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in Ross and Cromarty.

It’s 20:57 in Ross and Cromarty.
Ross and Cromarty

Stevenson towers on the firths.

The lighthouses of Ross and Cromarty stand where the firths meet the open sea, and dolphins are often close by. At the tip of Chanonry Point, between Fortrose and Rosemarkie, a white tower by Alan Stevenson watches over narrows where bottlenose dolphins hunt on the tide. His light at Cromarty, also first lit in 1846, is no longer working, and its cottages are now a field station studying the firth's dolphins and seals. Out on the Tarbat peninsula, a white tower with two red bands rises over ledges of red sandstone. Check the tide times before heading out to Chanonry.

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From Issue 9 of Hidden Scotland magazineIssue 916 hours ago

A Weekend Exploring the Black Isle

Illustrator Tori Gray of Harbour Lane plans a weekend on the Black Isle: Bakhoos Bakery in Fortrose, Chanonry Point lighthouse, the Fairy Glen and Cromarty's shops and cinema.

Read the story
Lighthouse of the day12 hours ago

Tarbat Ness Lighthouse.

The tallest lighthouse on the Scottish mainland, a white tower with two red bands at the tip of the Tarbat peninsula, first lit by Robert Stevenson in 1830.

Read about it
From the magazine7 hours agoThe printed copy of Issue 09Issue 09Autumn / Winter 2024-25

Portmahomack, a fishing village in Easter Ross, is on Scotland's east coast but faces west, and a berth in its harbour means a wait of 25 to 30 years.

On the Tarbat Peninsula, the quirks of the local geography turn the village back across the Dornoch Firth. Its partly sheltered spot has drawn settlers for millennia, with shell middens dating back to at least 1,000 BC. Fishing kept it busy, and some 40,000 lobsters were caught in the spring of 1792 alone. Its harbour was designed by the engineer Thomas Telford, and today it is a popular spot for sailing, fishing and wildlife boat trips in waters renowned for their dolphins. Take a walk out to Tarbat Ness Lighthouse, standing since 1830, which at 43 metres is the tallest lighthouse on the Scottish mainland.

See Portmahomack · Easter Ross
Did you know3 hours ago

At Chanonry Point on the Black Isle, bottlenose dolphins come in on the rising tide to hunt salmon and sea trout.

From April to August the best chance of seeing them is to arrive from low tide onwards and stay as the water rises. From September to March there is little pattern to the sightings, and far fewer of them. Parking at the point is very limited, so walk or cycle out from Fortrose or Rosemarkie, each about a mile away.

See Chanonry Point · Ross and Cromarty
LunchJust nowInverness-shireCrofters Café, Rosemarkie1.3 milesThe Black IsleCrofters1.3 milesThe Black IsleBakhoos Bakery1.5 miles

Lunch near Chanonry Lighthouse.

The three good places closest to it: Crofters Café, Rosemarkie, Crofters and Bakhoos Bakery.

See Chanonry Lighthouse

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