We had a good meal at the local Hotel last night followed by a good, country air induced, sleep.
After a good breakfast, which included haggis we headed back into the village for our boat trip. We were a little disappointed when we were told that there were problems with the boat. However the owner found anther boat at the last moment.
Although the day was sunny and dry, it was a little windy, with the wind forecast to rise throughout the morning. It was suggested we visited the toilets (washrooms) before we left for the trip. This was the first time I had seen pictorial instructions on how to use a toilet!!!
The operator provided us with wet weather gear, which turned out to be a blessing as it was both warm and waterproof. They even gave us a waterproof bag for the phones and camera.
Once we were all kitted out we had a quick safety briefing and headed down to the boat. This beast had twin 200HP outboards and seated 12.
The trip was primarily to see dolphins, but they didn’t want to come out and play. We took a trip inland along Cromatry Firth first. Back in the oil boom days of the last century this area was a centre for oil rig construction. Now days they carry out repairs to the rigs. They also fabricate wind turbine blades and towers and ship them to the wind farms.
The rig above floats in the sea while in use, the one beneath has 3 legs which are lowered to the sea floor to support the rig.
Althogh there were no dolphins we did manage a quick glimpse of a couple of seals, unfortunately the boat was bouncing around too much to get any pictures.
Closer into the cliffs we could see hundreds of birds that make the cliffs their home during breeding season. The birds below reminded us of penguins at first glance, but they are in fact guillemots. They are not related to the penguin, but to the puffin.
There were also a number of shags and cormorants on the cliff, the shags being a smaller version of the cormorant.
We were very thankful for the wet weather gear! The seas were moderately rough and we were in the front seats. The boat was well designed and if it were not for the wind we would have stayed dry, however the wind managed to blow a few liters of water over us!
Once back on dry land we headed off to our next destination, Helmsdale. One thing I didn’t mention yesterday was the change in land. Around Spean to Inverness the land was very rocky and barren and only able to support sheep and occasionally cattle. Once past Inverness it changed to become more arable with crops jus being planted and many bright yellow fields of mustard.
Todays view from the front seat. As you can see, the road has improved and there is now room for cars to safely pass each other!
Our next stop was the village of Dornoch, which had a 12th century Cathederal. If that not old enough for you, it was built on the site of a 6th century church!
When we entered the Cathedral there was organ music playing, I thought at first it ws recorded music, but later discovered the organist practicing. You can just see him in the bottom right of the picture below.
The whole village was full of interesting old buildings.
Next on the list was Dunrobin Castle built in 1835. The main attraction here for Lyn was the gardens, unfortunately the entrance fee for the whole tour would probably have paid for the castle (slight exaggeration!), and given the time of year the gardens would probably not have been worth touring.
We now headed to our destination in Helmsdale. We are staying at a “real” hotel, it has a bar and restaurant, so no traveling to find somewhere to eat (and drink). Below is the view from our room.
Tomorrow our destination is Thurso.