Day 4 began with the sun splitting the bluest of skies, totally making up for the disappointing lack of dolphins the night before.
After a lazy post-breakfast wander along the sands and a bite to eat at the local cafe, we headed off in the direction of Dornoch. We didn't get far before spotting this disused WW2 airfield near Tain, which was just begging to be photographed. Leaving Mum to her own devices in the car, Dad and I walked up and down the road to get some good shots.
There were dozens of dragonflies patrolling the ditch that surrounded it, though sadly none settled close enough for us to photograph.
I've played enough first person shooters in my time to see just how great a setting this would be for a post-apocalyptic game! If I ever finish the very WIP 1/6 wastelander I've had on the back burner for years, I may have to photoshop him into some of these!
Plenty of chest-high walls for cover...
There's an MOD base a few miles away, so you get the occasional jet shooting past unexpectedly which is always pretty spooky as you hear them well before you can see them! One roared by while we were taking photos and I managed to turn just in time to see a whole flock of crows vacate the crumbling roof of one of the buildings.
Taking that as our cue to leave, we continued on towards Dornoch.
Knowing that it was by the sea, my mental picture of Dornoch was kind of on a par with Cromarty and Portmahomack; a very seasidey kind of town, all whitewashed cottages and harbours. However, Dornoch couldn't have been further from that idea! It felt like somewhere English, rather than Highlandy, and had a far more 'inland' vibe than I was expecting. It didn't even have a harbour!
The cathedral was really small but very pretty, parked right in the middle of the main town centre.
Fairy ring!
The old 'merket cross' still stands just outside the graveyard wall.
While we didn't do as much exploring as we'd have liked, there's plenty of history (and interesting charity shops!)in the town that will make for an exciting return visit!
Our primary reason to visit was the beach, which is one of the best in the area, but there was originally a bit of an ulterior motive. The Dornoch Castle Hotel is owned by two of my Mum's old uni mates, who she hasn't seen in forever, so she'd shot them an email before we left to suggest a meetup, only to get a reply back along the lines of 'That would be fantastic...but I can't believe it - we're in Crete right now' 😫😂
Perhaps next time!
Perhaps next time!
Dornoch beach goes on for miles and on a day as nice as this it was irresistible.
We walked around in search of a good picnic spot, luckily timing it right just as a family relinquished their claim on a big rocky outcrop with an excellent outlook. The sand was so warm and inviting, so the shoes and socks were swiftly abandoned!
After nomming on some lunch, I went for a wander. I'd seen someone on a horse further up the beach so I headed in that direction, hoping they might go for a gallop and I could get some photos.
The water was...chilly, to say the least. 😂
Either through my feet going numb or the shallow water finally warming, it was fairly pleasant to walk through, and all in all, it was a beautiful place to be.
The horse and rider had vanished from my sight by now, but I kept walking anyway, totally oblivious to just how massive the beach was!
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| tfw the sea doesn't love you back 💔 |
Other than a couple of shells, Dornoch was pretty much devoid of finds...that is, until I found this!
No, not a glacier mint someone had dropped, a Sea Gooseberry!
I'd never even heard of them until about a week before, where,on a beachcombing group on Facebook I'd seen someone post about finding loads of them. They look incredibly fragile but they felt kind of like a peeled grape! 😂
I popped it back into the sea once I'd had a good look, though it would have probably been eaten by the plethora of gulls that weren't very far away, but never mind, I gave it a fighting chance at least!
I took a slightly different route back, abandoning the water for a shallow pool/puddle behind a low sand bank a few hundred yards from the sea. I spotted a few broken shards of sea potato amongst the water, and trudged on, hoping I'd manage to find one intact.
To my delight I found not one, not two, but over a dozen, and I carefully gathered them up into my bag. We've got quite the collection of them at home now, all bleached and displayed in a glass jar in the bathroom, and as they're usually so fragile, I thought I'd grab them while I saw them!
I made my way back to our picnic site with a spring in my step, eager to show off my finds, but my enthusiasm dropped somewhat when my Dad greeted me, excitedly saying 'Did you see the dolphins?'
Apparently they'd spotted two offshore while I was miles away, my dad actually sprinted back to grab his camera and my mum had tried to call me, but I had no signal so I didn't get it. 😭
Just my bloody luck!
Not that I was bitter or anything. (she says, bitterly)
I also found that I wasn't the only one to have spotted a Sea Gooseberry! Dad, being the ever useful naturalist, had a container on hand so we got a great view of it swimming about.
After the beach we stopped at the Dornoch Castle Hotel for a drink, which inevitably led to us staying for a meal as well.
The food was amazing and I'd really recommend it! I started with the chicken liver parfait, (😩👌) dad had some salmon with a gin & tonic mousse, and mum had as I recall, a cheese and shaved pear salad. For the mains, mum had chicken with spinach and beans, dad went for the lamb, with what appeared to be an entire kale plant, and I had the goat's cheese fritters with rocket, pear and hazelnuts! 👌👌👌👌👌
On our way back we just had to stop on the Dornoch Firth Bridge to get some photographs of the spectacular sunset.
It was nearly dark by the time we got back to Portmahomack but there was still just enough light for me to take a quiet walk along the beach before turning in. There were a couple of people there when I got there but by the time I turned round to go back I found I had the place entirely to myself.
Just being in that comfortable silence, broken only by the rhythmic murmur of the waves behind me was so incredibly peaceful and I knew I was going to find it really hard to leave in a few days.
Just being in that comfortable silence, broken only by the rhythmic murmur of the waves behind me was so incredibly peaceful and I knew I was going to find it really hard to leave in a few days.
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