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Balnakeil Church's roofless walls above a kirkyard of old stones, the bay beyond.
Sutherland

Balnakeil Church

A roofless, ivy-clad church of 1619 in its old kirkyard above Balnakeil Bay, near Durness, on the site of a much older church.

Welcome

At the end of the road to Balnakeil, a mile out of Durness, a gate by the roadside opens into an old kirkyard, and in the middle of it stand the roofless walls of Balnakeil Church, green with ivy against the sky.

The church was built in 1619, on the site of a much older one, and served the parish for almost two centuries before it fell out of use in 1814. Its walls still stand to the gables, and round it the graveyard is crowded with old stones, carved and leaning, facing out over the sea.

Few places to lie at rest have a finer view. From the kirkyard you look across the white sands and dunes of Balnakeil Bay to the long finger of Faraid Head, and across the road stands Balnakeil House, built in the 1700s on the site of the Bishops of Caithness's summer palace. The beach is only a few steps away.

Close byBalnakeil BeachThe white beach and dunes below.1 min by roadSee itBalnakeil Beach
Before you go

The kirkyard and ruin are open at all times, free, through the gate by the road end.

Where
At the end of the Balnakeil road, a mile north-west of Durness.
Built
1619; out of use since 1814.
Where it is

A mile north-west of Durness, at the end of the road to Balnakeil, across from Balnakeil House.

Close byDurness.
  1. Cocoa Mountain BalnakeilCocoa Mountain BalnakeilUnder a mile1 min by road
  2. Balnakeil Craft VillageBalnakeil Craft VillageUnder a mile1 min by road
  3. DurnessDurness1 mile2 min by road
  4. Vast limestone cave arch with a wooden viewing shelter beside the streamSmoo Cave2 miles5 min by road
  5. Ard Neakie Lime KilnsArd Neakie Lime KilnsLime kilns on a near-island in Loch Eriboll.19 miles27 min by road
Directions
Marram grass covers dunes above a curved sandy beach and bayAttractionsBalnakeil Beach0.3 miles
Wooden viewing platform inside a large cave with rocky floor and green-lit wallsAttractionsSmoo Cave2.6 miles
Pink boulder overlooking moorland lochs and coastline from a Scottish hillsideAttractionsKyle of Durness3.0 miles
Tumbled stone walls of Ceannabeinne township on a green slope in evening light, the sea beyond.AttractionsCeannabeinne Village Ruins3.9 miles
A white church-like building sits at the foot of a rocky, grass-covered hillside, sheep grazing on the slope above.DurnessCeannabeinne CottageSleeps 4 · 4.1 miles
Rocky headland and grassy dunes above a sandy beach with calm seaAttractionsCeannabeinne Beach4.3 miles
A curved timber-roofed house catches the evening light beside a sea loch, gorse and heather covering the foreground.SutherlandShore CottageSleeps 2 · 8.1 miles
A curved timber house glows with lit windows at dusk, set low into a grassy hillside.SutherlandHill CottageSleeps 2 · 8.1 miles
River winding through a glen beneath cloud-covered hillsAttractionsRiver Dionard9.8 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the church, and when each is next free.

A white church-like building sits at the foot of a rocky, grass-covered hillside, sheep grazing on the slope above.Ceannabeinne Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Durness
  • 4 miles from Balnakeil Church
Free 3–5 NovA curved timber house glows with lit windows at dusk, set low into a grassy hillside.Hill Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Sutherland
  • 6 miles from Balnakeil Church
Check datesA curved timber-roofed house catches the evening light beside a sea loch, gorse and heather covering the foreground.Shore Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Sutherland
  • 6 miles from Balnakeil Church
Check datesA stone cottage with two chimneys sits above a loch, a mountain rising behind and a dry stone wall enclosing the lawn.Keeper's Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Hope
  • 7 miles from Balnakeil Church
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in SutherlandAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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