A weekend exploring The Black Isle - a local’s guide

Meet your local guide - Tori Gray

I’m Tori, illustrator and owner of Harbour Lane – a bricks and mortar shop selling the work of over 100 different UK-based makers and small businesses. We are best known for our range of homeware that features my illustrations that we handmake to order in store. Our lampshades are our hero product with people buying one and then coming back for more and more. We have had our shop in South Queensferry for eight years and just moved up to the Black Isle in December so that we could open shop no.2. We live above the shop so we can juggle shop life with parenting our two young kids. In fact Calder was born in the middle of the shop renovations and was only just eight weeks old when we opened the doors to Harbour Lane Highlands.

How long have you lived in the Black Isle, and what brought you here?

We have lived in the Black Isle for just over six months now so I suppose we are still newbies to the area but we have completely fallen for it. We moved here in the depths of winter when I was eight months pregnant because we’d found a house with a shop attached that would allow us to juggle shop owner life and parenting without the need to commute. Both the house and the shop were ‘fixer-uppers’ but it was perfect for us and what we wanted to try and achieve.

What is it that you particularly enjoy about living and working in this part of Scotland?

I know we haven’t been here long but inspiration hit immediately. We live just a five minute dog walk from the beach so we are there twice a day, every day. I’m always happiest next to water and our local harbour is such a hub of activity. From sailing, to paddle boarding and a whole bunch of wild swimmers, there is always something different happening in the water no matter the weather so you can’t help but soak that all up.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to explore the area?

My first bit of advice would be to bring clothing to suit every eventuality. It is the Highlands after all so the weather is ‘changeable’ at best, but also to give yourself plenty of time. I know it doesn’t look like a huge area on the map but it definitely needs more than a day or two to fully explore and discover all the hidden gems we have here. I think people possibly think they can do it as a wee ‘day trip’ from Inverness and although you’d definitely still enjoy that, you’d be missing out on so many things the area has to offer.

Can you give us a rundown on what the Black Isle is like as the seasons change, and in your opinion when is the best time to visit?

We haven’t been here a full year yet but I would say we have experienced the two extremes of the seasons. Winter is definitely cold and dark, things slow down and quite a few businesses reduce their opening hours. I don’t mind that though as everything feels calmer and quieter. It’s the chance to reflect and get cosy compared to the summer when it barely gets dark and there is much more of a buzz about the place. Both are good, it just depends what vibe you’re looking for.

Tori’s ideal weekend in the Black Isle..

DAY 1 

Start the day with a dog walk or a swim down at Fortrose beach to get the endorphins going and then walk up and grab a just-out-the-oven pain au chocolat from Bakhoos Bakery to help warm you up. Then mosey along the road to visit us at Harbour Lane and get your dopamine hit from a bit of retail therapy. All that shopping obviously makes you hungry so nip along to IV10 and grab something fresh and yummy to help you refuel. End the day with a locally brewed beer from Black Isle Brewery.

DAY 2

Check the tide times so you can catch a glimpse of the dolphins out at Chanonry Point then hop in the car and make your way over to Cromarty to get a coffee and a cake from Slaughter House Coffee. Then a wander along the front to take in the view and treat yourself to an ice cream from the van in Fishertown Inn. Cromarty has lots of independent shops so it’s great for a nosey and to treat yourself to something before grabbing a takeaway pizza from Sutor Creek and heading home.

Plan your weekend with Tori’s Top Picks

Eat ~ Daytime

Fishertown Inn ~ Cromarty: They have an ice cream van in the beer garden which uses sticks of fudge instead of chocolate flakes! 

Bakhoos Bakery ~ Fortrose: Literally everything is amazing but they specialise in sour dough loafs. 

Café Biagiotti ~ Beauly: Go for the incredible filled focaccia. 

Beach Café ~ Rosemarkie: This café is perfect for refuelling after a day at the beach.

Eat ~ Evening 

Sutor Creek ~ Cromarty: Pizzas! They even have one named after Tom Stoltman, the world’s strongest man (who is also a fan of Harbour Lane highlands too.) 

IV10 ~ Fortrose: Their menu changes depending on the local produce so always has something new, fresh and yummy. 

Crofters ~ Rosemarkie: I am a huge fan of their loaded fries. 

The Allangrange ~ Munlochy: We haven’t managed here yet due to babies and toddlers but it’s definitely on my to do list and gets good reviews.

Drink 

The Anderson ~ Fortrose: A seriously impressive range of whisky and live music. 

Slaughter House ~ Cromarty: My absolute favourite coffee on the whole of the Black Isle and amazing cakes from Black Isle Baking. 

Black Isle Brewery ~ Munlochy: A great selection of beers including a tasty low alcohol option that my husband is a fan of. 

Cromarty Brewing Co ~ Cromarty: More tasty local brewed beers with really cool branding.

Shop 

Ingrid’s House ~ Cromarty: A really lovely selection of scandi designed gifts and homeware. 

The Old School House ~ Beauly: Literally an old school building so really fun to walk round and shop. 

Gallery 48 ~ Cromarty: Quite dinky but packed with lovely things and a really nice gallery on the upper level. 

Calluna ~ Cromarty: A great women’s boutique which I’ve bought some of my favourite pieces from.

Relax 

Highland Sauna ~ Rosemarkie: This mobile wood fired sauna travels about, but when in Rosemarkie it’s a little luxury after a dip in the sea. 

Nails at no.8 ~ Fortrose: I get my nails done with Holly every three weeks and it’s my little relaxing self care treat. 

Cromarty Cinema ~ Cromarty: A dinky cinema which holds up to 35 people showing a selection of films and run by local volunteers.

Explore/Walks 

Fairy Glen ~ Rosemarkie Very picturesque with lots of waterfalls – a firm favourite with my toddler. 

Fortrose Harbour ~ Fortrose My daily dog walk. We’ve seen a sea otter a couple of times which always causes a lot of excitement.

Chanonry Point Lighthouse ~ Rosemarkie & Fortrose: A hot spot for tourists wanting to spot dolphins. 

Cromarty Nigg Ferry ~ Cromarty Only runs during the summer and weather dependant but a fun way to cross the water on a wee two-car ferry.

Activities 

Sea Swimming From pretty much anywhere in the Black Isle in summer and winter if you’re feeling brave. 

Wildwoodz Adventure Park ~ Munlochy: Normally paintballing, lasertag and archery, but we have been to a couple of events here and it’s a very cool venue.

Dolphin Trips Avoch ~ Avoch: A great way to get a better look at the dolphins. 

Black Isle Dairy ~ Muir of Ord: A self-serve shop with a fresh milkshake vending machine.

Tori’s Top Tips

Tip 1: Some places still shut for lunch. This totally caught me out when we first moved here as the chemist, butchers and post office all shut for an hour at lunch time. So check the opening times before heading out. 

Tip 2: How to say Avoch... You can definitely spot a tourist if they say it how it’s spelt instead of saying it ‘Och’ (like Loch without the ‘L’) which is how it should be said. 

Tip 3: Apparently the best time to see the dolphins is two hours after low tide. It was a local that told me that when we first moved so I think that’s a bit of a hot tip.

Must not miss... Bad Gal Bakery, Muir of Ord 

Where is somewhere that we absolutely must not miss when visiting the Black Isle? Bad Gal Bakery in Muir of Old - they make incredibly yummy sweet treats, so many, that deciding on just one is very hard. It’s also worth noting that if you are venturing to the city of Inverness, the Victorian Market has a buzzing food court with lots of interesting eateries, which is the genius idea behind the couple that own Bad Gal Bakery.