[This walk was completed on Thursday 15th May, 2025]

Alturlie Point is a pretty place. Palm trees. Nice houses. And a great view across the Moray Firth to Avoch. I can see Avoch clearly today because it is sunny – unlike the day I walked through the place when the views were spoilt by a sea mist.

Although Alturlie Point is very pretty, it seems quite unfriendly. There are “Private” signs everywhere. I park my Scooty bike behind some wheelie bins, hoping the owner won’t take offence and throw my precious bike in the sea!

My hay fever was terrible last night, following yesterday’s mainly inland walk. I took an anti-allergy tablet and, as usual, had difficulty waking up this morning. I nearly gave the planned hike a miss – but it is my penultimate walking day and gloriously sunny.

I follow the road through Alturlie, and walk past the last house, where a man is watering his neat garden.

Ah. This was worth getting up for. A beautiful bay with a beach of smooth pebbles and sand below. Just me… and a few dog-walkers strolling about the place. Lovely.

Leaving the road, I enjoy the soft sand beneath my boots, and the gentle sound of swishing waves. Perfect.

I’m doing this walk “backwards” by walking from Alturlie Point back to North Kessock. This was to avoid having to cycle around a very busy (and dangerous) roundabout this morning. We will come to that roundabout later.

Mid-point along the bay, the road swings inland and climbs up to the railway line. The old station buildings are now residential cottages. What a nice place to live.

Crossing over the rail tracks, I soon join the infamous A96. Fast traffic, very busy, and no pavements. How I hate this road!

But I have a cunning plan. I’m going to leave the A96 as soon as I can, and take a side-road down to a little place called Milton. From there, I can walk along the shore again, following a Core Path, all way to the outskirts of Inverness.

Here is the beginning of the path to Milton. Back over the railway line…

… past a few houses, and then I end up walking down a lovely little lane. The shore is just to my right, but too rocky to walk along. I stick to the tarmac, along with a few dog walkers and an odd jogger.

The trees thin out in places, giving me a sunny view across tidal sands and the Moray Firth. I was walking along that far shore just yesterday.

I look back towards Alturlie Point. White buildings nestle against a gorse-covered hill. If I worked in Inverness, I would live there, I think. But, hang on, I think that is actually Fort George. It looks too far away to be Alturlie Point.

I’m not sure. Maybe it is Alturlie Point and Fort George is a few miles further up the coast. I can’t seem to work it out.

Is Fort George a real fort, I wonder? It will have to wait until my next coastal trip before I can find out.

I pass a few decaying buildings. Were they abandoned when the modern A96 was built and squeezed this little village almost into the sea?

Scotland is full of abandoned buildings.

The lane rises to cross over the railway line. I take photos of the tracks, but don’t see any trains.

It is some time since I saw another walker, and I soon find out why… the road simply comes to an end.

I had assumed the Core Path would take me into Inverness, or – at least – back to the A96. Instead, it has just abandoned me! In the middle of nowhere.

The undergrowth ahead is too thick and thorny to force a way through. Above is a steep slope covered in vegetation but, beside a rusting container, I see a semblance of a path.

Up I go. Is it really a path? Well, I can hear the roar of the main road above me, so I assume I will join it if I persevere.

The slope flattens out and I’m on the remains of an old avenue, with a stone wall on one side. Was this the access road to an old estate?

I walk along the old road for a minute or two – but it is heading the wrong way – east instead of west – and becomes increasingly overgrown. So, I backtrack and leave the old road to clamber further up the slope.

Through a screen of bushes, I can see the modern road ahead of me. I push through the foliage, and climb over a wire fence – getting my backpack stuck and having to wriggle and thrash about, until I finally release myself and almost tumble onto the tarmac. Thank goodness for the crash barrier!

As I emerge, I catch the eye of an astonished motorist, who stares with wide eyes at this dishevelled elderly lady emerging from the bushes with leaves in her hair. A blink… and then his car roars past and he is gone.

Dust the leaves and twigs off my clothes, and turn right to follow the road. Stumble along the uneven ground of the verge – so treacherous underfoot that I seriously worry I will twist my ankle. So, I decide to climb over the barrier and walk along the horribly narrow strip of road – with only the white line protecting me from the rushing traffic.

I’m relieved to reach the slip road for the roundabout, where the A96 joins the A9 and here I find – thank heavens – a pavement!

I navigate the roundabout, passing under noisy road-bridges, and follow the A9 northwards.

Now, I’m heading back to the Kessock Bridge. It is hot, my feet hurt, and the traffic is relentless. Should be grateful for the pavement, but it really is a most unpleasant stretch of today’s walk.

Somehow, I’ve ended up on the wrong side of the road for the bridge. The footpath on this side is closed. So, I have to cross the “High Speed Dual Carriageway” with care.

I make it – still alive – to the other side, and begin my approach to the bridge. This is what I’ve been looking forward to all day. I love bridges.

But, sadly, the crossing turns out to be a big disappointment. To be continued…

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Route so far:

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