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Muir of Ord is situated at the south western end of the Black
Isle and is an excellent centre for a holiday, with plenty of
places to see and things to do locally, whilst at the same time being a good
base for touring further afield in the North and West Highlands. Our "Links"
section has a comprehensive list of websites which give information about the
many attractions of this area.
The Black Isle is neither an island nor black in colour! It is,
in fact, a peninsula of about 23 miles in length, bounded to the north by the
Cromarty Firth and to the south by the Moray Firth and the Beauly Firth. No one
really knows why it is called the "Black" Isle, although various
theories exist, the most plausible of which is that the soil is blackish in
colour.
There are many good walks in the area, most being well
marked with signposts and waymarks. For more serious hill-walkers who are
interested in Munro-bagging, there are several Munro's within a short distance, the
best-known being Ben Wyvis (3,433 feet) just to the north west of the Black
Isle. There are plenty of opportunities for
bird watching, and fishing is available on both the River Conon and the River
Beauly. For cyclists, there are quite a few quieter roads away from the main
through routes; also, a number of forest tracks.
 Nearby
is the aptly named town of Beauly (from the French "beau lieu" meaning
"fine place") which owed its original prominence to the fact that it
has a river crossing at the head of the Beauly Firth. The Kessock Bridge at
Inverness now provides a by-pass for through traffic to the North. When visiting
Beauly, do take a look at Beauly
Priory, and also the "Made in Scotland"
centre where local crafts, gifts, and knitwear are available.
For those who play golf, there are three golf courses in the
vicinity, the nearest one being just outside Muir of Ord on fairly flat
heathland, whilst another is just a few miles away at Strathpeffer. This latter course has stunning
views, but is not for the faint-hearted as it has a superb hillside setting, so
quite some stamina is required to climb the slopes! Strathpeffer itself is well worthy of a
visit, being a Victorian spa town with some very attractive buildings, and is
the home of the Highland Museum of Childhood. There are
several good walks in the area, all well signposted. The third golf course, also
in a superb but quite different setting, is at Rosemarkie on the Moray Firth
shore of the Black Isle. The golf course is right adjacent to the shoreline, and has
stunning views across the firth towards Fort George - about which see below for
more information.
On the subject of wildlife, the whole Highlands area abounds in
it. Apart from dolphins (several boat operators run dolphin watching cruises)
there are eagles, sea eagles, ospreys, deer, pine martens, and otters, to name
but a few. There are wildlife cruises on Loch Ness, and also the Black Isle
Wildlife Park to visit.
 No
visit to the area can be considered complete without a look at Rogie
Falls just a few miles to the north west of Muir of Ord. In spate after
a heavy fall of rain, these can be quite a sight to see, whilst at quieter
times, who knows, you might see a salmon climbing the fish ladder!
It goes without saying that most who come to this area will
probably spend at least one day in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, a
place of great strategic importance to the north of Scotland, this being formally
recognised just recently when the place was accorded city status. Inverness is
reputed to be one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, as is witnessed by
the recent completion of the new Eastgate Shopping Centre. Apart from providing
opportunities for retail therapy, Inverness has a number of attractions worthy
of a visit - the Castle, the very attractive walks along the side of the River
Ness, the start of the Great Glen Way, the Caledonian Canal, to name but a few.
And for those who enjoy a good pint of real ale with excellent pub grub, the
Clachnaharry Inn is an absolute must! This is a very characterful, traditional,
stone-built pub with low ceilings, recently voted CAMRA Scottish pub of the
year; there are usually at least 4 or 5 different real ales on hand pump or on
gravity.
Another "must visit" for virtually everyone who comes
to this area is Loch Ness, probably the most famous of all Scottish lochs apart
from Loch Lomond. Whether you wish to look for Nessie, visit Urquhart Castle, or
just view the superb scenery, there is plenty here for everyone.
 Whisky distilleries are always popular with visitors, and here
in Muir of Ord we have our very own! The Glen
Ord Distillery is open to visitors - do go and have a look and sample
some "uisge-beatha" - the water of life! A little further afield is
the Glenmorangie Distillery at Tain, just south of the Dornoch Firth.
Those who enjoy visiting sites of historical interest have
plenty to keep them occupied in this area. There are numerous castles - Cawdor
Castle, Brodie
Castle, Urquhart Castle, to name but a few; the famous battle field at Culloden; the
hugely impressive Fort George (built in the 1760's at a cost of over £200,000 -
an enormous sum of money in those days - and still in use as a working barracks
today). From the ramparts of Fort George, it is not unusual to see dolphins
playing in the Moray Firth, as they are regular visitors to this area.
As for touring, the whole of the north and west of Scotland is
at your disposal. On the east coast a few miles north of Muir of Ord is the very
attractive town of Dornoch with its superb expanse of beach, and nearby is Skibo
Castle which recently achieved fame as the venue for Madonna's wedding.
To the west and south west respectively are Strath Conon and
Glen Affric, both being most attractive glens which lead deep into the
hinterland of the North West Highlands, and both having, for the energetic,
paths which lead right through to the West Coast. Glen Affric, in particular, is
well known for its beauty, and has a number of forest walks.
To the
north west, just over an hour's drive away, is Ullapool, in its superb setting
on the shores of Loch Broom. To the west, again about an hour's drive away, are
the pretty places of Lochcarron, Plockton, Dornie (home of Eilean Donan Castle),
and Shieldaig, to say nothing of Applecross with its magnificent approach via
the Bealach na Ba (the Pass of the Cattle). This is reputed to be the highest
road in Britain, climbing from sea level up to 2,053 feet - on a clear day, the
views across to Raasay and Skye are absolutely superb. And in Applecross village
itself is the Applecross Inn, well worth a visit for its renowned seafood and
very pretty setting.
There is much more to see than we have space to mention - why
not come and have a look for yourself? We are convinced you will not be
disappointed! In the meantime, do take a look at our "Links"
page which has links to other websites giving information about the area.
These photos Copyright © 2003 James Mould
      
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