Head out to the hills

Hiring a car but not sure where to go? Tony Troon offers two more routes that should last about half a day and take you through contrasting areas of Scotland's beautiful landscape.

NORTHEAST: Dornoch, Brora, Bonar Bridge.
The only problem about leaving Dornoch is just that: the leaving of it. This is a town of such charm.

But this 70-mile circular route through the firthlands and high moors of Sutherland will end there where it began, giving you two chances to enjoy Dornoch's beautiful, pint-sized cathedral built from local stone, its famed golf links, its quietly-bustling hotels and cafes, and its sandy beach (misleadingly, Dornoch is from a Gaelic word meaning “pebbly”).

Among other attractions are the 16th century Bishop's Palace (now the Castle Hotel) and the Victorian town jail which has become an intriguing gallery and craft shop.

From the centre of Dornoch it's easy to find the minor road north, sign posted Embo. You can turn off right to visit this caravan park holiday village, once the site of a fierce battle against the invading Norsemen in which a powerful Scots noble, Sir Richard de Moravia, was killed. His tomb is in Dornoch Cathedral.

Back on the northerly minor road, your route takes you along the southern shore of Loch Fleet, a nature reserve whose sandbanks are a haven for seals and wading birds.

The ruin of Skelbo Castle stands nearby. Across the loch you can glimpse the huge statue of the 1st Duke of Sutherland on the slope of Ben Vraggie, a grandiose memorial to a man whose rule at the time of the Highland Clearances is not recalled with any affection.

Soon after, your single-track road connects with the A9. A causeway desi...

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• By : Tony Troon
• In : Travel
• Issue : 14
• Page : 36
• Words : 1,220