Top 5 things to do in Easter Ross
The perfect base to explore the Highlands and North Coast 500
Explore the peninsula on foot or grab your bike and hit the local trails to discover fantastic viewpoints, attractions and places to eat and drink. Easter Ross is at the heart of The Pictish Trail; uncover art, history and sculpture dating back to the 6th Century, as well as more modern creations along the Seaboard Sculpture Trail.
Photo by Mike on Instagram – Fyrish Monument
Explore the towns and villages
Easter Ross is home to market towns, coastal villages and idyllic hamlets filled with eateries, scenic viewpoints and friendly communities ready to welcome visitors to the peninsula.
In the charming little market town of Dingwall, you’ll find fascinating historic buildings, monuments and exhibitions, as well as eateries and quirky bookshops and studios. Make sure to pay Picaresque a visit – a wonderful little shop on the High Street filled with an eclectic selection of books, art and more.
Take a slight detour off the route at Alness and climb a small hill to visit the Fyrish Monument that overlooks the Cromarty Firth. The monument was built in 1782 on the orders of Sir Hector Munro. It is said that work was scarce after the clearings, so the local lord ordered the structures erection to keep locals in work. Cuillich Mill B&B in Alness is a peaceful, tranquil and welcoming gem on the NC500. Enjoy a home-cooked breakfast before discovering local walks and all the sites of Easter Ross.
While in Alness, pay a visit to Heidrun Cosmetics, a family run business that specialises in crafting luxury handmade soaps and cosmetics made from the finest raw ingredients. A perfect gift for friends and family or treat yourself and take something Scottish home!
Situated near Evanton is Prickly Thistle – a regenerative tartan mill that is disrupting the Scottish textile industry. Their ethos of ‘Buy Less Love More’ and ‘Wear Your Values’ is fighting back against one of the most destructive industries on the planet – textiles. Prickly Thistle’s garments are made from 100% natural wool using zero-waste methods and are truly ‘Made in Scotland’. Check them out and see what events they have coming up over the next year.
Easter Ross is the perfect base to explore the Highlands. Kiltearn House is a family run guest house set in beautiful grounds, handily situated with easy access to the A9 – the perfect base to start or end your NC500 trip!
Photos: Tain Through Time | Prickly Thistle | Kiltearn House
Visit the beaches
Easter Ross has an abundance of long sandy beaches and coastal path walks. Dolphins, seals and occasionally whales can be spotted from the beaches around the Tarbat Peninsula so keep your eyes on the horizon!
Dolphin View Properties is a great place to base yourself to explore this peninsula and discover Portmahomack Beach. This sheltered beach just west of the idyllic coastal village of Portmahomack offers incredible views over the Dornoch Firth. Inver Inn serves fantastic food, has a great whisky, gin and ale selection and has one of the best views on the peninsula to enjoy freshly caught, local seafood!
Not beachy but still coastal – Nigg Bay RSPB Nature Reserve is a vast area of mudflat, saltmarsh and wet grassland and is home to thousands of birds and native plants. The scenery and inhabitants change throughout the year so it’s well worth a visit whatever time of year you plan your North Coast 500 adventure.
Photos: Glenmorangie House | Portmahomack Beach | Edderton Lodge | Pictish Sculpture
Find the Mermaid of the North
Local legend tells of a fisherman who enticed a beautiful mermaid from the sea to be his wife and then hid her tail she could not return to the waters. Years later after they had children, she found her tail and escaped back to the sea. It is said she regularly returned to the shore bringing fish to her hungry children who she missed dearly, but her heart was with the ocean. Local artist Steve Hayward designed The Mermaid of the North which was originally erected in 2007 for the Highland Year of Culture in Balintore on the Tarbat Peninsula.
Glenmorangie House is perfectly situated to explore this whole of coastline and all the attractions, eateries, walks and wonders on offer around the peninsula.
The Mermaid of the North by David from Cuillich Mill
Discover The Pictish Trail
Easter Ross is at the heart of The Pictish Trail. The Picts lived in Scotland in the 3rd to 9th centuries AD. Very little is known of their history due to very few written records surviving, however there are a few inscriptions which suggest that they spoke a language closely related to Welsh and Gaelic. While we don’t have many records of their writings, there are a series of beautiful, sophisticated sculptures which show their incredible gift as sculptors. Discover the trail of sculptures through the Seaboard Villages and up through Easter Ross and learn more about these fascinating but undiscovered people at the Tarbat Discovery Centre, Seaboard Memorial Hall and Tain Through Time.
Discovering history is hungry work! Grab a bite to eat at the Carnegie Café before heading off to explore the beaches and towns of Easter Ross.
Get Outdoors!
Nature is on your doorstep in Easter Ross. Beaches, hills, woodland trails, nature reserves and so much more to explore. Discover the North Coast 500 from a different perspective and go gorge scrambling, kayak lochs, seas and glens or climb a Munro with Liquid Footprints. For keen cyclists, there are lots of woodland and coastal trails to enjoy on your bike. Aldie Burn is the start and end of The Morangie Cycle Trail which is a 12 mile circular trail to a fabulous view point. After a cycle, The Storehouse is the perfect place to refuel; grab a bite to eat while relaxing and enjoying a glorious view over the Cromarty Firth.
If you would rather be shown the sites of Easter Ross (and beyond!) by someone with expert local knowledge, a tour with Highland Explorer Tours should be on your itinerary. Visit attractions like Dunrobin and Cawdor castles, Culloden Battlefield and Loch Ness and be shown around by local guides based in Easter Ross who know the area like the back of their hand.
Learn a new skill while on your NC500 adventure and try your hand at fishing! Modern fly fishing was developed on the rocky, rapid flowing rivers of Scotland and is a huge part of life in the North Highlands. TroutQuest offer guided fly fishing trips for salmon and wild brown trout on numerous rivers and lochs in the local area.
After days adventuring in the great outdoors, somewhere cosy is what you need! Edderton Lodge offers fantastic views over the Dornoch Firth, cycle and motorbike storage, sauna, log burning stove and breakfast the next day.
Photos: Highland Explorer | Liquid Footprints | The Storehouse | TroutQuest
A journey through Easter Ross is best taken slowly to ensure you don’t miss any of the fascinating sights along the way. Fascinating Pictish art, incredible coastal scenery, fabulous food, homely lodgings and so much more await you.
Explore Easter Ross
It’s important to note that not all businesses in the Highlands are open during the winter months (some are taking a well-deserved rest!) so make sure to check winter opening times with individual businesses ahead of your trip to avoid disappointment.
To get the most from your trip, download the North Coast 500 App (available on Apple App Store and Google Play) for top tips, stories and more.
