Na rathaidean fada, lùbach tro Chuimrigh agus Alba

Day 35: 13th March – Almost Seals

Today’s trivia is me, one of the 1,790,000 tourists in the highlands each year and growing:

Most rental cars are manual; automatics must be requested. Unless an EV. ✔️
On single-track roads, tourists must use passing places to let locals pass. ✔️ Visa versa ❌️
Visitors are advised to never call Scots “English” or British. ✔️
Over 2.2 million visitors toured distilleries in 2024, with Speyside and Skye being hotspots. Local delicacies include haggis and venison. Noooo!
The Highlands and Islands constitute Scotland’s fastest-growing tourism region. Noooo!
Popular spots include Ben Nevis (highest peak), Loch Ness, and the Cuillin Hills on Skye. Not to popular when we were there
After hiking, tourists are advised to visit Glen Affric and the tea rooms near Dog Falls. ⁉️
Best time to visit is April-May and September-November, offer warmer weather, though mountains can still have snow. Yep, we can voucher on that

The tesla guys told us it’ll be up and running tomorrow morning . . .

I have grave doubts, seeing there for 1hr then gone

The hotel staff told us you’ll see seals at the Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve. So we headed off, even though high tide was coming . . .

Just oyster catchers on the old ferry jetty

Being dispondant, we moved along to the giant salmon, a mermaid and the fake Hilton Of Cadboll Stone and finally Portmahomack where dolphins can be seen.

Nearby, it was not wanting to run out of fire wood for next season . . .

The Hilton Of Cadboll Stone is a Pictish stone from around 800 AD. It features a unique blend of early Christian and secular symbols. The thirteenth century Hilton of Cadboll Chapel was erected very nearby.

There where no dolphins at Portmahomack, just . . .

so we made our way to Dornock were the long drop is still used for public loos!

Summer time would see this town over run with campervans, so we made our way to Tain, with a silent and missing ‘r’. A quaint little town . . .

Kenneth Murray (1825–1876) of Geanies, was the Provost of Tain and was recognized for his estimable character and public usefulness. Not my words but those on the plaque.

Other notables are Alex and Connie Morrison who after WWII started from scratch a construction company that became the largest in the UK. Alex was a POW for 5 years in Poland.

There’s a sculpture of sons Fraser and Gordon Morrison playing on floor joists as young children. Memorial not of their parents🤔.

Real estate is cheap . . .

Along the way, there were the obligatory photos of . . .

Low tide was on it’s way so we made our way back to Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve. We spotted some seals but they were on the far side of the bay. And I’ve learnt what happens walking on sand at low tide!