A long weekend on the Black Isle

Having found camping with small children a challenge (a baby who insisted on being very tired and needing mummy right now when we were trying to put the tent up, as well as the combined Scottish camping fun of weather and midges), we went this Spring and bought ourselves a caravan.  I've never thought of myself as somebody who would use a caravan, but I admit, the advantages of having an easy-to-use kitchen there ready for you, and not having to traipse across a field in the rain to get to the toilet in the night have converted me a bit (quite a lot actually!).  I do aim to get back to "proper" camping in a few years when the children are a little older, but am happy in the caravan for the time being.

For our second trip away we headed up for a long weekend to the Black Isle, just north of Inverness and between the Moray and Cromarty Firths.  Our caravan site was the Caravan and Camping Club one at Rosemarkie.  The site is strung along the beach between Rosemarkie and Fortrose, which meant, as we had beautiful weather, that we woke every morning to the calm and stunning Moray Firth.  We had views across to Fort George, and just a twenty minute walk along the beach was Chanonry Point, the most reliable place in the UK from which to watch dolphins.  You can pretty much be guaranteed sightings of wild bottlenose dolphins only a few metres off shore, one hour after low tide every day.  So we spent a lot of time playing on the beach, paddling, walking along the beach (C went on his bike on the firm sand), playing with pebbles, watching dolphins and exploring the area.  I made an error in not anticipating gorgeous weather, and packed too many long sleeves and warm jumpers (again) and not enough shorts and sun-hats, especially given how often the two children were in and out of the water with or without clothes on!

This is Dunrobin Castle, the fairy tale palace belonging to the Dukes of Sutherland.  Absolutely gorgeous, but sadly paid for in the grief of so many highlanders evicted from their lands during the Clearances.