The north and northwest Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 259

Dornoch
DORNOCH , a genteel, villagey town eight miles north of Tain, lies on a headland
overlooking the Dornoch Firth . Blessed with good looks and a sunny climate (by
Scottish standards) and surrounded by sand dunes, it has morphed into a modest
upmarket resort: all antiques shops and fine accommodation in the historic sandstone
centre, a championship golf course plus miles of sandy beaches just outside. So, it was
a crowning achievement when in 2002 Dornoch hosted Scotland's most rock'n'roll
wedding of recent times - Madonna married Guy Ritchie at nearby Skibo Castle and
had her son baptized in Dornoch Cathedral.

The Cathedral
Castle St • Visitor times mid-May to mid-Sept Mon-Fri 10am-4pm; services Sun 11am • T 01862 810296
Dating from the twelfth century, Dornoch became a royal burgh in 1628. Pride of place
among its oldest buildings grouped around the square is the Cathedral founded in 1224
and built of local sandstone. The original was horribly damaged by marauding Mackays
in 1570, and much of what you see today was restored by the Countess of Sutherland in
1835, though the worst of her Victorian excesses were removed in the twentieth century,
when the interior stonework was returned to its original state. The stained-glass windows
in the north wall were later additions. The counterpart to the cathedral is the fortified
sixteenth-century Bishop's Palace opposite, now refurbished as a hotel (see below).

Historylinks
The Meadows • 10am-4pm: April, May & Oct Mon-Fri; June-Sept daily; Nov-March Wed & Thurs • £2.50 • T 01862 811275,
W historylinks.org.uk
A block behind the Bishop's Palace on the high street, Historylinks is a small museum
which tells the story of Dornoch, from local saints and the last witch burning in
Scotland, which occurred here in 1727, to golfers and Madonna herself, with the usual
exhibits, plus three films.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

4

DORNOCH

By bus Stagecoach's Inverness-Thurso service (via Helms-
dale) stops at Dornoch.

Destinations Inverness (Mon-Sat 6 daily, Sun 4 daily; 1hr
10min); Thurso (Mon-Sat 5 daily, Sun 4 daily; 1hr 45min).

INFORMAT ION AND ACTIVITIES
Tourist o ce In the courthouse building next to the
Castle Hotel (Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, plus Sat June-Aug and
Sun July & Aug, same hours; T 01862 810594).
Royal Dornoch Golf Club Golf Rd T 01862 810219,
W royaldornoch.com. Opened four hundred years ago,

this golf club maintains a par 70 Championship links course
(£110) rated among the world's best by many golf media
and the easier par 71 Struie course (£40). Booking is
essential to play. Note that it has a dress code of no T-shirts
(except polo shirts).

ACCOMMODAT ION
Ì 2 Quail Castle St T 01862 811811, W 2quail.com.
What it lacks in size this three-room B&B makes up in tradi-
tional country character and charm. Decor is beautiful,
featuring tartan fabrics and paint-shades of mossy green and
soft mustard, old pine furnishings and oil paintings b y local l
artists. The owner is a chef so breakfasts are excellent. £100
Dornoch Castle Hotel Castle St T 01862 810216,
W dornochcastlehotel.com. For a splurge, choose the
fabulous historic Deluxe rooms in the turreted tower of

the Bishop's Palace. Elsewhere this smart hotel is more
modern - spacious Superiors with pillow chocolates and
whisky miniatures or co mfy bu t bland Garden rooms that
overlook the rear garden. £136
Trevose Main square T 01862 810269. With the central
location of the Dornoch Castle Hotel directly opposite for a
fraction of the price, this detached B&B swathed in roses
beside the cathedral is all warm golds and creams i in its
two rooms, decorated with country style. May-Sept. £60

EATING AND DRINKING
Dornoch Castle Hotel Castle Street T 01862 810216.
Two dining options in the former bishop's palace: bar food

served in the former bishopric kitchen, or modern British
mains like Highland venison (mains £18-24) in The Garden