Cromarty – a Dolphin Boat into the Firth, then Lunch
A few hours.
The route
EcoVentures takes a dozen people at a time out of Cromarty harbour in a fast RIB, a rigid inflatable boat, to look for the Moray Firth's bottlenose dolphins.
They live in the firth, and there are seals, porpoises and the odd whale besides. Lunch is a few steps away at Sutor Creek, a little harbourside restaurant serving seafood and wood-fired pizzas.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Newhall Mains in Balblair, 6 miles away.
Book EcoVentures' Wildlife Watch from Cromarty harbour online (with a fee) or on 01381 600323 (without): it sails every day from April to the end of October, weather permitting, at times that vary day to day, and seats are refundable until 48 hours before.
Book lunch at Sutor Creek Café
Book a table at Sutor Creek online or on 01381 600855: it opens Tuesday to Saturday noon to 8pm and Sunday noon to 3pm, shut on Mondays, with a £20 a head charge for a no-show.
The day
Cromarty
Two hours out on the firth at speed, past the cliffs and the old wartime defences, looking for fins, then a long lunch by the harbour.
About three and a half hours
EcoVentures
EcoVentures' Dolphin Centre is on Victoria Place by Cromarty harbour, with free, unrestricted parking on the street outside, and you can browse its displays on the firth's wildlife before or after the trip. Be there 10 minutes before you sail. The 2-hour Wildlife Watch, kit-up and safety talk included, takes the 12-seat RIB Saorsa into the inner Moray Firth for its resident bottlenose dolphins, seen all year. Watch for porpoises, common and grey seals and the odd minke whale too, past the cliffs, the bird colonies and old wartime defences. When conditions allow, the crew lower a hydrophone so you can hear the dolphins. It's £47 an adult and £39 for children aged 5 to 12 at the time of writing, and 5 to 8s go only in suitable weather. Trips run every day from April to the end of October, weather permitting, at times that vary, so book online (with a fee) or ring 01381 600323 to book without one. Waterproofs, goggles and lifejackets are provided, but bring a warm layer and gloves. It isn't for anyone pregnant or with a back problem, and dogs can't come. Coming from the north, the little Nigg ferry saves the long road round the Cromarty Firth from April to the end of September only.
Sutor Creek Café
Lunch
Lunch is a few steps away at Sutor Creek on Bank Street, by the old harbour, a licensed restaurant serving fresh Scottish seafood, seasonal dishes and pizzas made from scratch in its wood-fired oven. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 8pm and on Sundays from noon to 3pm, and is shut on Mondays. Book a table online or on 01381 600855. Dogs stay outside, where there are dog ties and a water bowl by the tables.
If it rains
The boat sails only when the weather allows, and a cancelled trip is refunded in full; the Dolphin Centre and Sutor Creek are both indoors.
Sutor Creek Café, a café in Cromarty.
The Fishertown Inn, a bar.
Photograph by Andrew Gamble via Google