Day 104 Cromarty to Tain

 

 Date: Monday 4^th June 2012   Distance: 29.21 Miles

 

This old town house was a relaxing place to stay. Most of the buildings are 18th or 19th century and many restored. Museums were closed- too late or early- but there are 2 and we know worth visiting.

 

Our breakfast was lovely. I’d never had porridge made the traditional way with water and salt. As a person preferring soya to milk I found this a light change and another first was fruitie pudding with the “full cooked”.  It’s traditionally made of left over fruit cake and I thought this a bit too sweet with a mainly savoury dish.

 

We took the 9 am ferry to Nigg under a cloudy but blue sky. The clouds gathered and it was soon raining harder than any other time since Aberdeen. The ferry had a turntable for cars, of which it could take 4. Us, and the bike cost £9 for a single which we thought quite steep for a 10 minute boat trip. It did save us quite a lot of time and energy though. The ferry only runs from the end of May.

 

We sheltered in Nigg Old church which we were pleased to find open so early. It houses the Nigg stone, a Pictish Cross slab that once stood in the churchyard. The church oozes history and the slab is covered in complex swirly engravings that you are urged not to touch but you can stand close to. There is a cholera stone with skull and crossbones in the churchyard and a pretty bishop’s walk beside a trickling stream.

 

Another Pictish stone stands on a cliff side looking out to sea, south of Shandwick. It is in a glass “house” and I, especially, marvelled at the art work of huntsmen, angels, animals and warriors. Picts were Celtic speaking Britons who lived in East Scotland in the first millennium AD. Picti meant painted people and contrary to early beliefs they were cultured and politically minded as new archaeological evidence portrays.

                                               

We didn’t go down to the tip of the thin peninsula Tarbat Ness, where the tall lighthouse stands at the most easterly point of N. Scotland because it looked to be rough terrain and it was raining. Instead we opted to look around Tarbat Old Church which is now a Visitor Centre with fascinating artifacts and considering its small size we spent a good while reading about the local history. This was also the site of an 8th century. The museum is beautifully laid out and there is a children’s corner for doing wax rubbings, no cafe but a drinks machine.

 

 At Portmahomack where the houses look out over the tall marram grass and the sands in the church hall called Carnegie Hall (perhaps this is a concert venue?) is a room and kitchen serving delicious food. I had 2 crepes filled to bursting with mussels, salmon, prawns and haddock in cream and all this for under £5. Bob chose a cheese filled jacket potato but mine was best!!

 

It was the same road back a little way towards Inver because of the narrow finger of land there. The flat landscape here is cluttered with shells of World War 2 military buildings. It was to have been used for D Day practice but the tidal shifts of sand and water made it impossible. It then became a shooting range and training area for tanks. It looks like farm animals are gradually taking over the area which is still fenced off with MoD signs giving no access.

 

 

 

 

When we reached our final destination, Tain, we couldn’t navigate the streets for people. They packed the streets facing an elevated marquee with officials on microphones handing out awards for local do-gooders. Later there was a pipe band and procession. A local school (academy) band, exceptionally good, was playing traditional music on harp, violin, pipes, guitars, banjo and various percussion. When a young girl sang I felt moved to tears it was so pure and beautiful. It was a great finish to the trip.

 

 We caught the train (that comes every 3 hour) back to Inverness for a stop- over before travelling back home the next day. It took just over an hour and it was unsurprisingly busy.