Reaching Durness
Getting here by car or public transport provides few problems with huge investment in highland roads in recent years, the journeying north from Inverness via Lairg and Laxford takes only just over two hours.
The more spectacular journey by Ullapool adds on about another half an hour. Inverness is a major regional centre with direct bus, rail and air links to other Scottish cities and to London. Local rail services run north to Lairg where the bus connects for the onward journey to Durness.
Durness is 74 miles from Dornoch and 103 miles from Inverness. The drive from Inverness takes approximately 2.5 hours.The last 52 miles of both journeys
Daily flights link inverness with several UK cities and rail services extend to Lairg via Inverness.
A bus service to Durness links in with train services arriving at Lairg.
D&E Coaches www.decoaches.co.uk
The Durness Bus www.thedurnessbus.com
Rail www.scotrail.co.uk The nearest railway station is Lairg (60 miles/97 km).
Air www.hial.co.uk/inverness-airport The nearest mainland airport is located at Dalcross, near Inverness (125 miles/202 km)
Sutherland’s single-track roads can actually attract some tourists. We should note, though, that single-track roads can contribute to visitors’ perception of peace/ quiet/ open spaces.
More often, however, they are a threat to tourism. During the summer months, single-track roads are potentially dangerous for drivers not used to them. Increased traffic levels can conflict with local business use of the roads, especially in the primary sectors, where road transport of livestock, fish landings and timber is the only option available.
On narrow, single-tracked roads use passing places correctly:–
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Pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right.
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Give way to vehicles coming uphill where possible.
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Be prepared to reverse to the nearest passing place so that oncoming vehicles can pass.
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Don't park in passing places.