Teddy Edward: Dingwall and the Great Railway Journey

Back in the middle of July we had a trip out in the motorhome to spend a few days at Dingwall Camping & Caravanning Site, a place we hadn't visited before. After getting parked up at our pitch and sorting out the awning and all the other gubbins that are associated with motorhoming, we went for a walk to explore the local area.

We started with a walk along the side of the River Peffery, which is a smallish tidal river that leads in to the Cromarty Firth:

Path alongside the River Peffery

Beyond the River Peffery to the Cromarty Firth

After a few hundred yards we came to a little wooden bridge that allowed us to cross the river on to the shores of the Cromarty Firth. The tide was out so the river banks were very muddy and the water in the Cromarty Firth was miles away:

Crossing the River Peffery

Moira on the Shores of The Cromarty Firth

If you look very carefully at the last photo you will see the Cromarty Bridge in the far distance.

We headed back over the wooden bridge and continued our walk down river until we came to the point where the river joined the estuary (or firth):

River Peffery and Muddy Estuary

A little further along we reached a headland with benches, trees, sculptures and manicured grass. This provided us with views of the Cromarty Firth and of the River Conon, which also joins the firth at this point:

Towards Cromarty Firth

Headland where River Conon joins Cromarty Firth

River Conon

These gulls walking in the estuary might give you an idea how muddy it was:

We headed back to the caravan park along Ferry Road; which took us past the football ground of Ross County FC, which was a beer can's throw away from the the site:

The Home of Ross County FC

Camping and Caravanning Site at Dingwall

It was a pleasant little walk and set us up for our tasty barbeque that night:

Burger King?

mmmmmm!

After a hearty meal and a few beers we retired for the night.

Next morning we were up bright and early as we had a train to catch. We had booked return tickets from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh and were looking forward to one of the great railway journeys in Scotland hoping for some stunning views.

The weather was a bit overcast, but it was dry so we picked our seats on the train and sat back for a relaxing two hours train journey. The only blot on a perfect trip was that the train windows were a bit dirty in places, not conducive to good photography, so I apologise in advance for quality of my images.

The train heads North for a few hundred yards (passing right by the campsite) before veering left and heading due West to the opposite coast of Scotland. The first part of the journey took us mostly through wooded areas with very little photo opportunities until we reached Garve:

Loch Garve

Garve Station

A little further on the track ran alongside the River Bran as it wound it's way east from the hills above Achnasheen to join the River Conon via Loch Luichart, and ultimately reach the Cromarty Firth:

Running alongside the River Bran

River Bran and distant hills

We then passed Loch a'Chuilinn, which is fed by the waters of the River Bran:

Loch a'Chuilinn

Another part of Loch a'Chuillin

We were enjoying our rail journey, despite the need to wear masks (no it's not the great train robbers!)

Selfie Time

Others were less concerned about the scenery, probably a regular commute to them:

Passing Loch Achanalt

Further along the track we stopped at Achnasheen Station, where it looked like they had been carrying out some ballast work on the line:

Achnasheen Station

Digger on Rails, Achnasheen

After Achnasheen we skirted alongside the A890 heading towards the high mountains of Strathcarron and Torridon:

Running alongside the A890

Heading towards the High Mountains

We still had the River Bran running alongside us as we passed by Loch Gowan:

River Bran flowing from Loch Gowan

Loch Gowan

River Bran and the A890

We were now about halfway through our journey, and also halfway across the country.............. the River Bran was no longer flowing eastward alongside us.................. it would soon be the River Carron flowing westward................ were at the watershed!

Approaching Glen Carron

Loch Scaven

Loch Scaven marked the start of Glen Carron, an area peppered with shooting estates:

Glenluig Estate

Glencarron Estate

Achnashellach Station was one of the few signs of human habitation since Achnasheen:

Achnashellach Station in Glen Carron

Thereafter we started to see a few other houses, some even had Red Deer Stags in their garden (I don't think it was a pet):

Nice House near Achnashellach

Red Deer Stag in Garden (bottom left)

As we passed another pretty cottage we could see that the high hills of Strathcarron were drawing ever closer:

Pretty Little Cottage

The High Hills of Strathcarron

Before we knew it we were right amongst the hills, enjoying fantastic views of the rugged mountain peaks:

The Hills around Sgorr Ruadh

Sgorr Ruadh (aka Red Peak)

Fuar Tholl (aka Wellington's Nose)

Strathcarron Hills

Once passed the high hills we pulled into Strathcarron Station:

View from Strathcarron Station

Strathcarron Station

After Strathcarron station the valley opens up and you can see the head of Loch Carron in front of you:

Head of Loch Carron

Soon you are alongside Loch Carron and enjoying views over to the other shore:

Skirting Alongside Loch Carron

The Shores of Loch Carron

The Town of Lochcarron on the far shore

Lochcarron on Loch Carron

You may already know but Loch Carron is a sea loch, and further along the track that was evident; as the track followed along the shores of the loch, each bay we passed started to look more tidal:

The Shores of Loch Carron

A Tidal Bay on Loch Carron

You could also see the distant hills beyond the far shores of the loch:

The hills beyond the far shores

There were also some cottages on the shoreline with fantastic views:

Nice Cottage on the Shores of Loch Carron

Nice Cottage, Nice Views

A little further along the track we reached Stromeferry, which is the narrowest point of Loch Carron; hence why there was a ferry and a railway station:

Stromeferry Station

View from Stromeferry Station

Beyond Stromeferry the loch widens and joins Loch Kishorn to form an estuary that feeds in to the Inner Sound of Skye. Here we saw a lovely house with fantastic views towards Isles of Skye:

Beautiful House with Fantastic Views

Towards the Isles of Skye

Our last stop before turning south to head in to Kyle of Lochalsh was Plockton and this was looming closer as we headed along the shoreline:

Island in the bay at Plockton

Heading towards Plockton

Plockton

At the southern end of Plockton we stopped at the railway station, where quite a few people got off and some got on board the train:

Plockton Railway Station

Pretty Station Building at Plockton

After Plockton we could clearly see that the views were much more 'coastal' and that the Isle of Skye was right in front of us:

Coastal Views

Isles of Skye on the Horizon

Over the sea to Skye

Shortly after this we trundled in to Kyle of Lochalsh Station, some two hours after we left Dingwall:

The Station at Kyle

Kyle of Lochalsh Station with Skye in the background

It was amazing how close we were to Skye when we stopped at the station, but then the ferry used to run between these two points before the bridge was built.

The first thing we did on arrival was to go looking for a cup of tea and a snack, which wasn't easy as many places were closed (or hadn't reopened after Covid). We bumped into another couple (George and Linda from Perth) who were also trying to find somewhere to eat. Coincidently they were also at the same caravan park at Dingwall and had travelled through on the train for the day out. We finally found a cafe called The Lighthouse (which was in the Lochalsh Christain Fellowship building) and we all enjoyed a nice cup of tea and a scone.

We then had a look around the few gift shops in Kyle, whilst George and Linda decided to have a walk to the Skye Bridge. From the viewpoint down by lifeboat station we could see the Skye Bridge and didn't fancy walking to it:

Skye Bridge from Kyle Lifeboat Station

Moira and the Skye Bridge

We also had some good views of the Isle of Skye itself, and the nearest town on it Kyleakin:

Isle of Skye from Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyleakin on Isle of Skye

We had a bit of a wander around the town (which didn't take long) then we headed back towards the station to wait for the next train to arrive. At the station I took a few photos of the lovely scenery and Moira took a photo of the not-so-lovely me:

Little Boat heading towards Loch Alsh

A blot on the Landscape

Little Boat still chugging along

Although the sun had decided to shine (now and again) it was still a bit misty looking over to Skye and the little islands at the start of Loch Alsh:

Misty Skye

Little Islands at entrance to Loch Alsh

Looking down Loch Alsh

You also got quite good views of the Skye Bridge from the bottom of the railway platform:

Skye Bridge from Kyle Station

A little while later the train arrived and we got on board; taking seats on the opposite side so we could get alternative views on our return journey. However with less people on the train this time we could easy see both sides of the track without disturbing anyone else.

I won't bore you with more photos of the train journey back to Dingwall, but I will share this little video which gives you a taste of the enjoyable ride as the train weaves it way along the coast and the shores of Loch Carron:

The next day we had a leisurely morning with a stroll around the town of Dingwall, popping in to a few shops to browse and buy some gifts. In the afternoon we took a walk along the banks of the Peffery again; but this time it was like a different place, the tide was high and the muddy old river and estuary had gone!

River Peffery at High Tide

Kayaks on River Peffery

Yes it was even deep enough to support a couple of Kayaks:

Kayakers enjoying the River Peffery

Not sure they want to go too far up the river, might be a bit muddy coming back down.

From the footbridge across the river we could see that the point where the river joins the Cromarty Firth was completely different, more like the harbour it use to be hundreds of years ago:

Moira on the Footbridge

View of Estuary from Footbridge

The Cromarty Firth was now full of water and looked more like a vast estuary than some extensive mudflats:

Cromarty Firth from other side of Footbridge

Cromarty Firth from Headland

Shores of Cromarty Firth

On the other side of the headland we could see that the River Conon had also expanded to become quite a wide river:

Eddie beside the River Conon

The River Conon

We walked past the houses on Ferry Road down towards where the ferry to Alcaig (on the opposite shore of the Conon) use to run from. On our route we passed a field that had a few Hares in it, but they were too quick for me to get any photo of them: