Access
From the south, the only route to the Cape is on foot.
The more common approach is by taking a passenger ferry from Keoldale near Durness across the Kyle of Durness, and then walking, cycling or taking a minibus for the journey of around 11 miles (18 km) to the lighthouse. This takes the visitor through a desolate and virtually uninhabited region that is used as a military bombardment range by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, so travel to the Cape is restricted at certain times of year. It is the only place in the Northern Hemisphere where NATO forces combine land, air and sea capabilities in assault mode for training maneouvres, deploying ordnance up to 1,000-pound (450 kg) bombs.
Near to the ferry port is the old Ferryman's House (no longer inhabited). All that remains of the hamlet of Achiemore are a house (now used as a holiday home), a chequered prefab army building (the first MoD check-point for when the range is active) and the stone foundations of the old school, which was rarely attended by more than five pupils. Nearby is the old hamlet of Daill, where another house (now a holiday home) and a "temporary" bridge (constructed 1981 by the Army) spans the river Daill. Some 3.2 km (2 miles) further on is the old hamlet of Inshore, where the only house still standing is owned and used by the MoD. Further along the U70 road, a track to the right takes the traveller down to the old hamlet of Kearvaig, where there is a splendid beach and Kearvaig House which the Mountain Bothies Association have converted into a Bothy. Just off the shore is Kearvaig Stack (also known as "The Cathedral" due to the appearance of two spires and a natural window created by the weather) - a notable local feature.
4 miles (6 km) east of the cape lie the Clò Mór cliffs, the highest sea cliffs on the British mainland. Just a little further to the east, lies Garvie Island (An Garbh-eilean) which is one of the main targets the MoD use for their practising.
Cape Wrath is also the turning point for the Cape Wrath Marathon, a race made particularly strenuous by the continuously undulating terrain. It runs for 11 miles (18 km) out to the lighthouse and the same distance back to the ferry dock on the Cape side. The final 4-mile (6.4 km) leg of the race is run from the mainland side from the ferry dock and finishes at Durness Community Centre. The marathon is held each year as the final event of a week of races called the Cape Wrath Challenge.
Read more about this topic: Cape Wrath
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