542am Rosemarkie and Fairy Glen

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on Sunday 11th May 2025]

I’m staying in a beautiful campsite in Fortrose, right on the coast of the Black Isle. (Strange name for the area, as it is neither black nor an island!) And this morning I can enjoy a leisurely morning – no bed to put away, and no van to pack up – because this morning I’m going to catch a bus.

In fact, I’m so relaxed, that I nearly miss the bus and have to jog, with my backpack flapping on my shoulders, to the bus stop. This is the number 26 service to Cromarty and – yes – it even runs on a Sunday.

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541pm Cromarty to Rosemarkie

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Ruth Livingstone

I’ve met very few people all morning but now, as I’m eating my lunch, the traffic begins to hot up. This father and child toil past me, going up hill.

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541am Cromarty to Rosemarkie

Posted on September 10, 2025 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on Saturday, 10th May, 2025]

I leave my bike in the same spot as yesterday. But today I’m heading south, along the minor road that leads down towards Rosemarkie. It’s another beautiful day, and the fields are bright with gorse and rape seed crops.

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540 Nigg Ferry and Cromarty walk

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on Friday, 9th May 2025]

A fit person would walk from the Cromarty ferry straight down to Rosemarkie, in one day. But, I am no longer a fit person, so I decided to divide the walk up into a number of stages. Each stage is determined by car-parking possibilities, and the first stage will need to be walked backwards!

So, this is how I end up cycling along a minor road to a junction with a track, where I leave my Scooty bike chained up. What a great view over the Cromarty peninsula.

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539 Chapelhill to Nigg Ferry

Posted on August 31, 2025 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on the 8th May 2025]

The Nigg ferry is not supposed to start running until the 1st June, but the lady at the campsite told me it had started running early this year. Wonderful!

So, I drive to Cromarty, park the van, and wait for the little ferry to arrive. I LOVE ferries.

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538 Hilton to Chapelhill

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on Wednesday, 7th May, 2025]

I cycle to Hilton of Cadboll, and chain my bike up to a sign that reads, “Balintore, 1 km”. Look back at the shore where I walked yesterday and…

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537 Rockfield to Hilton

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on Tuesday, 6th May, 2025]

Not wanting to risk the steep road down to Rockfield on my Scooty bike, I leave him chained up in a field at the top of the hill. Start the descent down the road…

… much easier coming down today than going up yesterday! And a lovely view over the village.

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536b Tarbat Ness to Rockfield

Posted on June 29, 2025 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on Monday, 5th May, 2025]

I give up my fruitless attempt to spot whales, or dolphins, at the tip of Tarbat ness. Walk down the path hugging the coast, then pick up the access road that runs past the lighthouse.

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536a Portmahomack to Tarbat Ness

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on Monday, 5th May, 2025]

I’m back in Portmahomack, and it is looking beautiful in the sunshine. Today, I have planned a circular walk around the Tarbat Ness peninsula, so no cycling required!

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535 Inver to Portmahomack

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Ruth Livingstone

[This walk was completed on Sunday, 4th May, 2025]

The forecast was showers in the morning, and sun in late afternoon. So, I decided to have an easy morning lazing around in my little apartment, and go for a short walk later. Inver to Portmahomack is only 4 miles. An easy amble.

It is 4:30pm by the time the showers clear and I arrive in Inver on my Scooty bike, ready to resume my trek.

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