2019 Holiday in Inverness: Days 3 and 4: Fort Augustus, Inverness, Dornoch and Helmsdale

We had a sustaining veggie cooked breakfast before setting off for Fort Augustus.

It was rather a disappointment when we arrived to find that the water had been drained from this area of the Caledonian Canal so that repairs could be carried out.

[Please click on any photo to see a larger version.]

We set off on a walk next to The Canal, but decided after a mile or two that it was a bit too dull to continue with, without the water and boats to look at.

We headed down to Loch Ness, which was more appealing, to see the 'tiny lighthouse', actually a shipping beacon.

Here is the view back up towards the locks.

There was not a lot of choice of restaurants and cafes open for lunch, and we decided that we would head back to Inverness. I always feel that Fort Augustus is a pretty village, but a bit too much of a tourist trap. However, on a previous visit, we hired a motor boat and ventured out on to Loch Ness, and that was quite exciting.

'Nourish' was our venue for lunch back in Inverness. It is a small organic, vegetarian restaurant, that offers a simple menu of soups, sandwiches and cakes, with a savoury 'plate of the day' (a white bean stew on the day we visited). We had cheese and chutney GF sandwich, or wrap, which came with a mixed leaf and sprouted bean side salad. Vegan options were also available. It was busy on the day we arrived and we had to share a large table with two ladies, and people later than us were turned away, so it might be best to book a table in advance at busy times.

The Town House in Inverness has just had a revamp.

I had a look round the T K Maxx in the city centre and managed to find a Benetton cagoule for £9.99, which I was very pleased with!

On the Tuesday, we decided to take a long drive north, up to Helmsdale, stopping off at Dornoch on the way.

The beach at Dornoch was Brock's morning walk...

Definitely one of our favourite places to visit in the region. Acres of clean sands, with a scattering of rocks and rock pools to investigate.

We walked back into the town for coffee and cakes at the dog-friendly Cocoa Mountain Cafe. It just serves drinks and cakes.

Dornoch is an attractive and unspoilt town, with interesting independent shops, hotels, cafes etc. The Jail in the town is now an upmarket shop, with units selling art, clothing, ornaments and souvenirs.

Timespan at Helmsdale was our next stop. It houses a museum, art gallery, gift shop, bakery, archive, and riverside cafe. Here are some of the things we saw there ...

The view from the cafe, where I had carrot and coconut soup, followed by a GF citrus polenta tray bake. Rob had a toasted cheese sandwich with bulgar wheat side salad.

The small museum has some charming exhibits, and rooms showing life in the past.

 A rag rug!

Typical general store.

Part of the current exhibition in the art gallery:

No Colour Bar: Highland Remix: Clearances to Colonialism 22 March to 9 June 2019

 

Another walk for Brock at The Mound at Loch Fleet, broke up the journey back to the holiday cottage. The huge causeway was designed by engineer Thomas Telford and was constructed during the years 1814 - 1816. The link above gives more information about the site.

 

After this long, but interesting day, we headed back to watch the semi final of The Great British Sewing Bee. Nail biting stuff! 😄

Holiday In Inverness 2016: 28 - 30 September

Dornoch beach was our first stop on Wednesday. Brock loved it here and met several dogs to play with.

Afterwards, we went into the town and had a very good coffee and cake at the Dornoch Patisserie and Cafe. The staff were very friendly and efficient.

The Jail is an impressive building and now houses a number of craft units, and is interesting to look round. There is also a Co-op for food shopping and other shops, cafes and hotels.

Our next port of call was Tain, where we had lunch in the Sunflower Cafe (all day veggie breakfast for Rob and jacket potato with cheese and coleslaw for me). The food was pretty good and the portions were generous. There was an 'unfortunate incident' in the cafe, when I noticed a young man drop what I thought was a scarf or large handkerchief on the ground - I called out to him and he came back to look at it and said it wasn't his. After he had gone, the staff were cracking up with laughter, as it turned out to be a pair of boxer shorts! I felt rather sorry for inadvertently embarrassing him, but it was quite funny.

I bought more vintage buttons to add to my collection from the charity shop in Tain before we drove on to Cromarty on The Black Isle. Brock got a third walk along the sea front and around the town.

Oil rig seen on the opposite shore at Invergordon (there were a number of them lined up, disappearing into the distance).

The Sutors (flat fingers of land guarding the entrance to the Cromarty Firth).

Cromarty lighthouse.

I think that Wednesday must be a half day in Cromarty, as most of the shops and the cafe were closed. Still, we enjoyed the walk around the town. We made a final stop-off in Rosemarkie where we bought an oil burner and some gem stones in Panacea, a new age shop. The shop owner, Cornelia, is very friendly and helpful.

Thursday was our first wet day! We walked Brock along the seafront and through the town of Nairn, before having an early lunch back at the Bakehouse in Findhorn. We both had the vegetarian black dal which came with nan bread (I forgot to ask for GF, but I'm sure they would have had some), raita and ?rhubarb chutney. It was absolutely delicious! I really wish this cafe was nearby as we would go there often. We also had slices of cake and coffees (yes, we are on a bit of a diet now that we're back at home!). This was the best meal we had on this holiday. Brock had another walk before we decided to relax and watch old films back at Rookery Nook for the rest of the day.

On Friday, we drove to Ullapool on the west coast, stopping off for a walk at Rogie Falls. The waterfall was impressive, with plenty of water rushing down.

This image is taken from the suspension bridge. It is a really lovely walk and well worth a visit if you're in the area.

At Ullapool, preparations were underway for a two-day music festival with The Stranglers headlining. We had lunch in the dog-friendly Ceilidh Place (salad and chips for me; scrambled egg on toast and chips for Rob; we both had good, strong coffees). The waitress recommended the An Talla Solais art gallery, so we headed off there for a look round. There was some beautiful work on display.

The weather was pretty good: mainly sunny with just a few light showers on the drive over. We sat by the harbour eating ice cream and taking in the stunning views.

On Saturday, it was time to head home. We stopped off in Dunkeld again as it is about half way home. We had lunch in the Scottish Deli, which allows dogs in. Rob had a hummus and sunblush tomato baguette; I had the same filling with a salad. Excellent! By far the best of the three cafes we have tried there.

A very enjoyable holiday, but it seemed to go by in a flash.

Holiday to Inverness: Days 7 - 8

29 - 30 March 2013
Dornoch, Tain & Inverness
The Journey Home

The beach at Dornoch was our first stop of the day, for a walk along the sands. This was followed by coffee and a cake in the town, and a look round some of the shops. It is a picturesque town, with some beautiful houses and buildings, surrounded by lovely countryside and a long, sandy beach. It is about 40 minutes drive north of Inverness.

Lunch was at Tain in the 'Sunflowers Too' Coffee Shop, where we ate jacket potatoes, which were okay. Nice staff, but lots of children running about, so not very relaxing.

Brock enjoyed yet another walk around the River Ness islands, back in Inverness. We did a bit of shopping in the city centre (including some 'Herbalism' cleanser for me from LUSH) before heading back to The Bothy.

 Still plenty of snow in the mountain ranges (this photo taken through the car window on the journey home)

The end of the week had come around so quickly and we headed for home just after 10.00am on the Saturday. Being the Easter weekend, we decided that Dunkeld would be too busy and stopped off at House of Bruar instead. It is a site near Blair Atholl in Perthshire, where the company sells clothes, food, souvenirs etc; like an outlet centre without the discounts! This was somewhat of a mistake as it was packed with holiday makers. We made a bee line for the restaurant, where I had a main salad plate, Rob had vegetable lasagna and salad and we both drank Americano coffees. The bill was around £21. The food and staff were very good, but we couldn't enjoy it, with the packed in crowds of people. The ladies loos had a 10+ queue waiting to use them. We were glad to be back on our way, and got home in time for dinner.

Our Holiday In Inverness II

Day 2: Sunday 4 October 2009

We drove up the East coast to Dornock, and stopped for a beach walk with Henry, and a wander round the centre. (Yes, you do have to drive across that spindly little bridge!).


Dornock is a lovely town with nice shops, a deli, a bakery, a small supermarket, beautiful, mellow stone buildings, an old jail (now a shop) and a magnificent hotel with a castellated tower.

On the road up to Wick, the weather changed from sunshine to a dark, slate grey sky with the sun slanting beneath. The white walls of the few houses to be seen were dazzling, with their dark roofs covered in yellow lichen.

At Wick the rain finally came down and we dashed into a cafe for a coffee, before giving Henry a damp walk around the harbour area.

We had dinner that evening at a pub called The Snow Goose back on the outskirts of Inverness. It had been recommended by people in the 'Comments' book at the holiday cottage, but it was packed by marathon runners (there had been a couple of races in Inverness that day) and was right next to a busy hotel.

Dinner: The Snow Goose, Inverness
JKW: Spinach and mushroom lasagna, garlic bread; rhubarb and vanilla cheesecake; half pint of lager; mineral water.
RJW: Asparagus and sweet potato salad; sticky toffee pudding; half pint of cider.
Cost: £26.20
The staff were efficient and friendly, but the food was pretty poor. Rob had wanted the 'Goats' Cheese Wellington' but it had sold out. The salad had no protein in it to speak of, and consisted of a few roasted veg on top of mainly salad leaves. The lasagna was made up of garlic mushrooms (probably those also served as a starter) with spinach and bechamel sauce. Why is it that the vegetarian options always come with a measly bit of salad garnish or a limp piece of garlic bread instead of the vegetables and potatoes or chips that everyone else is served?! My pudding was the highlight of the meal: a base of ginger biscuit crumbs with a creamy, cheesy cake served with a vanilla cream and rhubarb compote.
Recommended?: Not for vegetarians - pleasant, well-trained staff; but limited, unsatisfactory choices for vegetarians; can be busy with queues out of the door.