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Durness Beach – Balnakeil Beach loop from Smoo Cave

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Durness Beach – Balnakeil Beach loop from Smoo Cave

Moderate

4.7

(47)

189

hikers

Durness Beach – Balnakeil Beach loop from Smoo Cave

02:22

8.82km

110m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: July 28, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

111 m

Durness Beach

Highlight • Beach

This beach is located on the campsite and is not far from Smoo Cave. Baden is probably something for toughened. Water temperature was 15 ° C in August.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

2.71 km

View of Burragaig Bay from Seanachaisteal Dun

Highlight • Historical Site

The site of an Iron Age promontory fort, offering great views North over Burragaig Bay and to the rocky islets to the West.

Tip by

3.38 km

Sand Dunes at Balnakeil Bay

Highlight • Viewpoint

Impressive giant sand dunes back the two beaches and link the Headland to the mainland.

Tip by

4.47 km

Balnakeil Beach

Highlight • Beach

Please note this is not Sango Bay, that is a couple of miles east from here at Durness. This is Balnakeil beach.

Tip by

5.63 km

Balnakeil Beach

Highlight • Beach

Beautiful sandy beach with large sand dunes.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

5.88 km

Balnakeil House, Church Ruins and Beach

Highlight • Historical Site

This was a seat of the clan chief Mackay, later Lord Reay.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

6.57 km

Cocoa Mountain Coffee Shop

Highlight • Cafe

Awesome truffles here, the company having been awarded a Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Award. The owners appeared in an episode of Dragons' Den in 2015.

Tip by

8.82 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

3.71 km

3.28 km

1.05 km

695 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

3.52 km

2.87 km

1.88 km

322 m

235 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Tuesday 11 August

24°C

14°C

32 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 20.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

July 13, 2022,scotland hike🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👌🍀sango beach durness

tonight at 11.00 p.m. still light for the beach walk...from the sango sands pitch to barnakei beach and back... fantastically beautiful area here in the very north of scotland

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July 31, 2023,Durness & Balnakeil Bay 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I saw on komoot that someone had seen puffins here at some point. So we set off hoping to see some too. Unfortunately we didn't find any, perhaps the time of year was already too late for that. We observed two cheeky weasels in a barn. It was a wonderful tour in great weather.

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Durness Beach – Balnakeil Beach loop from Smoo Cave

Durness Beach

View of Burragaig Bay from Seanachaisteal Dun

Sand Dunes at Balnakeil Bay

Balnakeil Beach

Balnakeil Beach

Balnakeil House, Church Ruins and Beach

Balnakeil Craft Village

Cocoa Mountain Coffee Shop

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