Crafty Business
Balnakeil Craft Village is a unique haven for artists and art-lovers seeking inspiration
IN a village that boasts such beautiful surroundings as Balnakeil does, it is easy to see why art is at the heart of everything they do. The Balnakeil Craft Village is just outside Durness and is home to several crafty businesses as well as a social hub café and a museum. Galleries and ceramic workshops sit alongside unusual studios selling crafts made from recycled goods, beautiful woodwind instruments and chocolates. There’s even a small traditional hair salon to pop into.
Nicola Ann Poole is the owner of the Wee Gallery at Balnakeil and explains why it is the ideal place for an artist to set up shop.
“Balnakeil Craft Village is a unique place to live. Surrounded by stunning scenery of mountains, sea and lochs, it is full of inspiration.
“What attracts me is the play of light on the land and sky and the changing moods of the seasons, which I try to capture in my work. I also enjoy painting the beautiful little rock pools which you find carved out of the ancient rocks on Balnakeil beach.”
Visitors are bound to leave laden with one-off, handmade gifts – whether you have been wowed by Ishbel Macdonald’s stunning paintings or charmed by sparkling Balnakeil Glass.
An afternoon’s shopping is also well catered for at Balnakeil’s Meet and Eat café and restaurant – which has something to satisfy the whole family – before heading off to explore Durness Deep Time, at Balnakeil’s museum. The exhibition was curated by Dr Björn S Hardarson and explores the complex, fascinating geological and archaeological history of the area.
Björn shares his knowledge of the local landscape during a range of walks which are tailored to all ages and prior levels of knowledge.
The walks are designed to complement the exhibition and delve deeper into the geology of this fascinating part of the world, where tremendous forces of colliding continents created the magnificent landscape of the Durness area.
Whether you’re exploring the North Coast 500 or visiting the north east itself, Balnakeil is a must-visit for artistic inspiration, a unique shopping experience and a closer look at the fascinating natural world of Durness.