Scotland's Secret Counties
You know the one about what Scotsmen wear under
their kilts? Well, that's not much of a secret. No, the best-kept
secret of the tartan kingdom is the region beyond the Great Glen.
"What do you want to go up there for?" people ask you…
and your enquirer may even be a native of Inverness. The implication
is that there is nothing to see for all those miles of minor road
motoring. Either they have not been there or they're trying to keep
the secret for themselves.
Midlands
For most people in Britain, the top
of Scotland is an unknown buffer zone that keeps the arctic from
drifting too close. When we speak of "The Midlands" we mean the
area around Birmingham, seldom acknowledging that the mid-point
in this island lies on a line between Newcastle and Carlisle. Hadrian
knew his geography better than most Englishmen and made a fair division
of land between England and Scotland. The region between the Great
Glen and Dunnet Head probably adds up to 20% of Britain's land;
that's a big proportion to overlook. I set out for John O'Groats
with the preconception that this would be a once-for-all visit.
At least I would be able to say that I'd been there. Experience
melted my prejudice and I am making plans for a return visit.
Extinct
If you ignore the secrecy and head
this far north you will meet people who have time to be polite (but
not too many people). You may see animals that have become rare
in the rest of Britain or even become extinct. Red Squirrels prosper
here, Pine Martens and Wildcats roam at night, Golden Eagle and
Osprey police the skies and Red Deer are common on the hills. On
the coasts you may catch sight of Gannets and Fulmars, Seals and
Otters and from a boat you might see Shearwaters, Razorbills and
even the occasional Porpoise or Whale. But there is no "might" or
"maybe" about the geological features - they are impressive and
you can't miss them. Dunnet Head, the true northernmost point on
the British mainland, rears its commanding cliffs to challenge all
who pass through the Pentland Firth (the strait between Scotland
and the Orkneys). Duncansby Head, 2 miles from John O'Groats, boasts
three improbable pyramid-shaped stacks that stand guard over the
eastern approaches. Hoy, South Ronaldsay and several smaller islands
lie tantalisingly close to the viewpoints at Dunnet Head, Duncansby
and John O'Groats. Wild surf plunges into the wide sand-bays around
Thurso and Dounreay and the gaping entrance to Smoo Cave, a few
miles west of Thurso draws you in to one of Europe's most impressive
sea caverns.
Clearances
These regions have not always been
as sparsely inhabited. They were artificially depopulated in the
eighteenth century "Clearances", when landowners forced people off
the land to make way for sheep. The result was large-scale emigration
to the USA, wide empty spaces in Caithness and Sutherland, Ross
and Cromarty and a number of tiny Scottish ghost towns. Some of
them are well preserved and are signposted from the main routes
as "clearance villages".
Iron-age
Centuries before that injustice was
inflicted, the Picts, an industrious people, who left their mark
in the form of intricately carved stones, peacefully occupied this
region. Earlier still, the area supported iron-age people who left
simpler standing-stones and enduring, weather-resistant dwellings,
now called Brochs. Cairn Lliath, an excellent example of these circular
residences, stands beside the A9 a couple of miles north of Dunrobin
Castle, with a convenient car park opposite so you can pull aside
and take a proper look. You can inspect more examples, plus a variety
of cairns, hut circles and standing stones, during a pleasant two-hour
walk around the archaeological trail at South Yarrows a few miles
further north. In addition to the prehistoric features, I had the
luck to see two eagles as I walked the trail.
Beaches
Northern Scotland is a thinly populated
area, unless you count the sheep, but it has much to attract and
inspire. A vast area of heather covered moorland stretches for miles
and makes Dartmoor and the Peak District look tiny. From Thurso
down to Ullapool the roads are predominantly single-track with passing
places, but you rarely meet enough traffic for that to be a problem.
When you need to stop for another vehicle you have an excuse to
glance around at an impressive rock formation, a majestic Stag or
an inviting, sandy beach. If your experience of beaches is confined
to busy pop-resorts where slivers of sand peer out between the sunbathers
you need to see what Caithness and Sutherland can offer. Here the
beaches are wide, clean and mostly deserted. The crowds stay away
because they forget that the Gulf Stream keeps this region mild.
True, you won't sweat in the nineties here but summer comes to Scotland
as often as the rest of Europe and the winters aren't nearly as
severe as southern prejudice supposes. True, Scotland has ski resorts,
but that's because it has mountains. The Gulf Stream has such a
moderating effect on this climate that some people manage to grow
palm trees in their gardens.
Secret
Our holiday plan was to spend most
of the time in the better known Hebridean islands, then pay this
northern region the briefest of visits. The islands are everything
that I hoped for, but northern Scotland captivated us more than
we expected and forced us to linger for several extra days. I hope
that the area doesn't become crowded now that I've let the secret
out. You won't tell anyone, will you?
©Derrick
Phillips
October 2000
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