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| Smoked salmon and eggs at Dunhallin B&B. |
After a great breakfast at Dunhallin B&B, we headed north of Inverness. Our plan was to cross the bridge where the Moray Firth and the Beauly Firth meet, and then head northeast across the Black Isle toward Chanonry Point, where there is a lighthouse on a nice spit of land that extends into Moray Firth. Sandy, our B&B host, had told us that was a great place to see dolphins!
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| View across from Munlochy Bay. |
So we crossed that first bridge, drove up a hill, and as the road descended toward the water, the view took our breath away! Rolling hills, neatly divided into fields, some with sheep grazing, others with hay either ready to be cut or already cut and rolled. It was a peaceful, happy scene. Just as the carriageway rejoined the water at Munlochy Bay (off Moray Firth), there was a great pull-off with an incredible view of the bay and the surrounding land. We had to soak in this energy before we continued on our journey.
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| The road traveled right through the golf course! |
According to a website dedicated to the dolphins of Moray Firth, this spot is very popular for watching dolphins. Even though we were there during a descending tide (not the best time for spotting these intriguing creatures), we did see several as they traveled through the narrow part of the firth chasing fish.
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| Shann with Iain and Iona. |
The rest of the time we walked the beautiful rocky beach. I found some lovely rocks and several pieces of sea glass. Two other people were beach combing like us, and when I noticed they had spread out their findings on the jetty, I went over to see their collection. Iain was there with his daughter Iona. They were collecting sea glass for a wall hanging they have been working on together. Iona is named after the Iona Abby, which Iain visited before he was married. He was so struck with the beauty and energy of the place that he said if he had a daughter, he wanted to name her Iona. What a lovely namesake! We chatted for quite a while with these delightful folks.
Continuing our journey, we headed on around the beautiful Black Isle, crossed the Cromarty Firth, drove up the coast, crossed the Dornoch Firth and turned down the road toward the beautiful small town called Dornoch. I've been practicing and practicing, but I still cannot pronounce the name of this town with the lovely rolling sound the way the locals do!
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| The old jail in Dornoch now houses great gift shops. |
Sandy told us Dornoch was a great place to find items made in Scotland, and we had a special item in mind. In just two days comes the anniversary of our engagement. My engagement ring, a beautiful narrow band made of twisted white, yellow, and rose gold broke again before we left home. The jeweler explained that the thinnest of the wires was wearing out. It has been repaired now three times. Smoky said that he wanted to buy me a replacement engagement ring while we were in Scotland.
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| My new engagement ring! |
We found The Jail, a great little collection of shops housed in the old community jail. Just inside the door was a case with some hand-made jewelry. I tried several before finding just the right one. It is a lovely silver band consisting of two bands shaped in a wave pattern. And they had just my size. I knew as soon as I slipped it on that this was the one!
Smoky also got an engagement present -- a small ceramic Highland cow! I would post a photograph of it, but it came already boxed for shipping, and because of its fragile horns, we don't want to unbox it.
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| Inside Dornoch Cathedral. |
Just across the street from The Jail was the Dornoch Cathedral, a beautiful stone building constructed in the 13th century, still an active Church of Scotland today, with regular services throughout the year. We walked into the church, awed by its beauty and the ancient energy coming from its very walls and windows.
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| We renewed our vows (quietly) in Dornoch Cathedral. |
Smoky and I made this trip to Scotland to connect with our ancestral roots. Standing here in this holy place in a lovely small town in a country we have grown to love in such a short time, we decided we wanted to renew our wedding vows. So we walked to the altar and quietly repeated to each other the vows we made almost 36 years ago. Our wedding day was memorable in so many ways; this renewal day is as well!
On the way back to Inverness, we made one last stop. Smoky spotted a pull-off on the left side of the road next to Cromarty Firth, and he thought "seals." We stopped the car, got out the binoculars, and there they were -- seals! We spotted eight on rocks scattered along the coast, enjoying the last of the day's sun.
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| Seal on rock in Cromarty Firth. |
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| Here's another Cromarty Firth seal! |
We could not have asked for a nicer day than this one.
--Shann
[a few more photos]
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| View of the lovely town of Dornoch. |
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| Osprey flying near the seals. Osprey populations are increasing in Scotland, but they tend to stay away from populated areas. We were delighted to spot this one. |
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| A curlew looking for dinner near location of seals. |
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