Places to visit

A TRIP UP TO THE BLACK ISLE, THE FALLS OF SHIN AND GOLSPIE

During October we took a day trip up to the Black Isle, north of Inverness to visit the Black Isle Brewery, The Falls Of Shin and further north to Golspie. I was actually visiting my parents who own Rosegrove Guesthouse and as I currently live in Birmingham I always look forward to my trips up to The Highlands because it simply is the most beautiful place I have ever visited. We decided to do this round trip for the day as about 12 years ago I had been on holiday with a friend and his family who were originally from Golspie and had always wanted to take my family up there to show them a waterfall that is hidden away from the world and is a must see. I also wanted to go to The Falls of Shin as you can see salmon jumping up the waterfall (in season).

BLACK ISLE BREWERY

This local brewery is actually based on a farm and the tour is completely free and will take you about 5 minutes, but is well worth a visit. Their story is a good one as the current owner David Gladwin was renovating Old Allangrange 8 years ago when he found remnants of brewing including the bottle seal pictured below, that, along with a passion for good quality food and fresh produce, inspired him to start production in 1998.Go and have a free tour and buy some beer fresh from their shop – perfect to enjoy on holiday or to take home as a present. They are easy to find, less than 5 minutes off the A9 and open all year round 10.00am – 6.00pm Monday to Saturday (inc Sunday 11.30am to 5.30pm during April to September)

How to find them: From Inverness take the A9 north over the Kessock Bridge. After about 5 miles take the third turning on the right signposted for Allangrange and the Brewery. It’s signposted all the way. The brewery is a little over a mile from the A9, so it should take you no more than 5 minutes.

From the north and west follow the A9 to Inverness. Look for the Brewery sign on your left approximately 1.5 miles after the Tore roundabout. You can find more details by going to www.blackislebrewery.com

Black Isle Brewery. Old Allangrange, Munlochy, Ross-Shire, IV8 8NZ. Tel: 01463 811 871, Fax: 01463 811 875, email: greatbeers@blackislebrewery.com

GOLSPIE’S HIDDEN WATERFALL

Driving through Golspie north on the A9 there is a left turn off the road before you get to Dunrobin Castle, it actually goes down the side of the building into a small gravel car park where there is the entrance to a forest walk that takes you along the river that runs from the mountains under a railway just before going into the sea. I would recommend that everybody take this walk because at the end you will find one of the most beautiful untouched areas and a waterfall that simply comes alive after some rainfall but is beautiful at any time.

This area does not have a specific name but the location is;

Location: United Kingdom. Grid ref: NH827996. Postcode district: KW10 6xx (map centre). X: 282700m Y: 899700m. Lat: 57:58:15N (57.9707) Lon: 3:59:03W (-3.9841)

You can find it easily by looking at an Ordnance Survey map where the waterfall and footpath is marked. Some pictures are below but it is s beautiful and feels a little bit magical and as though you could be on the set of a Lord of the Rings movie, so it is impossible to show in pictures.

LOGIE STEADING

Logie Steading is in the beautiful Findhorn Valley 6 miles south of Forres on the B9007 signed of the A940. Close to Randolph’s Leap on the Rover Findhorn.

Within the converted sandstone farm buildings you will find fresh coffee and teas, lunches, homemade cakes and scones at the cafe.Secondhand books, antique country and folk art furniture, hardy perennials and shrubs.

Contemporary Scottish art, open gardens. Dressmaker – alterations and made to measure and other creative businesses.Outside you will find an adventure playground as well as the river findhorn walk, that actually has a famous tale giving one section of it the name ‘Randolph’s leap’. The full story can be found in the Heritage centre next to the shops that will give a great insite into river Findhorn life.

Open Mid March to Christmas, 7 days a week, 10.30am to 5.00pm. You can find more details by going to www.logie.co.uk.

Logie Steading Visitor Centre. Forres, Moray, IV36 2QN. Tel: 01309 611 378, Fax: 01309 611 300, email: panny@logie.co.uk

Tourist Trail

Badenoch & Strathspey lies in the heart of the Highlands and is home to Rosegrove Guesthouse. The Tourist Trail is a great way to see Strathspey, starting in Dalwhinnie and finishing in Carrbridge taking in all of the fabulous villages and sights along the way. This is an absolute must when visiting the Highlands and will enable you to see the beautiful countryside and villages as well as history and culture that is packed into this area.

Dalwhinnie Distillery

1. DALWHINNIE (located on the A889 near the A9, grid reference NN 635 845 GB)

The Trail starts in Dalwhinnie, located on the A889 just off the A9, the highest village in the Highlands (1188 feet above sea level). Dalwhinnie developed around an inn built in 1729 on the new Perth to Inverness military road. It was a meeting place for drovers and you can still walk the drove road to Kinloch Laggan. While you are there we would reccommend a visit to the Dalwhinnie Visitor Centre.

2. LAGGAN (located on the A86 near the A9, grid reference NN 615 945 GB)

The parish church was built in 1785 under the supervision of its Minister, James Grant. The Minister’s wife was famous for a collection of poetry published in 1806 – Letters from The Mountains. Nearby you can visit an ancient Pictish fort and admire the old bridge over the Spey River.

3. RALIA, Newtonmore (located on the A86, grid reference NN 715 995 GB)

The Ralia Centre, Newtownmore, is the official Gateway to the Highlands and offers a full tourist information service (provided by Visit Scotland). There are displays about the natural environment of the Highlands as well as a selection of high quality Highland Crafts.

4. NEWTONMORE (located on the A86, grid reference NN 715 995 GB)

Newtonmore (whose name in Gaelic is Bail Ur an t’Sleibh – ‘the new township on the moor’) was once described by Queen Victoria as ‘a very poor village’. Fortunately things have improved! Newtonmore is home to the Clan MacPherson Museum – opened in 1952, it was the first museum dedicated to a single clan. The village has one of the best inland golf courses in Scotland as well as The Highland Folk Museum (Turus Tim) which is well worth a visit.

5. KINGUSSIE (located on the A86, grid reference NH 755 005 GB)

Kingussie (its Gaelic name means ‘the head of the pinewood’) received a Barony Charter in 1451, but there was no village as such until the Duke of Gordon sponsored its development in the early nineteenth century. The village was also the birthplace of the Camanachd Association in 1893 – the ruling body of shinty. The Highland Folk Museum (Am Fasgadh) depicts the social history of the Highlands. In Kingussie, follow signs along Ruthven Road – standing high on a hill is Ruthven Barracks. Built in 1719, it was partly destroyed by the Jacobite Army in 1746. If you travel past the Barracks you will find the RSPB’s Insh Marshes Reserve.

Amur tiger cubs at Highland Wildlife Park

6. KINCRAIG (located on the B9152 near the A9, grid reference NH 835 055 GB)

Between Kingussie and Kincraig you will find the Highland Wildlife Park where you can see Scottish wildlife and endangered animals of the world’s mountains and tundra; including amur tigers, red pandas and Scottish wildcats. Kincraig itself was formerly known as Boat of Insch until the late nineteenth century.

7. AVIEMORE (located on the B9152 near the A9, grid reference NH 898 129 GB)

Until the 1960′s Aviemore was a small railway village, then skiing became popular! The growth of skiing on Cairngorm led to Lord Fraser of Allander selecting Aviemore as the location for a new resort centre. The railway station has been restored to create an impressive terminus for the Strathspey Steam Railway.

8. ROTHIEMURCHUS/GLENMORE/CAIRNGORM (located on the B970)

From Aviemore take a detour along the B970 towards Cairngorm and you will be able to visit the Rothiemurchus Estate and Glenmore Forest Park (both of which have visitor centres) as well savour the splendour of Loch Morlich (water sports) and Cairngorm (perhaps even venturing up the Furnicular railway to Scotland’s highest restaurant, which at around 1300 feet gives a fantastic view of down the valley over Aviemore and many other villages).

Osprey at RSPB Loch Garten

9. BOAT OF GARTEN (located of the B970, grid reference NH 945 185 GB)

Boat of Garten is named after the ferry which once took passengers over the river Spey. It is the home of the RSPB Osprey Hide and the terminus for the Strathspey Steam Railway.

10. NETHYBRIDGE (located on the B970, grid reference NJ 005 205 GB)

Nethybridge, lying in the ancient Caledonian pine forest, has been a centre for timber operations for hundreds of years. It was home to floating dams, sawmills and ore furnaces and work is now in progress to bring that history to life.

11. CROMDALE (located on the A95, grid reference NJ 075 285 GB)

The Jacobite army was heavily defeated on the Haughs of Cromdale in 1690. There is now a commemorative stone and some good local walks.

Grantown on Spey

12. GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY (located on the A939, grid reference NJ 035 275 GB)

Grantown is the capital of Strathspey and is one of Scotland’s earliest planned towns. In 1765 James Grant of Grant, soon to become known as ‘the Good Sir James’, promoted the new ‘Town of the Grants’. It was built around a spacious square, later lined with trees, and the centre of Grantown is now a designated conservation area.

13. DULNAIN BRIDGE (located on the A938, grid reference NH 995 245 GB)

Evidence of the power of the Ice Age can be found just outside the village where the Roches Moutonees were formed by glaciers smoothing off large rocks.

14. CARRBRIDGE (located on the B9153, grid reference NH 905 225 GB)

The village was established around the Bridge of Carr which was built in 1717 on the orders of Brigadier General Alexander Grant of Grant at a cost of one hundred pounds. The bridge is still an impressive feature of the village.

Carrbridge is also the home of the first visitor centre in Europe – Landmark. The centre no provides a wide range of activities – from audio-visual shows, to play areas and forest walks.

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