The odds are stacked against it as a going concern with its location in a bombing range and in one of Scotland's most remote mainland corners.

But things are looking up for John and Kay Ure, the owners of the Ozone Cafe based at Cape Wrath Lighthouse, after four customers dropped by in a single day last month. The post-Christmas boom in trade was double their previous best for the month.

Mr Ure, 60, who conceded there have been no customers since then, said: "They were all students from Newcastle University and turned up three days after Christmas. We have not seen anybody since but we are open all year round. We had our best year last year with 6000 visitors, double what we had when we started out five years ago. We are delighted."

Visitors to the cafe, on one of the UK's highest vertical cliffs, currently face an 11-mile trek from Kinlochbervie over rough, unmarked, but stunning, terrain.

In summer a seasonal ferry across the Kyle of Durness and a waiting tourist bus carry passengers the same distance.

Mr Ure expects the odd, determined trekker to make it this winter to the 186-year-old lighthouse.

Aside from the military bombing, its terrain can be so dangerous that a few years ago an artist died from hypothermia and starvation after undertaking the trek on her own.

Princess Royal once popped in as part of her tour of lighthouses. Anne is patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board and is trying to "bag" every lighthouse in Scotland.

Mr and Mrs Ure are now seeking to buy it from Highland Council as their 25-year lease is close to expiring.

Mr Ure, who has asked Durness Community Council to back the bid, added: "It would remove a lot of uncertainty over the future. We have proved that despite its remoteness a cafe can work here."

Mr and Mrs Ure don't charge for a bed for the night, but £5 for a cooked breakfast and the same amount for a slap-up dinner. They normally serve teas, coffees, soup and sandwiches to day trippers in the summer.

The Ures live with their beloved four spaniels. They are the only permanent residents on the remote peninsular.

The couple hit the headlines in 2009 when they finally celebrated Christmas a month late after getting separated by the snow when Mrs Ure, 59, popped out to buy a turkey in Inverness.