This tiny village is home to one unique school which is unlike many others – it’s one of the UK’s smallest with just two pupils. Duror is nestled between the mountains and stunning coastline of the Scottish Highlands. It is a charming village offering a peaceful retreat for visitors seeking nature, history, and adventure.

Located near the shores of Loch Linnhe, Duror is the perfect base for exploring the dramatic landscapes of the West Highlands. Duror Primary is located in a Victorian-era building which has stood in the Highland village for more than a century, however it had been earmarked for closure due to its dwindling pupil numbers, reports BBC.

But with several babies and toddlers in Duror expected to soon boost the school roll, the local council have agreed to keep it open after a campaign by locals.

Shannon and Molly, who are the only two students currently at the school, told BBC News that they mostly do everything together and that they are best friends.

Holly Graves, a teacher at the school, said: “I love the flexibility and the freedom for going out and exploring. If the weather is good, we can go and do our work down at the beach.”

She says small schools are important for the wider community and that it’s important the school has managed to stay open.

However, some people have said the school is similar to homeschooling other than that the students are located in a school building.

The school has been saved from closure in its past after receiving public support but social media users have been split in their reaction.

On Instagram, one person wrote: “Seems unique, but also seems like a waste of funds and resources for 2 pupils.”

Another penned: “Waste of resources. English taxpayer money redistributed to Scotland to fund this nonsense is appalling.”

Others are supportive of the school, one person comments: “I’m guessing they’re far from any other school for their grade. They’re going to look back on this and have some amazing memories.”

Highland Council had wanted to shut the school, which has educated pupils in the village near Loch Linnhe since 1877, but locals objected to the plans, reports Daily Mail.

Duror is a quiet part of the Highlands, often visited for off the beaten track walking routes.

It is not a major tourist destination but offers a peaceful and quiet place to explore for those wanting to see an authentic part of the Highlands.

One place to visit in the area is Highland Titles Nature Reserve which is a uniquely funded conservation project. You can take a tour of the site which is popular with visitors.

A visitor on Tripadvisor said: “This was our second trip to Highland Titles in Duror. Last year we did not have the opportunity to get a guided tour but did this year!

“Fiona was great and very informative and helped us find our plot. After our tour we decided to walk the reserve which we thoroughly enjoyed! The scenery is spectacular.

“They do amazing things to maintain and preserve the natural highland trees and animals! We also got to see Stewart feed the Coos! This is a place we will visit whenever we can get back to Scotland.”

If you’re looking for a unique place to visit, Druor could be the perfect place to enjoy a quiet break this summer.

Travelling from one end of the country to another for more than an hour via train sounds daunting for most. Add another 10 hours on top of that and suddenly rail fanatics would consider it a bucket list journey. 

When it comes to travel, convenience surely ranks top in demands for most people. And so while flying the distance of the UK from Scotland all the way down to Cornwall is the quickest option, how many Brits actually want the faff of an airport. 

However, as of May 16, the CrossCountry train service which has been operating for more than 100 years embarked on its final journey, as it served as the UK’s longest direct train of 13 hours with 30+ train stops over 774 miles.

Departing from the Scottish city at 8.20am and arriving in the west of Cornwall at 9.31pm. 

The train stopped at 35 stations along the way, including Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Bristol, Taunton and Truro as it wound its way across the country to reach its final destination. 

Operator CrossCountry made the decision to end the service, declaring a “more efficient timetable”. Rail bosses said most customers only made short journeys along the route, and mentioned the difficulty of keeping such a long running service for a long time.

Train lovers boarded the train as it travelled the scenic route for one last time, spending a total of two hours stopping at each station along the way.

An advance single ticket in a standard class cabin on the final service started at £138.60 per adult.

Michael Cleaver, a train enthusiast, was on board. “It’s the last train ever and it’s such a long route. It’s a route I’ve wanted to do for ages and this is the last ever chance to do it. I’m hoping it will be a bit of a party train all the way down to Penzance,” he said. Cleaver also went on to say “I’ve got a book and a phone so I’m not too worried about getting bored.” amid the 13 hour journey.

On May 19, 2025 the service began its new running schedule from Aberdeen which will travel only as far as Plymouth, an 11.5-hour journey. 

The route between Aberdeen and Plymouth is now the UK’s longest direct journey, at 695 miles.

Passengers wishing to travel further will need to take a connecting train on the main line through Cornwall.

Another service will run from Penzance to Edinburgh, covering 694 miles.

A CrossCountry spokesman said: “Amending our Aberdeen to Penzance service from May 2025 will mean a more efficient timetable for our train crews and a more convenient service for our customers, making a day trip from Bristol and the west of England to Penzance more viable. The new timetable will also deliver an additional service in each direction between Glasgow and the northeast of England towards Birmingham.”

The cancellation was announced earlier this year.

The service was launched in October 1921, and ran once daily. It stopped in major cities including Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Leeds.

My flight from London Heathrow to Tenerife South Airport was pleasant, if rather lengthy at four and a bit hours. I felt quite relaxed, albeit like the walking dead after around three hours’ sleep, as I read the paper and chatted to a nice couple from Southampton, Dougie and Hayley, about what it was like having a holiday home on the island. I’ve never been there, as my family holidays have been either on other Canary Islands or mainland Spain.

I had the window seat, and the middle seat in my row was free, giving me a little more wiggle room. All was well. This, however, changed after I exited the plane. Getting on a bus at the bottom of the stairs, everything seemed in order. But as we edged closer to arrivals, a monster of a queue loomed into view. As it was a bit chilly in the aircraft, I was wearing a jumper, and there was no room in my bag (I’d tried to be clever and not take a suitcase as I was only going to be there for a few days) for my jacket (weather reports suggested it might rain).

Consequently, the wait in the sun, which feels different, more harsh near the equator than the softer rays in the UK, before entering the building was quite unpleasant in multiple layers, as I scrambled to catch up with messages on my phone (I was not going to pay £5 for a few hours of Wi-Fi on the flight). But this was nowhere near the end.

“Jesus, it’s even bigger on the inside,” I messaged the photographer accompanying me on this work trip, who had got in just before me, once I saw an even larger queue inside. To join it, I had to pass through a strange row of doors that resembled some sort of decontamination pods, intermittently opening and closing, displaying a red cross or green arrow.

A woman with a clipboard and high-vis jacket asked a young couple in front of me: “Minors? Over 18? British?” Laughing, they confirmed they were adults and Britons. As we joined the line, I heard someone ask: “I wonder how this airport functions in the summer.” Another said: “Our bags have probably gone. They’ve sent them back to London.”

The hot weather and huge mass of stressed bodies meant it was extremely warm, but due to the slow-moving queue, I managed to take off some layers. This only helped a little. As we shuffled along, people from an Aer Lingus flight arrived. The clipboard woman asked everyone passing through the strange doors if they were British or from the Emerald Isle.

The latter got to walk on and join a different queue, which seemed to go down a lot quicker. Upon seeing the line of Brits, one of them said, “Oh, my God. Look at this place. Jesus.” Signs further along made it very clear that one queue was for European passports, and the other was dedicated solely to UK holders over 18.

There were no e-Gates that I could see at this airport, although some, including me, were filed through some scanners for what seemed to be an extra check before getting their document stamped at a counter by a rather grumpy-looking border officer, and ultimately let into the country. Let’s hope more e-Gates are installed at European airports and Sir Keir Starmer’s deal allowing more British travellers to use them when going on holiday will actually make things smoother.