Photo4x4
Free Member
Here is a bit of information for anyone planning a visit to The Black Isle following our day out there yesterday. I hope you find it useful.
Chanonry Point: Hotspot for dolphin watching. Useful website. Yes it is undoubtedly a great place to watch dolphins - if you can manage to park there! The parking area is very restricted and has fairly recently been re-organised which has left it almost impossible to park a motorhome (even smaller ones). The bays are 'car sized' and the only place we could see to park a MH was at the very far end next to the barriers. There was a MH parked there but I would imagine that they would have had great difficulty getting out. We had to navigate the 'island' at the carpark and drive out again. I spoke to a fellow motor homer whilst at Cromarty who had a small 2 berth MH and he told me that he was there the previous Sunday and having managed to squeeze in then got blocked in and accidentally damaged his MH by scraping against a post whilst trying to get out!
A solution may be to arrive VERY early and prepared to stay for the day, get in one of the spaces at the far end of the car park by the fence/barrier posts. At least here you should not be obstructing other vehicles. See attached Google Maps picture, this was done before the 'upgrade' of the car park but the layout is much the same. You could alternatively park somewhere in Fortrose and make the couple of mile walk down to the point, or visit out of season!
Cromarty: Small town/village on the Cromarty Firth. Useful Website.
Cromarty is a charming little town (or large village) with some lovely shops and cafes and pubs and museums. In the words of our friends from the USA it is 'quaint', and is really nice to amble around and look at the cottages and historic buildings. There are also a couple of nice walks along the bay or onto the top of the South Sutor.
Please read the sign at the entrance to the links as it has a few simple requests to help make your stay 'responsible'. When we were there up to 10 motorhomes were parked up and ONLY one was parked in the restricted area at the front. There were however quite a few car drivers who ignored the parking request!
Of course we know what will happen if people abuse this FREE facility - the gates will be permanently locked. Praise is due to the local Community Council for their foresight in encouraging visitors as we and no doubt many of the other motorhomers spent some cash in the local shops (take not all you seaside town in East Yorkshire who put height barriers on your car parks).
Avoch (pronounced Och): Little village with harbour and great fish and chip shop! Useful website. On the road between Fortrose and Cromarty with nice harbour. There is parking at the harbour and public toilets. No overnight parking is allowed but it is a great place to stop for a wander around the harbour and there are also walks along the coast.
Avoch Chippy is truly excellent and if you don't want to eat in your motorhome there are picnic benches on the grassed area adjacent to the harbour and chippy.
Hopefully some of you will find this useful.
KH
Chanonry Point: Hotspot for dolphin watching. Useful website. Yes it is undoubtedly a great place to watch dolphins - if you can manage to park there! The parking area is very restricted and has fairly recently been re-organised which has left it almost impossible to park a motorhome (even smaller ones). The bays are 'car sized' and the only place we could see to park a MH was at the very far end next to the barriers. There was a MH parked there but I would imagine that they would have had great difficulty getting out. We had to navigate the 'island' at the carpark and drive out again. I spoke to a fellow motor homer whilst at Cromarty who had a small 2 berth MH and he told me that he was there the previous Sunday and having managed to squeeze in then got blocked in and accidentally damaged his MH by scraping against a post whilst trying to get out!
A solution may be to arrive VERY early and prepared to stay for the day, get in one of the spaces at the far end of the car park by the fence/barrier posts. At least here you should not be obstructing other vehicles. See attached Google Maps picture, this was done before the 'upgrade' of the car park but the layout is much the same. You could alternatively park somewhere in Fortrose and make the couple of mile walk down to the point, or visit out of season!
Cromarty: Small town/village on the Cromarty Firth. Useful Website.
Cromarty is a charming little town (or large village) with some lovely shops and cafes and pubs and museums. In the words of our friends from the USA it is 'quaint', and is really nice to amble around and look at the cottages and historic buildings. There are also a couple of nice walks along the bay or onto the top of the South Sutor.
Please read the sign at the entrance to the links as it has a few simple requests to help make your stay 'responsible'. When we were there up to 10 motorhomes were parked up and ONLY one was parked in the restricted area at the front. There were however quite a few car drivers who ignored the parking request!
Of course we know what will happen if people abuse this FREE facility - the gates will be permanently locked. Praise is due to the local Community Council for their foresight in encouraging visitors as we and no doubt many of the other motorhomers spent some cash in the local shops (take not all you seaside town in East Yorkshire who put height barriers on your car parks). Avoch (pronounced Och): Little village with harbour and great fish and chip shop! Useful website. On the road between Fortrose and Cromarty with nice harbour. There is parking at the harbour and public toilets. No overnight parking is allowed but it is a great place to stop for a wander around the harbour and there are also walks along the coast.
Avoch Chippy is truly excellent and if you don't want to eat in your motorhome there are picnic benches on the grassed area adjacent to the harbour and chippy.
Hopefully some of you will find this useful.
KH
