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About the local area

The nearby village of Melvich, just 3 miles north, is a charming small hamlet with a small shop and café / restaurant.  Its main claim to fame, however, is its unbelievably spectacular beach.  Here wide sweeping sands lead down to the lovely bay, with the beautiful river Halladale cascading into the sea on one side and high sand-dunes providing a wonderful backdrop – ideal for picnics and secluded sun-bathing.  The area is a paradise for surfers, body boarders and beach lovers generally, yet even in the height of the summer there will only be a handful of people enjoying this amazing location.  It is also a wild-life watcher’s paradise.  Whales, basking sharks, porpoises, seals, great skua and otters are all seen in the area.  There is also a colony of puffins at Melvich which can be seen in the Spring and early Summer and at nearby Forsinard there is an RSPB nature reserve, where local rangers will take visitors to explore the bird life, flora and fauna close to hand.  The pretty villages along this stretch of coastline also have good local facilities including pubs and restaurants. There is also a museum documenting the fascinating history of the Highland clearances and by following the ‘Strathnaver Trail’ visitors can experience life in the Highlands from Neolithic times through the Viking era to the modern day.

The historic town of Thurso is just 15 minutes’ drive away.  Built by the Vikings and added to over the centuries it now offers visitors a fascinating mix of ancient and modern.  The new Caithness Horizons visitor centre is well worth a visit.  Local facilities also include a swimming pool, leisure centre, cinema, boating lake, quad biking, sailing and a good selection of shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants.

There is a wealth of historic and ancient monuments throughout the region.  The fairy-tale Castle of Mey, beautifully restored by the late Queen Mother is a must.  This most northerly castle in the British Isles has a fascinating history and the gardens are simply stunning.  From nearby Scrabster take a day trip to the Orkney Isles and explore Neolithic villages, standing stones, Scapa Flow and the amazing Italian chapel built by prisoners during the Second World War.  Superb wide sandy beaches, dramatic cliffs, small bays and pretty fishing villages all add to the magic of this distinctive and unexplored part of Scotland.

Things to do nearby