Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
JACOBITES IN THE KYLE OF TONGUE
The Kyle of Tongue was the location of the naval engagement reputed to have sealed the fate
of Bonnie Prince Charlie's
Jacobite rebellion
in 1746. In response to pleas for help from the
prince, the King of France dispatched a sloop,
Hazard
, and £13,600 in gold coins to Scotland.
However, the Jacobite ship was spotted by the English frigate HMS
Sheerness
and fled into the
Kyle, where it was forced aground. Pounded by English cannons, the Jacobite crew slipped
ashore at night in an attempt to smuggle the treasure to Inverness. However, the rebels were
ambushed by the anti-Jacobite MacKay clan, and threw the gold into
Lochan Hakel
,
southwest of Tongue. On the prince's behest, Lord Cromartie sent 1500 men to rescue the
treasure. They too were defeated and taken prisoner. Historians still debate whether the extra
men might have altered the outcome of the Battle of Culloden three weeks later. The gold,
meanwhile, was recovered later. Or most of it - they say cows still wander out of the loch's
shallows with gold pieces stuck in their hooves.
Tongue to Thurso
Vast and empty, there's drama in the landscape between Tongue and Thurso. It's a bleak
moorland intercut with sandy sea lochs and with few inhabitants: tiny
Tongue
is
pleasant enough, as is
Bettyhill
, further east. But the real reason to venture this far is
the landscape: a dead-end
coast road
west of Tongue;
Ben Hope
(3040ft), the most
northerly Munro; or the blanket bog of the
Flow Country
inland.
Tongue and around
Having taken a slow, circuitous route around Loch Eriboll and east over the moors of
A'Mhoine, you roll finally into the pretty crofting township of
TONGUE
. Dominated
from a hillside spur by the ruins of
Castle Varrich
(Caisteal Bharraich), a medieval
stronghold of the Mackays (three-mile return walk), the village is strewn above the
east shore of the
Kyle of Tongue
, which you can cross either via a causeway or by a
longer and more scenic single-track road around its southern side. When the tide
recedes, this shallow estuary becomes a mass of golden sand flats, superb on sunny
days, with the sharp profiles of
Ben Hope
(3040ft) and
Ben Loyal
(2509ft) looming
like twin sentinels to the south, and the Rabbit Islands a short way out to sea. A
dead-end road offers views of the islands, plus superb seascapes and scenery as it
threads through Talmine towards a beach at
Strathan
; take the left turn to Melness
before Tongue causeway.
4
ACCOMMODAT ION AND EATING
TONGUE AND AROUND
Ben Loyal
Tongue
T
01847 611216.
Seafood fresh
off the owner's boat is served in a relaxed pub along
with favourites such as steak pie or home-made burgers.
With decent prices (£8-14 main) and live music most
Saturdays, this is the choice of many locals.
Daily
11.30am-3pm & 5-11.30pm; food served noon-
2.30pm & 6-9pm.
Cloisters
Talmine
T
01847 601286,
W
cloistertal
.demon.co.uk.
Cloisters
provides a relaxing stay in homely
rooms - think wicker furniture and peach and cream
colours - plus beautiful views towards the Orkney Islands
outside. Breakfast (and dinner at
wee
kends) is in the
owners' converted church alongside.
£65
The Craggan
Talmine
T
01847 601278.
Ignore the
tired pebbledash exterior - this pub has proper restaurant
cooking; fresh mackerel with mustard mash, lemon and
samphire are typical of mains created from fresh ingredients
(average £17-18). Lunches such as ciabatta sandwiches
are simpler and half the price.
Daily 11.30am-3pm &
6-11pm; food served noon-2pm & 6-9pm.
Tongue Hotel
T
01847 611206,
W
tonguehotel.co
.uk.
This nineteen-bedroom small hotel marries relaxed
modern taste with the architectural heritage of a former
ducal hunting lodge. There are antiques in the best rooms,
even the od
d mar
ble washstand, and spacious proportions
throughout.
£110
Tongue SYHA
T
01847 611789,
W
syha.org.uk.
Another Victorian pile of the Duke of Sutherland, this
large well-equipped hostel has spacious dorms and family
rooms, plus great mountain views from its position beside
the ca
usew
ay, on t
he K
yle's east shore.
Mid-April to Sept.
Dorms
£18
; twins
£45
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