Bonar Bridge has something of a frontier feel to it. It is here that the place names of the North West Highlands start to appear on road signs for the first time as you travel north. This small village was more or less bypassed when the Dornoch Bridge was built, taking the main A9 with it.

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Consequently, fewer people perhaps now see those signs for Lochinver, Durness, Tongue, and the other settlements beyond neighbouring Lairg on the roads to the North West Highlands. Don't let the "A" classification of the two primary roads leading north from that village fool you - they are, for the most part, single track. Using passing places shouldn't present many problems to the experienced driver. Sadly, the same cannot be said of the many sheep which wander alongside, and frequently on, these narrow main roads. Sounding your horn only elicits a blank stare - they'll move out of your way in their own time.

 

Driving to the Far North in the hours of darkness is an illuminating experience. Either side of tiny Altnaharra, the only lights which you will see on the forty mile drive from Lairg to Tongue are reflections of the diamond shaped passing place sings, fooling you all the while into thinking that your destination is just over the next hill.

 

When you reach the village of Tongue, take a walk or drive over the spectacular causeway, built in 1971, which crosses the Kyle Of Tongue. The Kyle is guarded by the Rabbit Islands to the west, and Eilian Nan Ron (Island Of The Seals) in the other direction. Crofters and fisherpeople once lived here. The Norse heritage of Tongue (and for that matter so much of Scotland's northern reaches) is revealed at Castle Varrich, which is reached by a footpath leading from the main road junction in the village centre. This ruin, which is thought to date from Norse times, sits on a promontory in the Kyle. Also in the village you can view the world's most northerly palm tree. Apparently, many people believe it to reside at Poolewe on the west coast, so please be aware that this botanical oddity in fact belongs to the north.

 

The North West Highlands are frequently marketed as the ultimate in peace and solitude - "we have the space, you take the time" being the suggestion of the tourist brochures. That is certainly as true of Durness as you would like it to be. However, there is also a great deal to see and do in this remote and dispersed village of only 300, spread across a fascinating and beautiful corner of the northwest. Your first stop should be the ever-helpful Durness Tourist Office. Here you can book accommodation, find out practically anything about the North West that you might conceivably to know, and view the contribution made by Durness Primary School to the “Dig Where You Stand” project. These large wall hangings depict life in the village every seventy years since the 1840s. Take a look at the Balnakeil Craft Village next. This collection of fifteen or so small craft shops and eateries, a mile to the West of Durness, is bizarrely situated in former military buildings, on what is virtually the very northwestern extremity of the UK. Even in midwinter, the beaches here and at Sangomore are strangely inviting, with giant tors of rock nestling on a perfect sandy beach and high Northern waves crashing over all the time. Nearby Smoo Caves are an astonishing sight. Walk down the steps from the car park, into a series of caves which are reputedly big enough to house an orchestra. Presumably, the only reason that no-one has ever tried to get one in, is that it would have great difficulty competing with the roaring of the underground waters. The brave (and those good at ducking at key moments) can take a boat trip into these booming brooks. Afterwards, climb back up onto the other side of the cave mouth, and write your name on the grass by arranging the white pebbles and boulders into the shapes of the letters. Appearances suggest that this is a very popular activity. A mile south of Durness, the road sign points to Cape Wrath. However, to get there, you will need to drive to the car park at East Keodale and take the tiny passenger ferry across the Kyle Of Durness. A minibus service then shuttles along a narrow track, over the deserted moorland and sometime M.O.D. bombing range (don't worry - the service only runs when no firing is taking place), and up to the magnificent lighthouse at the Cape. This is the very point where North meets West. To your left, the Atlantic Ocean and Western Isles below. To the right, there is nothing until the southern tip of the far-flung Faeroes. This trip is an essential part of any stay in Durness - and there are many others who think so too, judging by the activity of the ferry and bus service at peak times. It is best to get to East Keodale early in the day to avoid the queues which build up.

 

The county of Sutherland, home to all of these places, is the only one in the UK not to contain any towns, or indeed traffic lights (of a permanent nature, at least). Its vast size also secures it the honour of being alone in having three coasts – west, north and east. Hardly surprising then, that the ever increasing numbers of people who visit this striking and enormous region rarely even enter your field of vision. There’s no shortage of space for anyone who might feel intrigued by those signs at Bonar Bridge.