Highland Adventures on the North Coast 500

Well the whole thing started with a competition run by Stena Line, the ferry people. Herself entered a picture of little old me gazing at London Bridge on my last visit to London and would you believe it, I won! The prize was a return trip on any of their routes to Britain. As it was my picture, I felt I should decide the destination and nothing would satisfy me but to visit my homeland of Scotland.

And so the preparations began – accommodation booked, places researched and we were off to do the North Coast 500, a road that circles all the way around the highlands of Scotland. I couldn’t wait. I’m a Westie after all.

I even got on the world wide woof and ordered a tweed collar, lead and NC500 dog tag from The Highland Hound. I had to be properly dressed for my holidays.

We set off on a Thursday and stayed that night at Bellinter House in Meath, a place I’ve visited for dinner but never for an overnight. It’s lovely, with a comfortable room, lovely grounds and very friendly staff.

The following morning we rose early and headed to Meath Sunflower Farm. We spent a nice time walking around the sunflowers and posing for photos in my Sunflower dress. Jackson, the very friendly resident sheepdog, was very jealous when I told him where I was travelling.

Back to the car for the journey to Belfast, to catch the ferry while I caught some much needed 40 winks.

We arrived to a lovely park, which turned out to be Lady Dixon Park, just outside Belfast and who was there to greet us only my boyfriend Mac and his two 2 leggers. I was so happy to see him and he’s as handsome as ever, with his always smiling face. We had a pleasant walk around the park, sniffing the air and chatting.

After bidding a fond farewell to Mac and his hoomans, Rosemary and David, we drove into the city to our hotel for the night, The Malmaison. We had a lovely room and we were all able to dine together in the bar. Very civilised.

I settled down to sleep that night with visions of chasing Haggis in my head but it seemed like only minutes later I was rudely awakened from my dreams for the short drive to the port.

I though I’d be left in the car but no, I walked up with all the other passengers. Stena have a Pet Lounge and my prize included this. It’s reserved solely for pets and their owners and it’s a fantastic place to while away the voyage. We were all supposed to be in pet carriers but after a while, all of us doggies had a summit meeting, decided we were all well behaved and occasionally came out of our carriers to relax with our owners. I was warm and cosy in my AG Dog Fashion pyjamas, a surprise gift from Kay and Alina. Thank you both.

There was even a deck where we could have our walkies. I found my sea paws quickly and sniffing the sea air I felt like a true salty sea dog.

I was so excited to get my first glimpse of Scotland. The scenery reminded me of the green of Ireland, but somehow it was different. It smelled different too, somehow Scottish – maybe that’s the haggis? I’d have to chase one down to find out.

With a long drive ahead, I settled down for a snooze and left it to himself and his satnav. He’s my chauffeur after all, so I bark at him where I want to go and we arrive. It’s a system that works.

We stopped at a place called the House of Bruar, recommended by Rosemary, a series of high-end clothes shops, specialising in Scottish country wear. While herself explored the shops, I brought himself for a stroll around the grounds. It’s a very impressive place I have to say.

An hour later we stopped at Gloagburn Farm, where we expected more sunflowers, but we discovered that they didn’t grow well this year on account of the weather. We had dogguccino and cake and I’d highly recommend it for a food stop. They had lovely sandwiches too and a farm shop. I even got to pose with one of their multi-coloured cow statues. It wasn’t a proper Heilan Coo but it was fun all the same and part of an art trail.

Arriving at Golspie on the East Coast, we were delighted with our cottage, part of the Dunrobin Castle estate. It had a cosy kitchen cum living room, a comfy bed and best of all, a garden for me to roam in. Heaven. We booked through Unique Cottages.

Tired after our long journey, we slept well that night and looked forward to the days to come.

Of course, we were hoping the weather would co-operate and it did, sort of. Herself thinks she’s Evelyn Cusack with her weather charts so she directed operations. Most days started off dry with the rain coming later. So it proved on our first day and we woke to glorious sunshine.

We decided to forego the easy day we had planned and head straight to John O’Groats, two hours up the road, right at the top of Scotland. It’s a good road mostly and I was able to snooze until the last twenty minutes when himself started dodging potholes and woke me. It’s hard to get good help these days.

I was excited to see John O’Groats as I’ve been to Land’s End and wanted to compare the two. At first I was convinced we were at Land’s End as they both look so similar, with shops, cafés and of course the signpost where we took photos. I even wore my Dougshirts Clare jersey with pride. It was wild and windy but the views were amazing and it felt good to have visited both corners of the British Isles. I’m a well travelled Westie and no mistake.

Duncansby Stacks were nearby and it was worth the effort to walk across fields to get to them. The rocky stacks sprout from the sea and make a very impressive sight. I don’t think they quite match the Cliffs of Moher but the views were wonderful and I can see why so many people want to visit.

By Monday lunchtime, the day was beginning to dry up, so we drove down to Dornoch, a sleepy little village with a nice Cotswold feel to it. There’s a lovely beach there too. Then we drove north to another little village, Brora, where we had the nicest ever coffee and walnut cake at the dog-friendly Cocoa Skye café. They make delicious dogguccini too.

The next day we headed for Loch Ness, to see if we could meet Nessie. Our first stop was Urquhart Castle, overlooking the lake, but we were in for disappointment. Apparently, you have to book your entry in advance. You’d think the hoomans would have known that. You just can’t get good staff these days.

Instead, we wandered around the village of Drumnadrohit, just down the road. I met a pretend Nessie in a toy shop but I knew it wasn’t the real Loch Ness Monster. You can’t fool me!

We visited the Great Glen Distillery, which claims to be the smallest in Scotland and the nice man behind the counter came from Golspie, where we were staying, so we had lots to talk about. The two hoomans tasted the gins and loved two particularly.

Driving on to Inverness, the capital of the highlands, it was lovely to look out on the lake as we travelled by its shores. I’ve never seen a lake that size – it’s enormous but I kept my eyes peeled for Nessie all the way.

In Inverness the buildings were lovely but the shops were no different than you’d find in any city. I thought they’d be more Scottish for want of a better word. I heard a bark from a passing car and it was a Westie, whose owners were so happy to see another Westie that they stopped for a chat. Scampi is 10 years old and he’s a very handsome chap, but I still have an eye for my Mac in Northern Ireland.

Leaving the city, we bought sandwiches and had a picnic at the Ness Isles, just outside Inverness. They’re small, natural islands in the Ness river, all connected by beautiful Victorian iron bridges. We had a lovely walk through the wooded islands and who did I spy at the end of our walk only Nessie herself. She told me she hides away in the woods when she wants to get away from it all and all the people searching for her in the lake. She’s not a monster at all and I really enjoyed our meetup.

On our way home, we drove through the Black Isle, stopping at Chanonry Point, which has spectacular views out to sea, although it was so windy I didn’t even get out of the car.

As we left, himself saw something scurrying across the road and realised a hedgehog was under the car and too afraid to come out. We had to drive forward very slowly while herself directed the ’chog safely to the roadside. Bev would be so proud of us but I never knew a hedgehog could run that fast.

A break in the weather the following day meant we could visit Duncansby Point and its lighthouse, the Northern most point on the British Isles. There were beautiful views out onto a wild sea and I posed by the lighthouse in my RNLI bandana. They’re a charity I always support and they need all the help we can give.

Thursday was another long day as we headed for the West coast to visit Smoo Cave near Durness. There seemed to be a main road running all the way across, but a Scottish main road seems to differ from an Irish main road. Most of the journey was on a single track road running across the mountains. Every 100m there were passing places to enable cars to pass by. The system seemed to work well and we even gave each other a cheery wave as we passed. Very friendly altogether but all the stopping and starting interfered with my snoozing.

We had a hot chocolate at Cocoa Mountain in Durness, where they reckon they make the best hot chocolate in the world. The café was in a small park, Balnakeil Craft Village, which was dotted with artists selling their wares and we spent a little time looking at lovely paintings, sculptures and pottery.

The wind was really picking up when we reached Smoo Cave and we were nearly blown into the sea as we descended the steps to the cavern. It’s situated in a rocky inlet and while small, it’s spectacular. Just inside the mouth there’s a powerful waterfall and we all got drenched from the spray. We really should have thought that one through a bit better.

At nearby Durness Beach, there was a Cheese n Toasted food truck serving the most delicious cheese toasties. They made my mouth water but I wasn’t even offered a bite.

The beach itself is beautiful, with the blue water almost Caribbean like if you only had the weather.

I had done my research before our trip so I barked instructions at himself and we arrived at the Durness Pooch Pantry, a little cupboard by the roadside filled with toys and treats for doggies. You pick what you want and leave money in an honesty box. I selected some natural treats and a few other goodies. What a nice idea. More places should take it up.

Friday was our best day weather-wise so we used it to visit a few places we had passed earlier in the week while it was raining.

Our first stop was Whaligoe Steps, where I honestly expected to see whales but it was something entirely different. We walked 365 steps down to a little stone harbour which was used to land fish in the 1800s. Breathtaking views were not as breathtaking as walking back up the steps again. I had to take a few breaks on the way up. I’m not as young as I used to be and a lady has to take her time.

We had a quick coffee break at The River Bothy tearooms in Berriedale, where we had the most delicious cake. It’s only outdoor dining for us doggies but it’s a charming place all the same.

I was dreading the Hill o’ Many Stanes as I thought there’d be more climbing but we were able to park and walk across to a little hillock covered in hundreds of small stones surrounded by heather. They were placed there thousands of years ago and it’s a peaceful place to visit. I donned my Heilan Coo dress and posed for photos.

We ate at Dunbeath Bay, just down the road. It was recommended by our guide book, the very useful North Coast 500 Trip of a Lifetime by Robbie Roams. What a lovely place with wonderful views out over the bay. Himself chose a Haggis Pizza and I was very intrigued to see one of these mysterious creatures. I was disgusted when I found out it’s a kind of black pudding made with sheep’s stomach – not an animal at all. Yeuch! I lost all interest from that point on. Himself was delighted though. They had lovely cocktails too, including an Apple Pie on the Rocks and a Cookie Dough Martini.

A stroll around Dunbeath worked off some of our meal and we met another friendly Westie, Ollie, with his owner Lynne. I thought we’d see more Westies in Scotland but they seem to be quite rare.

To finish our day, and our stay on the East coast, we walked the Big Burn, just outside Golspie, a lovely wooded trek up to a series of waterfalls where you could imagine salmon leaping in the season. It’s really pretty and peaceful and was the ideal way to end the first part of our holiday.

As I settled down to sleep for the final time in Golspie, I wondered what adventures would come next.