Wednesday May 29, 2024 – Invergorden, Scotland
Overnight we retraced our steps back south on the eastern side of Scotland to Invergorden, a town and port in Easter Ross, parish of Rosskeen in Scotland, established in 1828. We were greeted by a fireboat welcoming us as we docked, Port to Dock and boarded Coach 10 for a tour “Panoramic Highlands and Firths” with guide Alison and Driver Kevin. The Port brings in some income of STG 295MM a year and thus a major part of the local economy which also consists mainly of farming ( hardy sheep for food and the wool for cloth) and tourism. The plan is to make it a “Green Hydrogen Port” over the next 50 years where all will be operated by renewable hydrogen.
In the late 1700’s there were just a few thatched cottages and was known as Inver-Brekke (where two waters meet). There was a castle owned by the Innis family and later by the Gordon family, who did a great deal for the town and its population. Thus in recognition of the services this wealthy family provided, the name was changed to InverGorgon. As we drove out through the beautiful valleys there was a lot of green fields where barley was being grown for the whiskey buisness. Only local barley, rather and a single still can be used to qualify for single malt whisky. Even if it is the same distillery but a different building where the still is housed and the product of each blended, it cannot be considered single malt. There are very strict regulations. Although there are many windmill farms and about 30% of the electricity is produced from them for local use, most homes are still heated by coal or wood. There seems to be a major effort afoot to have a healthy sustainable atmosphere. There is a great deal of peat under the heather which absorbs over a million tons of CO2 each year and thus helps the clean environment. Peat is not used here for heating as it is on the western side of Scotland. About half of the Highland population or 125K are employed in some way or another by the government, with the National Health Service (NHS) being the second largest employer followed by tourism.
We had decent weather – sunny and overcast most of the time although the long stop was filled with pouring rain!
Our first stop was at a viewpoint overlooking the Kyle of Sutherland on the south side, overlooking the natural tidal estuary which is 46 miles long. A spectacular sight and perfect weather. We continued on to the second stop the Salmon Leap (so called since the Atlantic Salmon leap up the falls to their spawning ground, which has been going on since the ice age) trail down to the Falls of Shin. A long sinuous pathway led to a viewing platform over the River Shin cut through the granite sides and the waterfall, creating a beautiful scene. Some stone carvings dating back 1500 years show the salmon leaping up the river. By the time the salmon arrive at their fresh water breeding ground where they were born, and lay their eggs, they are exhausted and die. The young, when born, stay in these pools and try to avoid predators, feeding on insects for 3 year or more. They then go down to the ocean and swim with the currents to Greenland for feeding and living their lives before making the final swim back to their birthplace (many do not survive) to start the breeding process again.
Our next and final stop before returning to the ship was at a charming town called Dornoch. When we arrived, the rain came down so we found the Dornoch Free Church of Scotland (www.dornochfreechurch.co.uk) taking shelter and admiring the simple, yet beautiful church. We then went to the Cathederal where the original pillars dating back 800 years are still standing, although much of the rest of the building had been replaced over the centuries. The relatively narrow central aisle (which had been originally 14 feet wide is now about 10 feet wide leads to the main alter in the center of the crucifix form where the burial site of St. Gilbert, with the end of the long central navel being the burial places of the Earls of Sutherland.
We briefly stopped in a nice shop offering Scottish tartan wares (www.kingcraig.com) and made our way to the bakery in search of a warm cup of tea and were pleased to also consume a couple of their pies and pastries. We quickly made our way back through the rain to the coach for the return to the ship. Again most of the return was in rain, but gorgeous verdant scenery abounded. Back at the ship we opted not to go into town, which was a short walk away, but rather to a warm shower and dry clothes.
The evening performance was “The Celtic Harps” a 4 man singing group (no Harps, but so called because the national symbol of Ireland is the Harp) singing Irish / Celtic music. A very nice performance.
Roger & Anne Travels 