel tips!

Durness

5 stars

Lesley Watts - England

September 2011

3 stars

DrG - England

September 2011

definitely the best decision we made to make this the first stop on our trip from John O'Groats to Land's End - don't miss the coastal route from Durness to Ullapool via Lochinver...

4 stars

titanic - Germany

September 2011

4.5 stars

Idonotwishtoleaveacomment - Chad

September 2011

I do not wish to leave a comment

5 stars

Colin - England

September 2011

5 stars

Badabing - Scotland

September 2011

Tongue hostel is well worth a visit as it is in a cracking position for climbing Ben Loyal, Ben Hope and great cycling country.

5 stars

fido - England

September 2011

4.5 stars

Fraser - England

September 2011

4.5 stars

Luca - Switzerland

August 2011

4.5 stars

Helly11 - England

August 2011

This hostel is in a stunning location, but do be prepared for the ONE shower. You'll have to be prepared to wait! It's still well worth visiting though, I'm planning to go back next year!

4.5 stars

peter - England

August 2011

We had an excellent few days at Durness. It's a small but comfortable and very friendly hostel. The warden is very friendly and efficient too. Well worth a fews days; Ben Hope is well worth a climb but avoid the awful Fionaven. Next time we'll try to get to Cape Wrath

4.5 stars

jacopo - Italy

August 2011

4 stars

Graham - England

August 2011

Well worth visiting; a great location, right next to the famous Smoo Caves, with a good pub nearby, a helpful and well-informed warden and a comfortable lounge area.

5 stars

O'Larribau - France

August 2011

5 stars

JHJ - England

August 2011

An excellent Hostel in the very best traditions of SYHA

1.5 stars

Eric - France

August 2011

4.5 stars

kim - Spain

August 2011

I spent two days with my family. Lovely place, clean and really nice atmosphere. Highly recomemded.

4 stars

thornhouse - England

August 2011

2 stars

chachai - England

August 2011

Lovely spot, do visit Caper Wrath (if you're ok with heights!); the hostel's a bit dated; if you want more creature comforts, there are pleanty of B&Bs in the area.

5 stars

catbreeder - Scotland

August 2011

Perfect location for some amazing beaches, walks and general recharge your batteries experience. The Cape wrath ferry ( small boat) and bus ride is well worth it. If you love a good read buy Kerracher man from the craft book shop - both hubby and I loved the book and great to read when you are going to places mentioned. The trip around Handa Island, from Tarbet ,was amazing- sat astride a long padded seat you wizz off out to sea and then visit the cliffs etc at a leisurely pace, going close up and between inlets with your "captain" telling you all about the birds and wildlife - we saw nesting kittiwakes, puffins, seals - was so worth it, the boat trip alone was exhilarating.

3 stars

mac man - England

August 2011

One shower and tired accommodation are the minuses on the plus side its in a great location, has a warming stove and well stocked kitchen, wish it had the single rooms like loch ness though !

4.5 stars

vanessa - England

August 2011

Great location right next to the Smoo Caves. Fabulous hostel with a farmhouse kitchen and a great atmosphere. It has the benefit of a maintained garden and huge washing line with the added advantage of a large drying room, heaven. Some glorious beaches but fill your tank well before you get to Durness the petrol prices are phenominal!

2 stars

BOF - England

August 2011

RUSTIC.............!

4 stars

wenke - Germany

July 2011

5 stars

Mary Scotland - Scotland

July 2011

Very helpful, cosy atmosphere, well organised kitchen with huge supply of clean teatowels!

5 stars

ceo - Italy

July 2011

2 stars

q - Australia

July 2011

4 stars

wideformat4x4 - England

July 2011

4 stars

Jenny Johnson - England

July 2011

4 stars

Matt - Australia

July 2011

5 stars

Wombat - Scotland

July 2011

The YH hostel was flying a Saltire but it was in a tatty state. If YH's are going to fly National flags they should be in good condition. I sent them a replacement Saltire.

5 stars

Viv - England

July 2011

5 stars

Happy - Scotland

July 2011

Please use above private comments. i used wrong box

3.5 stars

cz - Malaysia

June 2011

4 stars

Pete - England

June 2011

Basic Hostel with with plenty of atmosphere and character. Staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful.

5 stars

J Coull - Scotland

June 2011

A friendly wee gem of a place. Durness, so hot it rhymes with furnace! Nowhere is more atmospheric in sunshine, or in rain. Prepare for both!

4.5 stars

MDT - Spain

June 2011

4.5 stars

Alan - England

May 2011

A fantastic place right on the cliff tops near Smoo Cave. Well equiped kitchen and comfy sitting area

4.5 stars

Thank you - France

May 2011

Thank you. We had a good moments. Beautiful geographical situation. The kitchen was spacious and nice. The staff was cool and professionnal. This SYHA is not to bigger so it is less factory than other one.

4.5 stars

0028 - Scotland

May 2011

4 stars

Anderson - Scotland

May 2011

5 stars

Matthew - England

May 2011

4 stars

Laure - France

November 2010

Nice place, friendly staff, beautiful view! Let's Go!

5 stars

Gazell - England

October 2010

Hostel is definetly better than it appears to be - friendly staff, clean, comfortable and cosy with a farmhouse like kitchen/dining area. It is perfectly situated to all the wonderful walks and fantastic coastline scenery - its beautiful, remote, rugged and incredibly peaceful well, well, well worth a visit - I will be back

4.5 stars

guy - England

September 2010

5 stars

Steve Elgar - England

September 2010

4.5 stars

DevonDebbie - England

September 2010

5 stars

Brian (Largs) - Scotland

September 2010

Day 3 of our tour of the NW & North.... very cool hostel and not to far away from the main town. Perched right about the caves, Durness can boast the best beaches I have eveer seen.. and that is not just in Scotland..... Great base for your trip, can't wait for our next one!

5 stars

mike - Scotland

September 2010

5 stars

CH&W, London - England

September 2010

This hostel is a real gem. The hostel manager works so hard to make your stay comfortable and enjoyable. She is a real asset. All the rooms and facilities are kept spotlessly clean. To stay in these buildings - given their historic importance in World War II - was a real priviledge. The location is also perfect for exploring the amazing corner of Scotland. We had so much fun here it was hard to leave.

4.5 stars

auchana - England

September 2010

Friendly atmosphere in awesome location - who could ask for more?

3.5 stars

El Vicente - Netherlands

September 2010

I particularly enjoyed a walk I went for after doing the cape wrath visit, starting from the ferry car park. A circular walk following the Kyle of Durness, the golf club, the ruined church of Balnakeil and though a glorious green 'valley' behing the Craft Village, back to the car park. This is one way to discribe it: http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/sutherland/kyle-of-durness.shtml

5 stars

Jennifer King - England

September 2010

A pleasure to stay here - we often stay in the family room. Very cosy and a lovely warden. The area is beautiful, very good for wildlife, geology and stunning beaches. Also other pleasures like Cocoa Mountain (the best chocolates and good coffee) and Loch Croispol bookshop with a cafe inside. Also some good cultural pleasures, like Ishbel MacDonald's screen prints and other artists working at Balnakiel craft village, and Lotte Glob. The Spar manages to stock a good range of things, so you don't need to come laden with your own provisions. Highly recommended.

5 stars

smoo - Scotland

September 2010

This is an excellent hostel to use as a centre for cliff and beach walking.

2.5 stars

nn - Germany

September 2010

4.5 stars

The Wheaties - England

September 2010

We really liked the main 'living' building. Very cosy by the stove! Great warden, very helpful & friendly with lovely dogs! We were very impressed by the guide in the nearby Smoo Cave - he spoke 3 different languages on our tour alone!

5 stars

Walker - England

September 2010

A great basic hostel - warm and welcoming -don't be put off by the external pictures. For the size the kitchen is very well equiped and is the only hostel I've ever been to with a good supply of vegetable knives!

3 stars

Letja The Netherlands - Ireland (Republic)

September 2010

Great surrounds and friendly staff but very basic hostel, offering not much room or privacy

3 stars

Jay - England

September 2010

5 stars

Jay - England

September 2010

4 stars

Jack - Italy

August 2010

2.5 stars

rowena - England

August 2010

4.5 stars

Mike - Scotland

August 2010

3.5 stars

Laure - France

August 2010

4 stars

Susi - England

August 2010

Swimming off Pocan Smoo was fantastical, though you'll want a wetsuit to stay in for any length of time - and you can rinse off back over in Smoo Cave itself where the freshwater comes down. The Spar shop in Durness itself is brilliant - we didn't need to have loaded ourselves up in Inverness at all, they had everything we needed and even a small but good selection of camping/walking kit.

5 stars

Rachel - Scotland

August 2010

4.5 stars

CookieMonster - Scotland

August 2010

Nice cosy kitchen/living area. Only one male shower and one female shower so there were queues and the hostel wasn't nearly full!

5 stars

Betsy - England

August 2010

This is a super hostel with very friendly staff - much better than I thought it would be, judging from photographs of it on SYHA website. The number one attraction (as weather was not great) was the cosiness of the main living area with a warm, welcoming solid fuel stove and comfortable seats and settees. The staff washed and dried our muddy trainers for us and the dorm facilities were clean and spacious with new beds and carpets. Having come to Durness from the Achmelvich hostel (which I would not recommend) we were pleasantly surprised.

3 stars

Sandra - Switzerland

August 2010

4.5 stars

penny - England

August 2010

There is a lovely beach on the way out to Cape Wrath - make sure you visit as its magic

4.5 stars

Patrick (Antwerp, Belgium) - Belgium

August 2010

I don't mind lack of luxury, that explains the four stars. If you expect comfort and luxury, Durness is not your stay. But I loved it. Excellent location to explore the north-west of Scotland!

2.5 stars

Rupert - Germany

August 2010

5 stars

*&* - Scotland

August 2010

4 stars

charles - Scotland

August 2010

4 stars

kinger - England

July 2010

3.5 stars

euroscope association - France

July 2010

a very nice place to stay and be quiet a wonderfull scenery

5 stars

Alastair - England

July 2010

3.5 stars

Nicko - Australia

July 2010

4.5 stars

The Happy Oldies - England

July 2010

The Durness manager, Mary Anne, was very kind and helpful. Through her advice we were able to see Puffins on their nest site and explore the incredible sand dunes in the area. A visit to the local craft centre (esp. cocoa mountain) is a must.

4.5 stars

NorthGirl - Scotland

July 2010

3.5 stars

AJG - New Zealand

July 2010

5 stars

Oldiain - Scotland

July 2010

You can travel to Durness Hostel by the Cycle Bus (Tim Dearman's Coaches) from Inverness then Ullapool (takes 4-5 hours). You can arrange a sightseeing trip to Cape Wrath - Go in to Mathers stores at Durness and ask for Mrs Mackay. She shall set this up for you.

4 stars

lily - England

July 2010

5 stars

David - Scotland

July 2010

None

5 stars

rosko - England

July 2010

4 stars

bmw - Scotland

June 2010

4 stars

Ileach - Scotland

June 2010

A slightly unusual hostel in a wonderful situation. Having taken the time to reach it, don't rush off without having a good look round.

4 stars

René - Belgium

June 2010

5 stars

Alastair - Scotland

June 2010

4.5 stars

macbishop - Scotland

June 2010

Charming and unique, offering adequate accommodation in war-time huts. Kitchen and lounge are were warm, welcoming and comfy. A refreshing antidote to modern identikit hotels. Fantastic location, too.

4 stars

jacq van eldert - Netherlands

June 2010

4.5 stars

June - France

June 2010

5 stars

ThatFidz - England

June 2010

Ex WW2 Billet Huts,fantastic place full of atmosphere,clean tidy & warm (nice woodburning stove in the dining room) , wonderful sea views & 200 yards from Smoo cave. Easy to get to as its on the main road from Tongue. If you only ever stay in one SYHA Hostel make it this one,you will not regret it.

5 stars

Dave - England

June 2010

head on down to Ullapool for friendly welcome and on out to the islands

5 stars

Grinner - Scotland

May 2010

3.5 stars

Scotty - Netherlands

October 2009

5 stars

TOH - Singapore

October 2009

4 stars

davemabz - Scotland

October 2009

3.5 stars

Wet'n'Windy - England

September 2009

4 stars

Dave - Scotland

September 2009

4.5 stars

mtbfeartie - Scotland

September 2009

4.5 stars

mangoman - Scotland

September 2009

4.5 stars

bill - Scotland

September 2009

3 stars

WickedMessenger - Germany

September 2009

4.5 stars

Keith - England

September 2009

Nice hostel and a really amazing place to visit overall. We'd definitely recommend a visit to Faraid Head, and the craft village.

4.5 stars

Andy - England

September 2009

The manager was very enthusiastic and really cared about the hostel, its presentation and the ongoing recycling initiatives in place. She couldn't have been more helpful to occupants in assisting with where to visit, how to get to next places as she knew her onions! You'll enjoy cooking in the cosy kitchen area which could be extended. The advantage of a small drying room was a bonus! All in all, we'd return.

5 stars

Paul Holmes - England

September 2009

Go there ! There is nothing between you and the Arctic.... A proper Youth Hostel with a committed Warden and a lovely dog.

3.5 stars

Alison Downey - Scotland

August 2009

A basic hostel in a lovely location.

4 stars

family d - France

August 2009

4.5 stars

meg - Scotland

August 2009

3.5 stars

Nicole Dailcroix - France

August 2009

3 stars

JackBurton - Italy

August 2009

5 stars

greenbean - England

August 2009

4 stars

Maria - Malta

August 2009

This is an amazing 'secret' part of Scotland. Hostel is very clean. Strongly recommend http://www.timdearmancoaches.co.uk/ for easy access from Inverness with outstanding views.

4.5 stars

Michael_M - Germany

August 2009

5 stars

Karen - England

August 2009

Take the ferry and minibus to Cape Wrath and visit the most isolated cafe in the country! Afterwards, walk along the coast path back to Balnakiel Craft village. There are lots of puffins till mid July along Faraid Head. The INformation Centre is really helpful and there are guided walks in the summer.

5 stars

brian - England

August 2009

4 stars

nata - England

August 2009

5 stars

Wilson family - England

August 2009

5 stars

Cycling Viking - Scotland

July 2009

Superb beach walks watching the bird life and experiencing the peace of the waves. Remember a jacket as the weather can change quickly.

4 stars

queeny - Scotland

July 2009

5 stars

X - Scotland

July 2009

None. Hostellers should travel with an open mind and be open to experience rather thaXn rely on the advice and experience of others.

5 stars

Martijn - Netherlands

July 2009

5 stars

joseph_ccc - Spain

July 2009

3.5 stars

Nick - England

July 2009

3.5 stars

tomtom70 - Germany

July 2009

Free WLAN in (also in front of ;o) ) MacKay's - don't bother to get a table there, they don't seem to welcome backpacker any time of the day.

3.5 stars

Girotropico - Spain

July 2009

3.5 stars

eckyscout - Scotland

July 2009

5 stars

MarkAhrens - United States of America

July 2009

This hostel is wonderful. Maryann (current caretaker) is lovely to talk with and of course knows a lot about the area. Be sure to visit Smoo Cave (right down the road), Balnakiel Village, Faraid Head peninsula (and the puffin colony there - best in the evening), and Cape Wrath, of course.

4.5 stars

Bruce - England

July 2009

5 stars

Nessie - Scotland

July 2009

Durness is a great place to relax and enjoy Scotland at its most rugged and remote. There are excellent walks, beautiful beaches, Smoo Cave and Cape Wrath not forgetting the craft centre (ignore the dodgy architecture).

3.5 stars

PBW - Canada

July 2009

Small. Room adequate for needs. The kitchen and lounge was spacious and comfortable.

4.5 stars

jb - England

July 2009

4.5 stars

Keith - Scotland

July 2009

A good traditional Youth Hostel. Reminds me of the way things were in my youth.

5 stars

Tony Ball - England

July 2009

If you are travelling alone this hostel is a must

5 stars

Jen - England

June 2009

Friendly, simple hostel with an interesting garden in a great location

3.5 stars

haha - Slovenia

June 2009

5 stars

Histon Nikki - England

June 2009

Spend more than one night at Durness - there is so much to explore on the coast and inland.

4 stars

cobblergreen - Scotland

June 2009

5 stars

Seona Christie, Westhill - Scotland

June 2009

The hostel is very misleading: dont judge a book by its cover. It doesnt look like anything special by its exterior, but it was a brilliant place to stay and I've been telling all my buddies to make sure they keep this one on their list to visit. We were welcomed by Ben and Misty (the collies) who sheperded us to the reception very efficiently. Lovely clean hostel with a friendly and helpful manager.

5 stars

p - England

June 2009

4.5 stars

marty - Scotland

June 2009

5 stars

Dunbar runner - Scotland

June 2009

Hostel was perfect: quiet, near Smoo cave, friendly and had two beautiful natured collie dogs to play with. Perfectly placed for annual Cape Wrath Challenge events. Bus south to Inverness leaves Smoo Cave @ 15:15- 100yrds from Hostel gate. Don't try to get on bus before that time as driver is still on break and will be narked if you disturb him. (Tim Dearman Coaches). Good bus service though....you travel right down the coast so see lots including Kinlochbervie and Ullapool were there is a s

5 stars

Thomas - England

June 2009

4 stars

Cal and Del - Scotland

May 2009

Welcoming and helpful staff helped us dry off after a soaking in the wild weather However the buildings are showing their age and its about time these wartime wooden huts were demobbed

4.5 stars

Patrick - Belgium

May 2009

4.5 stars

Sutherland - England

May 2009

4 stars

Sean - England

April 2009

4.5 stars

balk - Germany

April 2009

5 stars

rockyr - England

April 2009

3.5 stars

Ish - England

April 2009

Make sure you take extra duvets and extra food as this small village closes really early and its hard to find any hotel or a restaurant 46 Miles nearest Ullapool Good luck and do visit DurnessSmoo Cave and the award winning Beach Thanks Ish

5 stars

Logi - Scotland

April 2009

Probably my favourite hostel of all sadly the SYHA dont seem to want to spend any money on it It may be a couple of wartime huts but dont let that put you off the warmth of welcome plus the location more than make up for the lack of investment

4.5 stars

mikeg40 - Scotland

November 2008

SYHA - ratings, reviews and travel tips!