Interests

 

Sport & Activites

 

Golf
 

Scotland is renowned as the home of golf and here in the North East we have a championship course at Royal Dornoch and a second at Nairn, 55 miles away. Both are links courses and it is strongly advisable to book tee times well in advance of your visit.
If you are visiting Dornoch from out with the UK, you may wish to become a member of the Highland Golf Club which has 20 member courses on which members of the HGC can play at any time during their period of membership.

Fishing

Trout fishing, on any of the seven nearby freshwater lochs, is available between March and October. Sea angling in the outer Dornoch Firth and fishing on one of the local rivers for salmon or sea trout can also be arranged in advance of your visit. If you are here during the long Highland summer evenings, why not try your luck at fishing for sea trout or maybe a salmon from the shore line, just 15 minutes walk away.

Walking and Climbing

There is a variety of walking terrain in the North of Scotland ranging from miles of unspoiled beaches to country roads, heather covered hills, several Munros (mountains over 3000 ft) and forestry tracks. From Dornoch, it is approximately a 1.5 hour drive to the more mountainous area to the west. Walking and climbing at levels to suit all abilities can be found. We will be happy to assist you in the planning of a walking holiday to suit your needs with advice on terrain, places to visit, weather, etc.

Cycling

There are many interesting routes in the Dornoch area to make a successful cycling holiday. Depending on the kind of cycling you prefer, there are several routes available from the quiet tarred roads or forest tracks to beaches and hill tracks. We would be happy to help plan your cycling holiday in order that you get the best opportunity to enjoy this lovely area.

Riding

The Dornoch area is well suited to a riding holiday. The roads off the A9 are all relatively quiet and provide safe access to a variety of terrain on which to ride. We can source field accommodation for your own horse (to a maximum of 4 in one field) at an additional cost. We can provide you with suggested routes which are mainly off- road, or using quiet roads, and include beaches. We can suggest local routes or some routes which would require transport of the horse to a point and a range of ride lengths up to approximately 30 miles.

Sight-seeing/Touring

Dornoch is ideally positioned as a base for touring the whole Highland Region, the Western Isles and Orkney. There is a wide variety of scenery but essentially, the country is more mountainous to the west and flatter to the east. This of course means the views are sharper and more dramatic to the west but softer and wider to the east. The area is essentially rural with the largest population in Inverness to the south and Wick to the north.

A visit to the Isle of Skye, enjoying the mainland scenery en route, is perfectly possible in one day and using the short passenger ferry crossing, a day trip to Orkney is highly recommended.

On a tour around the coast line, you could stroll along one of the many beautiful sandy beaches, marvel at the majestic mountains and soaring cliffs, walk around the small villages where the locals will give you a warm welcome or simply soak in the quiet scenery.

We are happy to give advice on suggested routes, places which you might find worth a visit and recommended restaurants.

Natural History

The whole Highland Region is rich in wildlife as vast areas are largely uninhabited.

Five miles north of Dornoch lies the Loch Fleet Nature Reserve where a large number of birds and mammals native to the area can be viewed to the backdrop of Loch Fleet, the heather covered hills and mountains to the West and the wild North Sea to the East. In the summer months you may be lucky enough to see an Osprey catching fish for its young while nesting here after its long migration from Africa.

The Moray Firth is home to 150 bottle-nosed dolphins and seals are a common sight in the clear waters around this coast. There are several spots where these playful creatures can be observed both from the shore and by boat.

Loch Ness lies a few miles South West of Inverness and again boat trips are available to absorb the dramatic beauty of the loch and hopefully catch a glimpse of the famous monster.

Local History

Dornoch itself is a very old Royal Burgh and in the centre of the town is the 13th century Cathedral which can be visited throughout the summer months to enjoy the beauty of the architecture, the stained glass, the view from the top of the tower and learn the history of the area. On Saturday nights during the summer months, the local pipe band plays in the square, just around the corner.

All around this area are many sites of historical interest from Standing Stones and Brochs of pre-history to the Castles and monuments with which we are more familiar.

The county of Sutherland will be of particular interest to anyone who would like to learn more about the Clearances when thousands of Highlanders were forced to emigrate to far flung parts of the world. The area has local museums to give the visitor an insight into the history of the area and allow you to select particular sites which would be of interest to visit.

If you wish to travel a little further afield, the Culloden battle field is 50 miles south of Dornoch and a visit there will give an insight to visitors from abroad of Scottish clan history.

From Dornoch, to the north lies the island of Orkney which has many examples of pre-history. You can visit Orkney from Dornoch by bus or car.

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