The Great Glen - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 205

The walls of the fort were built of stone laced with timber and, when the timber was set
alight, some of the stone fused to glass, becoming “vitrified”. Waymarked forest trails
start from the car parks at the bottom of the hill and lead up to the fort, though only
the outlines of its perimeter defences are now visible, and tree planting is beginning to
block some of the views.

Culloden
6 miles east of Inverness off B9006 • Visitor centre daily: April, May, Sept & Oct 9am-5.30pm; June-Aug 9am-6pm, Nov, Dec, Feb & March
10am-4pm; closed Jan • £10.50, including audio guide of the site; NTS • W nts.org.uk/culloden • Hourly Stagecoach buses run from Falcon
Square near Inverness train station to the visitor centre (35min)
The windswept moorland of CULLODEN witnessed the last-ever battle on British soil
when, on April 16, 1746, the Jacobite cause was finally subdued - a turning point in
the history of the Scottish nation. Today, this historic site attracts more than 200,000
visitors annually. Your first stop should be the superb visitor centre , which hosts
costumed actors and state-of-the-art audiovisual and interactive technology, all
employed to tell the tragedy of Culloden through the words, songs and poetic verse of
locals and soldiers who experienced it. The pièce de résistance is the powerful “battle
immersion theatre” where visitors are surrounded by lifelike cinematography and the
sounds of the raging, bloody fight.

3

THE DOLPHINS OF THE MORAY FIRTH
The Moray Firth , a great wedge-shaped bay forming the eastern coastline of the
Highlands, is one of only three areas of UK waters that support a resident population of
dolphins . Around 200 of these beautiful, intelligent marine mammals live in the estuary,
the most northerly breeding ground in Europe for this particular species - the bottle-nosed
dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) - and you stand a good chance of spotting a few, either from
the shore or a boat.
One of the best places in Scotland, if not in Europe, to look for them is Chanonry Point ,
on the Black Isle - a spit of sand protruding into a narrow, deep channel, where converging
currents bring fish close to the surface, and thus the dolphins close to shore; a rising tide is the
most likely time to see them.
Several companies run dolphin-spotting boat trips around the Moray Firth. However,
researchers claim that the increased tra c is causing the dolphins unnecessary stress,
particularly during the all-important breeding period when passing vessels are thought to
force calves underwater for uncomfortably long periods. So if you decide to go on a cruise to
see the dolphins, which also sometimes provides the chance of spotting minke whales,
porpoises, seals and otters, make sure that the operator is a member of the Dolphin Space
Programme's accreditation scheme ( W dolphinspace.org).
Trips with accredited operators, most of which run between April and October, are
especially popular in July and August, so be sure to book them well in advance. To get from
Inverness to Avoch (20min) or Cromarty (50min) with public transport, take Stagecoach
bus #26 from the bus station (at least hourly) - not all services run as far as Cromarty, so
check before boarding.
BOAT TOURS
Dolphin Trips Avoch On the northern side of the firth
in Avoch T 01381 622383, W dolphintripsavoch.co.uk.
Hourly sailings from Avoch's harbour, at the eastern end
of the village, with trips lasting one hour (£14).
Ecoventures Victoria Place, Cromarty T 01381
600323, W ecoventures.co.uk. Based on the Black
Isle, on the northern side of the firth, Ecoventures runs

two-hour wildlife cruises (£25) with the chance to spot
dolphins, harbour porpoises and grey seals.
Phoenix Boat Trips T 07703 168097, W inverness
-dolphin-trips.co.uk. Runs one-hour trips (£16) from
Inverness Marina at 10.30am, noon, 1.30pm and
3pm. When demand warrants it, they also run a 2hr
30min cruise to Fort George (see p.210) and Chanonry
Point (£25).