Cromarty slumbers on the end of the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands, a peninsula between the Moray Firth and the Cromarty Firth.
It’s a delightful town, strangely bridging the centuries. Cromarty itself is old and traditional – a typical highlands town with narrow streets and old elegant houses, churches, the courthouse and the lighthouse. Down at the harbour the Nigg fabrication works sits directly across the Firth, so close we can almost reach out and touch it.
The whole thing feels slightly incongruous with Cromarty itself, pretty as a picture, and Nigg a ugly relic from the 80′s when it employed 4000, building structures for the off shore oil industry. It’s empty now – the victim of wrangling between owners, environmental agencies and the leaseholders, and the procrastination of local politicians.
There’s usually a two car ferry carrying vehicles and passengers across the mouth of the firth – a ten minute boat ride replacing a one hour drive around the Cromarty Firth – but not at the moment. The old one broke and the operators are waiting on delivery of the replacement.
Why it’s called the Black Isle I’m not totally sure. My home town of Wantage is described in Lorna Doone as Black Wantage because all the crooks and vagabonds used to hang out there, but that’s not the case with the Black Isle.
Somebody once told me it’s called that because snow never settles there – quite why is bewildering, especially because it isn’t true.
Understandably Cromarty is a tourist attraction, but not for anybody in a hurry. Reaching it requires a minimum 30 minute drive, from the A9, along tiny roads.
It’s well worth taking the time, approaching from the south alongside the Moray Firth and leaving via the northern route, alongside the Cromarty Firth where they berth the big Cruise Liners and Oil platforms. Stop for lunch at the Cromarty Arms http://www.black-isle.info/details.asp?id=82 and keep an eye out for the dolphins.
Find out more about Cromarty at these tourist sites, and spend a few minutes with our video showing what it’s actually like. The Cromarty Raft Race appears to be a lot of fun.
Do you have Highlands experiences you can share with our readers? Please add your comments, suggestions and memories in the Comments box. The more news and views the better!
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Glad you enjoyed the raft race, and I seem to be in a couple of your snaps – I’ll need to check my photos to see if you are in any of them!
Why is it called the Black Isle – well its translation from the Gaelic, and in the language of heaven, the word for island and peninsula is the same, so its An t-Eilean Dubh, most folk say that the Black comes from the fact that most of the black isle was moorland until recent time (when it was improved into the good agricultural land you see now, or planted with Forestry), so when looked at from Moray in the South or Caithness in the Norh it was black.
Calum
http://www.calumdavidson.com
Hi Calum – thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I appreciate the insight on the Black Isle as well.
Steve
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