We spend a fair amount of our holidays in our home country of Scotland, and this was no exception. The north east coast (well, the east coast in general) is not, however, somewhere that we have ever spent much time as we generally head up to the highlands or the west coast. Looking for somewhere different, Paul found this rather romantic retreat with a hot tub on the Cromarty Firth, just round from Nigg, and with views out across the Moray Firth towards Nairn. The lodge was one of four at Castlecraig Clifftops, with each lodge spaced out enough to give privacy and have unobstructed views out to sea. The Clifftops lodges were put up by the owners of Castlecraig Farm but they are away from the working part of the farm, with a nice isolated feel to them. A real “get away from it all” place. All the lodges have decking with a picnic bench, sun lounger chairs and hot tub, with a firepit next to the decked area.
In 2019 we travelled the North Coast 500 which starts in Inverness, about 35 miles south (by road) from where we were staying, and heads north up the main A9 road, so we had seen some of the highlights of the area during this trip, but didn’t have time to explore in-depth, so there was still plenty of new things to see and do on this holiday. For those interested in history, the area is in the heart of the “Pictish Trail“, click on the link for more information.
The good thing we found about the east coast of Scotland, is that the weather tends to be more favourable than the west. Although it was fairly windy on most days, the sun was also shining (and was forecast to continue to do so after we left). We only had one day during the week where it rained, and it wasn’t long before the sun was back out again.
On our arrival, we settled in and unpacked. We had booked a two bed lodge, which worked out well for a couple giving plenty of space, particularly as we used the twin room to keep most of our clothes etc in. We had considered asking friends to come with us, but for a week, we think it was better to be able to “spread out” and we found it to be perfect with just the two of us.
A lovely welcome pack was waiting for us with local delicacies including a mini bottle of gin, salted caramel chocolate, home made oatcakes, drizzle oil and home made jam, as well as a cute vase of daffodils.
The fridge freezer is just an under-counter one, so the freezer compartment is small, worth knowing if you are bringing any frozen food with you. We had guessed this from the photographs, so we brought a coolbox which doubles as a freezer with us, along with 5 nights worth of meals, as we didn’t want to have to do much shopping on holiday, but did want to leave some flexibility to eat out a couple of times.
Not long after we had settled in, Les, the owner, popped in to see us and check if everything was fine. She said she would be by once a day to check on the hot tub, which was reassuring as we have an inflatable hot tub at home, and know how important it is to keep the chemical balance just right. Needless to say, the hot tub was well-used! We went in every day, mostly after dark, but occasionally in the afternoon if we were back early. It was good to do both, to watch the moon come up and star gaze at night, and to enjoy the views and sunshine during the late afternoon.
On our first night at Castlecraig, we were treated to a stunning display of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), a very rare treat for us, particularly as we live in the city surrounded by light pollution. Better still, they were out in colour – green and some pinks/purples, moving around and clearly visible by the naked eye, which is unusual as far south as Scotland (normally if you see them in Scotland they are in monochrome and only visible in colour by camera set on a long exposure). Until then, we had only seen the Northern Lights in colour in Iceland, Lofoten Islands (Norway) and Sweden. We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our holiday!
So, what is there to do and see in the area? Well, we have already mentioned the Pictish Trail for those interested in Scottish history. In addition to what we did see and do, there are things we missed and some we had already done on our NC500 trip – the highlights of the Black Isle including the Black Isle Brewery, Clootie Woods, the Fairy Glen and dolphin spotting at Chanonry Point (we did actually detour on our way home to try to see the dolphins, but we were unlucky). Also within an hour’s drive is the stunning Dunrobin Castle at Golspie and the beautiful beach at Brora. There are also plenty of golf courses, whisky distilleries and the Cromarty gin distillery.
Taking it day by day, here are our other recommendations:-
Day 1 – An exploration of the local area which includes the sandy beach at Shandwick, the Mermaid of the North sculpture at Balintore (great for photography), the Shandwick and Hilton of Cadbol Pictish stones (there is also one in Nigg old church, but it was closed when we went), the sandy beach and pretty village of Portmahomak with it’s colourful seafront houses, and a walk around the Tarbat Ness Lighthouse peninsula.
Day 2 – A “walking day”, first visiting the Fyrish Monument which is normally approximately 4 miles return (but was a bit longer due to a diversion.) We almost gave up when the diversion sent us back downhill again, but we kept on and it was worth it for the views at the top and on the way up. All in all I think it took us around 2.5 hours with a fairly short stop at the top as it was very cold and windy. Nearby, was a shorter (and easier) walk to Black Rock Gorge, made famous after being used in a scene from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This extremely narrow gorge is around 120 feet deep, and it made my stomach turn over when looking down from each of the bridges that cross it. We found it visually stunning with it’s mainly moss-covered sides and the river running along it far below, but neither our own photos or those we found on the internet can really capture it. The walk is relatively flat and easy. You access it through Evanton Woods, with a free car park in the village near the Co-op. It’s around 2.5 miles return from the car park. The path has a few turn-offs and the gorge isn’t that well signposted, so it’s worth having the Walk Highlands instructions to hand, or do as we did and ask a local if you’re not sure which way to go. There’s usually a few locals out walking their dogs in the woods.
Day 3 – We took a round-trip drive to Loch Shin (Lairg) and fitted in a couple of canoe paddles. This was quite a long driving day, approximately 90 miles for the round trip. We headed north on the A9, then turned onto the A836 along the south of the Dornoch Firth (before crossing the bridge). It was a calm day and the firth was beautiful and reflective, just like a mirror. We wished there had been easy access to get to the lochside and go for a paddle, but the railway line separated the road from the loch. As we continued, I noticed a sign for Culrain, which sparked a very distant memory. When I was in my teens, I did a train journey round Scotland and stayed at (what was then) an SYHA youth hostel called Carbisdale Castle. The train station for the youth hostel was Culrain. I knew that it was no longer a youth hostel, but I was curious to see it again. It was on the other side of the Kyle of Sutherland, so I settled for the zoom on my camera and some drone footage.
A little further on, and we arrived at Lairg, on the banks of Loch Shin. The loch has a dam, and the small part next to Lairg is known as “Little Loch Shin”, this is the part we canoed on. We paddled past the wee house which is built on a tiny island on the loch (Note: The Jock Broon story was apparently made up!) After our paddle, we went into the Pier Cafe, which was recommended to us and did not disappoint – we had coffee and cake there, with the Mars Bar cheesecake being one of the most divine sweets we have ever tasted!
Next we headed east to Loch Brora. We had read that it was a good place for canoeing and paddle boarding, and as our paddle on Little Loch Shin was a short one, we thought it would be good to do another and see some more of the countryside along the way. There were a few spots suitable for launching from, we stopped at one that was close to the roadside, so we didn’t have far to carry the canoe. We enjoyed an hour or so on the loch before heading back. It was pretty, but not as stunning as what we are used to when we go out on Loch Lomond.
Finally, we stopped off at Dornoch beach as we headed back. The tide was out and the beach was stunning! Miles of golden sand with lots of rocks near the dunes covered with silky green seaweed (another great photo opportunity). It’s worth noting that we went back on another day when the tide was in and although it’s still lovely, we’d suggest visiting when the tide is out as it’s much prettier.
After Dornoch, we diverted to Inver to have dinner in the Inver Inn after having read good reviews on TripAdvisor. Paul had fancied having the lobster or langoustines and I fancied the fish & chips or curried haddock fries (chips topped with beer battered haddock pieces and curry sauce). Unfortunately neither of Paul’s choices were available (as we found out later this is a an issue throughout Scotland just now), so we both opted for the curried haddock fries with the tapas selection as a shared starter. Although the tapas selection was nice enough, the portion size was very small indeed (the olives for example consisted of only four and the baked camembert was the tiniest wedge barely suitable for one person). Paul enjoyed his main course, and indeed they were very well presented, but for me, the curry sauce was way too hot and overpowered the rest of the meal and the haddock pieces were small and few. So whilst Paul would recommend it, I wouldn’t. Perhaps if I’d had the fish & chips instead I would feel differently. It is however, lovely inside and the staff were friendly and efficient.
Day 4 – After doing a lot of driving the previous day, we decided to make this a chill out day. We woke up about 6am to watch the sunrise, as we did on most days (the sunrises are amazing) and then went back to bed for a while.
After a leisurely morning, we went to check out the WW1 and WW2 gun emplacements that are only about 10-15 mins walk from the cabins, which were interesting to see. Afterwards, it was an afternoon dip in the hot tub where the weather went from sunshine to rain to hail and back to sunshine again (the only bad weather we had all week, and it didn’t last long). Home made pizza for dinner, and we’d moved the dining table to sit by the patio doors, so that we could enjoy the view. All we had to do was put one leaf down when we weren’t using it so we could easily get in and out.
Day 5 – I’d asked on a local Facebook canoeing page about where would be good for a paddle for a couple of hours. The Mound (at Loch Fleet) was suggested if we went a couple of hours before high tide. There is free parking and a gate nearby that leads to a small slip/beach for easy access to the loch and very close to the car. Loch Fleet is a National Nature Reserve and we were told there was a chance of seeing seals. We went to check it out, but it was too windy for a paddle, so we had a drive along the scenic route (looking for seals, but not seeing any) and back to Dornoch for another walk on the beach, followed by coffee and cake in the Milk & Honey Café in Dornoch (very nice – no wonder I put weight on that week!)
We tried to walk off some of our cake at Aldie Burn (near Tain) on the way back and also stopped off at Nigg Old Church to see the Pictish Stone, but it was closed.
Day 6 – Our last full day and we were keen to do some canoeing as we hadn’t done much as yet. Luckily it was a fairly calm day. We did stop off first at Meikle Ferry on the Dornoch Firth (the north side) as we thought that might also be a good place to have a paddle, but the water was quite choppy (otherwise it would have been good, and easy to park and launch from), so we headed on up to The Mound at Loch Fleet. Fortunately it was pretty calm and sheltered there and we enjoyed paddling for an hour or two. Again, no luck with seeing any seals though. It was cold, but very sunny and it heated up more as the day went on.
After our paddle, we went into Tain, having booked lunch at Greens Restaurant. The food there was excellent and very filling, and as the cakes looked awesome, we asked for one each to take away for later (we were too stuffed to eat any more at the time).
Once back, it had heated up nicely, at a guess to about 20 degrees, so we sat out on the decking and soaked up some sun. For dinner we had some cheese and olives, the drizzle oil from the welcome pack and a focaccia bread we had ordered from Highland Home Cook, which is based in Castlecraig and delivers to the lodges. It was a perfect final day.
As mentioned before, we diverted on our way home to Chanonry Point on the Black Isle, in the hope of seeing dolphins, but our timing wasn’t good for the tides (they are most commonly seen on the rising tide) and we were unlucky. It was only 10 miles each way off the main A9 road home, so it was worth a try.
Have a look at our holiday VIDEO on YouTube by clicking here.
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