“I will never retire.” John Ure achieved his life dream when he moved to Cape Wrath Lighthouse 26 years ago.
The 70-year-old, from Milngavie, was working in construction in Glasgow when the remote lighthouse became available.
“He had always had an interest in rescuing historical buildings, so he did not hesitate,” said Angie Ure, John’s 37-year-old daughter, who also runs the 24-seat cafe and the adjoining 6-bed bunkhouse.
John, who bought the lighthouse six years ago after renting the building for 20 years, said he did not want to raise his children in the city.
“We moved here because I didn’t want to bring my three kids up in Glasgow.”
John and his late wife Kay first set up a caravan café at the edge of the lighthouse before setting up Ozone Cafe, which opened its doors 17 years ago.
However, after Kay sadly passed away in 2016, Angie, their youngest daughter, joined her dad at Cape Wrath, and both have since then run mainland Scotland’s most north-westerly cafe.
Living at Cape Wrath: The day-to-day in Scotland’s most remote cafe
Getting to Ozone Cafe is an adventure as Cape Wrath is separated from the main road network by the Kyle of Durness.
People getting to the cafe from Durness, the closest village to the cape, have to take a ferry followed by a one-hour-and-a-half minibus ride through a bumpy 11-mile road.
However, the ferry and minibus only operate from May to September, which means the only people who can get to the café are advanced hikers doing the Cape Wrath Trail or the Scottish National Trail.
But this does not stop John and Angie from opening Ozone Cafe 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
“We have around 5,000 customers a year, but most of them come during the summer months,” Angie explained.
She continued: “We only have a few hikers or cyclists during the winter months; we don’t usually get more than two or three customers in December.
Christmas Day customers at Cape Wrath
However, John explained it is not uncommon for them to welcome customers on Christmas Day.
“We often get customers on Christmas and New Year; people from all around the UK looking for a different Christmas experience.
Christmas has always been unique at Ozone Cafe.
In 2009, the café was all over the national media after Kay was stuck in Durness with a Christmas Turkey for five weeks after failing to make it home on December 23 due to the weather.
“We still get many customers asking about the turkey,” Angie explained.
Dad and daughter are not expecting any customers this Christmas, but they say that “if they come, they come.”
However, Angie advised the Christmas menu will not be very fancy.
“They’ll probably get beans on toast and a coffee, but they won’t be left with an empty stomach,” she said.
‘I will never leave Cape Wrath’ Ozone Cafe as a way of life
The weekly struggles that come from running Scotland’s most remote cafe do not stop John from loving his way of life.
Every week, he spends a whole day going and coming back from Durness to get supplies for the cafe.
It takes him one hour and a half to drive through the 11-mile road that leads him to his boat.
He explained: “The council has not touched the road in 15 years and it is in a really bad state.
“If the road keeps deteriorating it will interfere with the three businesses: the ferry, the minibus, and us; it would take us all down.”
Angie added: “Every single time I worry if he is making home safely.”
However, despite the road situation, John, who turned 70 on December 10, would not change his job for anything in the world.
He said: “It is a good lifestyle; we can do whatever we want. I will never retire; there’s no need.”
Celebrity visits to Cape Wrath
John added that they get to know many interesting people, including celebrities, such as TV presenter Timmy Mallet and Scottish singer James “Midge” Ure.
But his favorite anecdote goes back to the café’s opening by Princess Anne.
“She stayed for a coffee, and I had a chat with her during the afternoon. She was nice and quite fun.”
His love for Cape Wrath is shared by Angie, who previously worked in a sign shop in Northern Ireland.
She said: “I love the location and the wildlife. And, because of the changing weather, you wake up to a different view every day.
“I’m planning to stay here all my life. There are foxes, badgers and seagulls that I look after, and that’s a priority for me.
