Dornoch to Embo – Beach, Links and an Old Railway Line
About 5.3 miles on foot.
Dornoch is a sandstone cathedral town with miles of empty beach on its doorstep, and this flat circuit shows off the lot.
It takes in the edge of the famous links, the line of the old railway through the trees to the fishing village of Embo, and the long sands between the two. Allow about three hours, then come back into town for lunch at Milk & Honey.
- Time
- Two and a half to three and a half hours: a flat circuit of 8.5 km (5.25 miles) with 90 metres of climbing, on pavement, woodland path, sand and an old railway line.
- The path
- Flat, but on sand, grass and woodland path as well as pavement.
- Where to start
- In the middle of Dornoch, by the Square and the cathedral. Check the signs for any charge.
- When to go
- All year in daylight; from November to January set off by 11am. Milk & Honey is shut on Sundays.
- Dogs
- On a lead beside the golf course.
- Children
- Flat, with a wide beach and rock pools by Embo pier. A long walk for small legs.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in Dornoch, and more at Embo.
- Before you set out
- Part of the way runs along the edge of the golf links: keep to the marked path and watch for play.
The walk
Park in the middle of Dornoch, by the Square and the cathedral, and check the signs for any charge. There are free public toilets in the town, and more at Embo. Walkhighlands gives the circuit to Embo and back as 8.5 km, with 90 metres of climbing, and allows two and a half to three and a half hours. It's flat, easy walking on pavement, woodland path, sand and the line of the old railway that once ran to Dornoch. Embo is the halfway mark, a fishing village with a stone pier, rock pools beside it and the Dornoch Firth opening out to the sea in front.
The beach between the two is wide, pale and backed by marram dunes, with the low shore of Easter Ross across the firth. Part of the way keeps to the edge of the golf links. Stay on the marked path there, watch for play, and keep dogs on a lead beside the course. Wear boots or stout shoes for the sand and the woodland path. Dornoch Cathedral, on foundations from the 13th century, is beside the Square and worth ten minutes at either end.
If you'd like something shorter, Dornoch's own visitor guide lists the Cuthill Links walk at 2 miles and an hour. From November to January, set off by 11am. Milk & Honey serves lunch until 3pm, so on a short winter day an early start suits both.
If it rains
It's low and flat, so a shower does no harm, but the beach is open to the wind off the firth. On a rough day, the old railway line through the trees gives the most shelter.
Afterwards
About 3 min on foot
Milk & Honey
Lunch
Milk & Honey is on Dornoch's High Street, between the chemist and the Dornoch Bookshop, a short walk from the Square. Lunch runs from noon to 3pm, with two homemade soups each day, quiche, well-filled sandwiches and toasties, bagels and a chicken burger, and there's a children's menu too. Coffee and cakes go on until last orders at 3.45pm, and breakfast is served from 9am to 11.30am if you'd rather eat before you walk. It's open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm and shut on Sundays. On a Sunday, Cocoa Mountain, a few doors along, is the place for a hot chocolate.
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 Links House at Royal Dornoch in Dornoch.
For further reading, before you go.