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A curving sandy beach fronts a row of houses in a Ross and Cromarty coastal village.
Easter Ross

Portmahomack

A pretty fishing village on the Tarbat peninsula, looking west across the Dornoch Firth, with a sandy bay, a small harbour and views to the Sutherland hills.

Welcome

Out on the long finger of the Tarbat peninsula, between the Dornoch and Moray Firths, Portmahomack curves around a sandy bay.

Because it sits on the west side of the peninsula, it looks across the water to the hills of Sutherland.

It is a picture-postcard place. A row of pastel and white houses runs along the front, the Castle Hotel among them, and at the end of the bay a small stone harbour shelters fishing boats and pleasure craft. In the 1830s more than a hundred boats worked from here; lobster creels still stack up on the quay. At low tide the sand is edged with rock pools.

The village has deep roots. On the hill behind it stood one of the earliest Christian monasteries in Scotland, and its story is told in the Tarbat Discovery Centre, in the old church of St Colman. The lighthouse at Tarbat Ness is three miles on.

Before you go

The village, its beach and harbour are open at all times.

Where
The Tarbat peninsula, off the B9165.
Beach
A broad sandy bay.
See
The Tarbat Discovery Centre.

Did you know

Stacked creels sit beside a stone slipway as boats moor in a Ross and Cromarty harbour.
Did you know

A hundred boats.

At its peak in the 1830s, Portmahomack was home to over a hundred fishing boats.

A Ross and Cromarty coastal village stretches along the shore, a church spire rising among its rooftops.
Did you know

An early monastery.

Portmahomack was the site of a very early Christian monastery, perhaps founded by St Columba in the late 500s.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Easter Ross

Because it sits on the west side of the Tarbat peninsula, Portmahomack looks across the Dornoch Firth to the hills of Sutherland, and on a clear evening the sun sets over them. A row of white and pastel houses follows the curve of a sandy bay, and a small stone harbour at the far end shelters fishing boats and stacks of lobster creels. At low tide there are rock pools to explore. Climb the hill behind the village to the Tarbat Discovery Centre, then carry on out to the lighthouse at Tarbat Ness.

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Where it is

On the Tarbat peninsula, at the end of the B9165 east of Tain.

Close byPortmahomack.
  1. Whitewashed church with bell tower behind a graveyard and stone wallTarbat Discovery CentreThe Pictish monastery on the hill.Under a mile 2 min by road
  2. Tarbat Ness LighthouseTarbat Ness LighthouseThe striped lighthouse at the tip.3 miles 12 min by road
  3. Flat rocky shoreline with lichen-covered stones facing distant hills across the waterWilkhaven PointA rocky shore round the point.3 miles 12 min by road
  4. Inver InnInver InnThe Inver Inn is a bar and kitchen on the Easter Ross peninsula, known for its food and its whisky.5 miles 12 min by road
  5. Hilton of Cadboll StoneHilton of Cadboll Stone6 miles 14 min by road
  6. Grassy coastal path curving above a rocky shoreline under grey skiesCadboll Point6 miles 16 min by road
Directions
Rocky shoreline curves towards a coastal village beneath low hillsAttractionsHilton of Cadboll6.8 miles
Ruined stone church with bell tower surrounded by weathered gravestonesAttractionsFearn Abbey6.9 miles
Timber-clad barn buildings with covered walkway and coloured flags along the rooflineShoppingAnta7.8 miles
Stone building with slate roof and chimneys behind a low white wallRestaurantsBalintore Inn8.6 miles
Bronze mermaid statue perched on a rock along the shorelineAttractionsMermaid of the North8.7 miles
Dune grass frames a curved sandy beach with scattered coastal housesAttractionsShandwick Beach9.2 miles
Carved Pictish stone protected in a glass enclosure amid open farmlandAttractionsShandwick Stone9.5 miles
Weathered standing stone against a sandstone wall behind green railingsAttractionsArdjachie Stone9.6 miles
Ornate lamppost beside a gravel path leading to a stone churchAttractionsTain Museum9.6 miles
The Daily for 17 October, from Scotland with love. A wide waterfall churns over rock ledges, autumn trees lining the gorge.

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the village, and when each is next free.

A grand stone mansion glows with lit windows at dusk, bare autumn branches framing the facade.Links House at Royal Dornoch
  • To stay
  • In Dornoch
  • 8 miles from Portmahomack
Check datesCulbin Edge, Inverness-shireCulbin Edge
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Brodie
  • 16 miles from Portmahomack
Free 9–11 NovA curved cabin clad in overlapping wooden shingles stands on gravel among wildflowers, arched windows and a door along one side.Boath Cabin
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Nairn
  • 17 miles from Portmahomack
Free 18–20 OctLiving room with red sofa, patterned ottoman and staircase behindNewhall Mains
  • To stay
  • In Balblair
  • 18 miles from Portmahomack
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Easter RossAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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For further reading, before you go.