CH. III. DURNESS FINE SEA VIEW. 33 



woods, and the grassy banks of some of the streams, 

 and also by the deep blue of the lochs. The eye 

 never wearies of being kept constantly occupied 

 in admiring the surrounding objects. I shall not 

 forget, however, one part of our drive between 

 Ehiconnich and Durness, where the road passes 

 over a wild and dreary hill-side, at a considerable 

 height above the valley below us. Here for some 

 miles we were exposed to the coldest and most driv- 

 ing and wettest mist that ever disgraced a May day. 

 Nothing could be seen twenty yards from the road 

 excepting the drifting clouds. Luckily the wind 

 was behind us, as it would have been almost im- 

 possible to have faced it. It cleared off again, how- 

 ever ; and before we reached Durness the night was 

 as calm and bright as the morning had been. We 

 did not arrive at Durness till eleven at night, and 

 then we found no one up ; indeed we had great 

 difficulty in finding the inn, as there was nothing 

 to distinguish it from any other house in the scat- 

 tered village, excepting that it was considerably 

 larger than its neighbours. After some time, how- 

 ever, we did find one person awake, and got com- 

 fortably housed in this very excellent inn. 



Nothing can exceed the sea view from Durness, 

 as you look along the varied line of abrupt rocks 

 to the cliff called " Far-out Head," which is very 



VOL. i. D 



