Cape Wrath – the Boat, the Minibus and the Edge of Britain
A few hours.
The route
Cape Wrath, the north-west corner of mainland Britain, has no public road: a small boat crosses the Kyle of Durness, and a minibus takes you the last 11 miles along a bumpy track over empty moorland to the lighthouse.
The driver talks you through the land and its history on the way, and you get an hour at the top of the cliffs. Afterwards, there's hot chocolate at Cocoa Mountain in Balnakeil.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book the 9.15am Cape Wrath minibus tour from Keoldale on 07534 591124 (a £1 booking fee each): the season starts on 1 May and runs every day, with no closing date printed, so ring for it; the 12.15pm tour is first come, first served.
The day
Cape Wrath
Ten minutes across the sands of the Kyle, an hour's bumpy ride over the moor, an hour at the edge of Britain, and a hot chocolate to finish.
About four hours
The Cape Wrath boat
The Cape Wrath boat leaves from East Keoldale Pier, 2 miles south of Durness. Turn off the A838 at the sign for Cape Wrath and Keoldale, leave the car in the car park on the left and walk 50 metres on to the pier. The ferryman sets the sailings by the tide and the weather, at about 9.15am and 12.15pm to meet the minibus. He writes the next one on the noticeboard at the pier; if nothing is posted, ring 07534 591124. It's a crossing of about 10 minutes over the Kyle of Durness, £15 return at the time of writing, paid to the ferryman. Book the 9.15am tour ahead, as seats are limited and the 12.15pm is first come, first served. The season starts on 1 May and runs every day, but no closing date is printed, so ring for it. Nothing runs when the Ministry of Defence range is in use or the boat can't cross, and the bus needs six adult returns to go.
1 hr by bus
Cape Wrath
On the far side the minibus meets the boat, and it's a 60-minute bus ride along the 11-mile track. It never goes above 15mph and is bumpy in places, with the driver's commentary on the way. It's £23 return for an adult and £15 for under-14s in 2027, paid to the driver by card or cash, or ahead with a £1 booking fee. At the Cape you have about an hour on the north-west tip of the British mainland. There's the lighthouse Robert Stevenson built in 1828, closed to visitors, and the old Lloyd's signal station buildings. Look along the coast to the Clò Mòr cliffs, which the minibus firm says drop further than any other cliff on the British mainland. The Ozone Café at the lighthouse sells hot and cold snacks and has toilets. Keep well back from the cliff edges, and bring warm, waterproof layers.
The minibus and boat back
After an hour at the Cape the bus starts back, a 60-minute ride to meet the boat, about three hours after it first set out, and the ferryman takes you back over to Keoldale. You can stay longer and come back on a later bus the same day for the same fare, but you take the next free seat, so arrange it with the driver first.
8 min by car
Cocoa Mountain Balnakeil
A drink
Back at Keoldale, it's 8 minutes' drive through Durness to Cocoa Mountain in the craft village at Balnakeil, for what it calls the best hot chocolate, with croissants, cakes and its own chocolates. It opens every day from 9am to 6pm from spring to the end of November, and you park in front of the building. Dogs are welcome at the tables outside.
If it rains
The boat doesn't cross in bad weather and the trip is called off; the minibus has a roof, but the Cape is open cliff top. Cocoa Mountain's café is indoors.
Cocoa Mountain Balnakeil, a café in Durness.
Photographs by Daniel Świątoniowski, Alexander Lotharson, John Tochel and LoisLovesFitness via Google