Kinlochbervie is a small fishing village in Sutherland in the northwest Scottish Highlands: not many boats are based here, but they come to land their catch to be trucked south. This village and area are among the most remote on the British mainland, miles from anywhere and with sparse transport.

Get in

Slowly, along twisty narrow roads where you never want to venture with a low fuel tank. From Inverness follow A9 past Tain then head west / north through Bonar Bridge, Lairg (the nearest railway station) and Laxford Bridge to Rhiconich. Branch off the main road here for B801, the minor road that ends after five miles in Kinlochbervie. Another route from Inverness is to take A835 via Ullapool and on north through Kylesku to Laxford Bridge, then as before.

By bus: a fleet of minibuses is operated by Durness Bus. These run year-round, as school buses midweek, with long-distance services only on Saturday.

From Inverness, Bus 805 runs Sat only via Bonar Bridge, Lairg and Laxford Bridge to Kinlochbervie. It continues north to Durness, which has a daily bus to Thurso. It runs south from Kinlochbervie around 09:00 and returns north around 16:00. Mon-Fri this connection is via Lairg, which has trains between Inverness and Thurso / Wick. Bus 806 runs from Kinlochbervie at 08:50 to Lairg for 10:30, coming back around 12:20. Friday evenings there's an extra bus to Ardgay railway station.

July-Aug Bus 804 runs M-Sat from Lairg via Ullapool, Lochinver, Kylesku and Laxford Bridge to Kinlochbervie, continuing to Durness; 15:50 from Lairg and 11:30 from Kinlochbervie.

Bikes may be carried between Durness, Kinlochbervie and Lairg, but must be booked at least 24 hours in advance on +44 1971 511223.

On schooldays only, Bus 890 runs from Kinlochbervie at 09:00 to Ullapool, setting off back at 14:00. An earlier bus 891 continues from Ullapool to Dingwall, starting back around 14:45.

See Ullapool for ferries to Stornoway on Lewis.

See

• 1 War Memorial and McBeath Memorial. Memorial to Robert McBeath (1898 – 1922) who was awarded the Victoria Cross for attacking a machine gun nest in the Battle of Cambrai on 20 November 1917 (in France during World War One). There is a also a memorial to locals killed in 1914-18 and 1939-45 wars. (updated Apr 2017)
• Kinlochbervie lies within the UNESCO North West Highlands Geopark which also covers Durness and Kylesku. Some of the local rocks are over 3 billion years old.

Do

• Hike to 1 Sandwood Bay. This scenic beach is reached by a 6 km hike from Blairmore, the nearest road access, itself 6 km north-west of Kinlochbervie. The route is described by Walk Highlands. The area is maintained by the John Muir Trust. (updated Jan 2019)

Buy

• 1 Bervie Stores (Spar), The Harbour IV27 4RR. M-F 09:00-20:00, Sa 10:00-18:00, Su 12:30-14:30. Decent range and prices given the location. (updated Jan 2019)

Eat

• 1 Old School Restaurant east of the village has rooms, but the big draw is the quality dining. It's open daily 12:00-20:00.

Drink

There is a pub in the Kinlochbervie Hotel.

Sleep

• Loch Clash Campervan Stopover is next to Spar grocery. There are 5 pitches for caravans and campervans, £15 / night, no booking, open all year.
• 1 Kinlochbervie Hotel, IV27 4RP (Turn right just before the harbour), ☏ +44 1971 521275. Clean simple hotel with some rooms overlooking the harbour. B&B double £80-95. (updated Jul 2019)
• 2 Rhiconich Hotel, Rhiconich IV27 4RN (4 miles southeast of Kinlochbervie), ☏ +44 1971 521224. 10 bedroom hotel with bar and restaurant. Dogs welcome. B&B double £110. (updated Jul 2019)
• 3 Edrachilles Hotel, Badcall Bay, Scourie IV27 4TH (A894 between Kinlochbervie and Kylesku), ☏ +44 1971 502080. Excellent 10 bedroom hotel in converted manse, open Mar-Nov. Dogs welcome. B&B double £150. (updated May 2020)
• There's a cluster of accommodation at Kylesku, the standout is 4 Kylesku Hotel, Kylesku, Lairg IV27 4HW, ☏ +44 1971 502231. Lovely 17th C coaching inn looking onto the loch. Eleven rooms, the best four are in the annexe, including one suitable for impaired mobility. Wonderful locally-sourced cuisine. Open mid Feb to Nov. B&B double £150. (updated May 2020)

Go next

• Northeast to Durness for Cape Wrath and Smoo Cave, then along the north coast to Thurso (for Orkney ferries) and John O'Groats.
• South to Lochinver and Ullapool.
• Turn off at Laxford Bridge for the road south and east to Inverness.