Cromarty Firth
We left grey weather at home in the south of England to come to bright sunshine and clear Scottish skies. Who knows, maybe we'll get to see the Aurora Borealis?
To travel in I wore:
- Black jeans
- T-shirt
- Scarf
- Brown jacket
- Boots
And I packed:
- Walking trousers
- Merino wool top
- T-shirt
- Fleece
- Duck-down walking jacket, that packs away into a small bag
- Poncho
- Headband/earmuffs
- Walking boots
We were flying, and this all fitted easily into a carry-on bag along with my iPad, charger, toiletries, PJs etc. Remember with easyJet (and some other airlines) you have to be able to get your handbag inside your carry-on too.
Cromarty Harbour, and Whelks on the Quay
To get to our final destination of Cromarty we had to hire a car at the airport and drive for 45 minutes; the views on the route are just stunning. In Cromarty Firth you are likely to see oil rigs that have been towed in for repair. Now you either like the sight of them or loathe it. Personally I find them fascinating and at night when they are all lit up they look like Christmas trees. You can even gauge the price of oil simply by seeing how many are in at any one time – when the oil price is low more come in, and right now there are a lot there.
The following morning after a fairly late start we set off for an 8km walk up on to the head and around. My friend who has a holiday home here has bizarrely never walked this route, even though it pretty much THE walk to do here.
Cromarty from Gallows Hill
She assured me that we didn't need a walking map as it is well signed… famous last words! After a 3km detour because there were no signs or footpaths to follow we eventually made it back. Never mind, it really didn't matter – the views were stunning and being out in the fresh air and chatting was a delight. Thank goodness for GPS and mobile phones though. Wearing walking trousers, t-shirt, fleece and walking jacket I was plenty warm enough.
No sign of the Aurora Borealis at night.
Rosemarkie Beach
On Saturday morning we ventured on a new 8km walk from Rosemarkie, this time with a map 😉
It was a glorious walk but I would recommend taking it in a different order to that suggested in order to get the steep climb to Swallows Den out of the way first. So start from the car park at Rosemarkie closest to Fairy Glen. This means you get to walk the two long stretches of beach at the end and finish at the beach cafe for a well deserved soup or tea and cake.
I wore the same outfit as yesterday, minus my fleece, as with the duck-down jacket I really didn't need it all. We had sunshine and there was no wind at all, it was glorious.
The View From Swallows Den, and Fortrose Cathedral
We then stopped in Fortrose to see the old Cathedral and to get a sense of the history of this area.
On our last morning, the sun had given way to grey skies but it was still a mildish 11 degrees C. The same walking trousers were fine again for our last walk of the trip before changing into my travel outfit of black jeans, coat, boots etc for the flight home.
We were very lucky with the weather this time, but it's always advisable to pack for all conditions in Scotland, whatever time of year you decide to visit. Layers will always help you cope with changeable weather.
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Posted by Helen – WhatToWearOnHoliday.com
