The highlands of Scotland might not be an obvious choice for a winter break, but when Andrew White ventured there he foud a warm welcome, stunning sourroundings and no shortage of things to do.
The sun is rising over a Scottish highland loch on a misty autumn morning.
I’m awoken by our dog, who appears to have been disturbed by a noise outside. I open the blinds at the front of my open plan cabin to a panoramic view of Loch Fleet and the mountains behind.
The source of the noise which disturbed the dog is soon apparent. A family of deer is crossing in front of our cabin to the nearby woodlands.
They stop and stare. The dog and I stare back – just for a moment before they are on their way. I fire up the log fire, make myself a coffee, sit back and take in the glorious morning.
Sounds idyllic? This is exactly the scene which met us at the start of a glorious November break in the Caithness and Sutherland area of the Scottish highlands.
It might seem a little odd to be venturing to the ‘frozen north’ at this time of year - we were only 70-odd miles sough of John O'Groats - instead of in the busier spring and summer months. But not a bit of it. It’s a perfect winter break destination.
Myself and Frances – plus our five-year-old lurcher Milo – were staying in the Birdwatcher’s Cabin (www.birdwatcherscabin.com/) at a secluded spot near to the charming village of Golspie.
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The cabin itself is small, but cosy and, dare I say, luxurious. Containing a log burner, with oven and hob, plus a kitchen, comfy lounge area with TV, super-comfy bed and a bathroom/wetroom with a superb shower. I could get used to this
But its real selling point is the location n the edge of Loch Fleet. The spot almost defines tranquility, the silence broken only by the sound of a few curlews.
The cabin is nestled on the edge of the Balblair Woods nature reserve. A stroll through the woods, stopping only to call in at a well constructed bird hide to watch the ornithological activity at the loch shore, confirmed what we already knew about this part of the world – that the scenery is breathtaking.
Round every corner there is a ‘wow’ moment, with a heather covered hill here, a babbling stream there or a forest of trees somewhere else.
The word ‘stunning’ simply doesn’t do justice to it.
The other aspect of our trip which impressed Frances and myself was the friendliness of the people.
We were given a warm welcome wherever we went, not just by shop, café and restaurant staff, but by locals who were rarely without a friendly smile or greeting. This extended to Milo, who loved being the centre of attention – and we had no difficulty finding dog-friendly activities and places to eat.
The area we were in doesn’t appear to be spoiled by over-tourism and, of course, in the winter months this is even more apparent.
But it is still geared up to accommodate visitors over this quieter season and there
is plenty to see and do.
During our short stay, we explored some of the towns and villages dotted around this corner of Scotland.
Brora is a charming spot, with two excellent beaches. The beach north of the harbour is a long wide stretch of open sand, while the south beach has long rocky stretches of pools perfect for rock-pooling, exploring and seal watching.
I can’t talk about Brora without mentioning the excellent lunch we had at Cocoa Skye (www.facebook.com/CocoaSkye) which included quite possibly the most delicious bowl of soup I have ever eaten – part of a soup and a sandwich meal deal. Handcrafted artisan chocolates are also on sale and these made perfect gifts for the folks back home. They later told me they were delicious.
Later, we enjoyed an evening meal at a restaurant in the Royal Marine Hotel in Brora (www.venture-north.co.uk/plan/accommodation/royal-marine-hotel).
This was very fine dining in a beautiful setting, with attentive staff and very welcoming to Milo – even when our hound smashed a wine glass when accidentally brushing it off a table. Local suppliers are used for the dishes – meal highlights for Frances include the ox tongue carpaccio starter and the sea bass main, while I particularly enjoyed the loch trout. The excellent banana split dessert is also worth a mention.
Just a little further south is Golspie itself, another pretty town, with another terrific beach. This award-winning stretch of golden sand, on what was a glorious afternoon, was a particular winner with Milo, who ran himself daft.
Here, we ate at McGregor’s (www.macgregorsgolspie.com/), a terrific bar and boutique hotel. Located in a fabulous stone building which was tastefully decorated, I was privileged to be the first person to sample a couple of dishes on the new winter menu.
The Tobermory dumpling starter was something special. The smooth mashed potato dumpling filled with mince in a rich beef gravy, with pickled carrots was sublime.
I then sampled an Irn Bru sausage in an Irn Bru sauce for my main – sweet, but not too sweet, and accompanied by mash and some giant onion rings, it went down a treat.
All washed down with a couple of real ales, this was Highland hospitality at its best, with the friendly and attentive staff a bonus. A genuine treat in a relaxed atmosphere.
Perhaps our favourite place to visit was the peaceful little village of Lairg, nestled on the shores of Loch Shin.
We enjoyed a lovely woodland walk around the loch,which included some superb views. The walk was recommended by a friendly employee of the Pier Cafe (www.pier-cafe.co.uk/), where we stopped for lunch. Right on the lochside,this is one of the most beautiful settings for a cafe I’ve ever seen.
And the food wasn’t bad too – a delicious toasted haggis, cheddar, chutney ciabatta for myself and a black pudding, smashed avocado, bacon and halloumi bloomer for Frances. Absolutely superb.
Our Highland fling was all too short and there was plenty more to see and do, which time didn’t allow – the fairytale Dunrobin Castle and the Falls of Shin waterfall, for example. Hopefully we’ll be able to experience them next time, because one thing is for sure – we’ll be back.
* Venture North has now devised a series of suggested themed itineraries to help visitors explore Caithness and Sutherland over the autumn and winter months, which are now available on the Venture North website https://www.venture-north.co.uk/plan/itineraries.
Venture North has also launched a series of five short films to showcase Caithness and Sutherland to visitors across the UK and beyond this autumn and winter, including ‘Venture North to Caithness & Sutherland’ https://vimeo.com/734728453
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