The centre of the ancient lands of Clan MacKay
"In Durness
The hills are the most
Beautiful thing for miles
And with their snow capped peaks
They stand as proud as 700
Proud men that are winners
And inside their cold shell
A tremendous feeling grows
A happiness that spreads
To every single soul in
The Country of Mackay"
Welcome to DURNESS the most spectacular corner of Scotland and the Most North Westerly Village on Mainland Britain in the Highlands of Scotland
Durness is now one of the few remaining places of any size in mainland Scotland that you can only access by single track road.
Visit Atlantic Edge – a series of podcasts that explore the people and places of Durness: Scotland’s most north-westerly community.
The corner of the United Kingdom’s road network from the South or from the East.
Tourism, fish farming, sheep farming and crofting are the mainstays of the economy.
The splendour of Durness is expressed in its extended horizons, in certain parts a view of over thirty kilometres is not uncommon. The north west coast line around Durness is formed of precipitous cliffs and sandy beaches. Entering or leaving Durness South the A838 road runs along the eastern shore of the beautiful Kyle of Durness on the southern section. The Kyle is a coastal inlet on the north which extends 5.5 miles (8.9 km) inlandfrom Balnakeil and divides the Cape Wrath peninsula from the mainland, (Kyle comes from the Scottish origin meaning Strait, Channel, Narrow from Gaelic origin.)
Entering the crofting village of Durness from the east along the north coast
Entering Durness from the South approaching the village square
A crofting village spread out along the coast, Durness is basically a string of hamlets. The crofts with houses and strips of land lying out behind towards the coast on limestone rocks giving rise to good pasture land. The name Durness could be from the Norse Drya-ness meaning Deer Cape or Deer point and has been referred to as an oasis in a barren land, the last resort or the last outpost. It stands slightly proud from the sea with sandy beaches and rocky coves.