Durness Village
Durness is the most north westerly inhabited locality of mainland Britain . Magnificent mountains, stunning seascapes, beautiful beaches and friendly people make a slower and more traditional pace of life, subject since early time to a great many influences and strong contrasts.
Durine , Balvolich , Balnakeil, Sangobeg , Lerinmore , Lerinbeg , Smoo and Sangomore are the small settlements dotted along the coastline that have survived to give rise to Durness Village . The ruins of many of the earlier settlements are still visible around the present dwellings. The crofts are laid out around the coast, the cottages fronting the road with strips of arable land stretching in front and behind. Durness Village has developed on the main road, succeeding the Kirkton at Balnakeil as the centre.
There are two food shops – a family run grocer and a Spar supermarket housing a post office. A self service petrol station with an outside payment terminal requiring a chip and pin card, a golf course, Balnakeil Craft Village, a camp site, public house and restaurant, and one hotel and several bed and breakfast establishments. There are 2 joiners, painter and decorator and a host of craft enterprises. The Royal Bank of Scotland travelling bank visits once a week for two hours parking their vehicle in the Village Square. The Highland Council mobile library service has a well-stocked library van calling at several points once a fortnight. Until 2016 The Sunday papers were sold from a car or van travelling from Lairg but the Spar opens for few hours for sale of Sunday papers.
In 1993, an Environmental Improvement Scheme renewed the Village Square as seen today. The stone feature with the information of Durness local interest was built in 1886 and was originally located opposite the road junction and housed a clock. George Whyte of Sangomore the local stonemason was reputed not ever to have been paid for the structure as public subscription never materialised.
