The Highlands Ostelli

We came by air from the south of England to Glasgow and by train to Mallaig --- the most beautiful journey ever. Our friends met us and transported us to their yacht in Mallaig Harbour, what a peaceful place. The next morning we were greeted by the amazing spectacle of a huge seal sporting with fishermen on the trawlers as they held up great silvery fish by their tails, and the best fed seal in Scotland leapt out of the water to lunge at the fish, where upon he or she was thrown some slithery fishy bits by the trawler chaps. Better than the telly any day!

Inverness is a lovely town, one of the most beautiful places in Scotland -- and in Europe, I think. It's clean, secure, quiet, with a pretty castle on the top. It's the best place to visit the incredible Lake Ness and try to photograph Nessie, the mythical monster.

I recently visited to Durness and thought that the scenery and beaches were very impressive. But you need more than this to make your stay memorable or comfortable. Apart from Mackays Hotel, there is absolutely nowhere to get any quality food or drinks. There are countless fish farms around the lochs but I never saw any of this on a menu anywhere - a cheese toastie with some iceberg lettuce and a sorry tomato was all I could find. The local pub was more like a hospital waiting room and the laughable craft village was something out of horror movie. I recognise life is different in this part of the country, but that is no excuse for lack of imagination and minimum effort. I would reccomend Durness for a very short day trip but would not consider reccomending anyone stay for longer periods of time.

Durness is an amazing place. I went there this summer and it may the most beautiful place that I have ever been. It is also wonderfully peaceful. I could have sat on those beaches for hours. I didn't want to leave.

Last summer my friend and I visited Durness. We had heard that it was a very beautiful an unique place, but when we got there we were simply blown away! There is a special spirit around Durness. Some may find the life up there too simple and lonely, but my opinion is that if you need a place to completely relax and want to experience a piece of the greatness of nature, Durness is the place to put on your travelmap. The "Balnakeil Beach" is so beatiful with its black cliffs, everyone owes themselves a visit to Durness!

I've seen guidebooks write rather demeaning articles about Mallaig, yet I found it a nice place to stay. There's nice scenery, people, food, and it's a good base for traveling further afield.