The Black Isle ( gd, an t-Eilean Dubh, ) is a peninsula within
Ross and Cromarty, in the
Scottish Highlands. It includes the towns of
Cromarty
Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from ...
and
Fortrose, and the villages of
Culbokie
Culbokie (''An Cùil Bhàicidh'' in Gaelic, meaning 'the haunted nook') is a small village in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. It is located on the north side of the Black Isle. The village is south-east of Dingwall and about north of In ...
,
Jemimaville,
Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie ( sco, Rossmartnie, from gd, Ros Mhaircnidh meaning "promontory of the horse stream") is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in Ross-shire ( Ross and Cromarty), northern Scotland.
Geography
Rosemarkie lies a qu ...
,
Avoch
Avoch harbour
Avoch ( ; from the gd, Abhach – meaning mouth of the stream) is a harbour-village located on the south-east coast of the Black Isle, on the Moray Firth.
History Origins
Ormond Castle or ''Avoch Castle'' was a stronghold built o ...
,
Munlochy
Munlochy ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Poll Lochaidh'') is a small village, lying at the head of Munlochy Bay (''Ob Poll Lochaidh''), in the Black Isle in Ross and Cromarty, in northern Scotland.
There are few early records of a settlement, but it seem ...
,
Tore, and
North Kessock, as well as numerous smaller settlements. About 12,000 people live on the Black Isle, depending on the definition.
The northern slopes of the Black Isle offer fine views of
Dingwall
Dingwall ( sco, Dingwal, gd, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest cas ...
,
Ben Wyvis,
Fyrish and the deepwater anchorage at
Invergordon. To the south,
Inverness and the
Monadhliath Mountains can be seen.
Description
Despite its name, the Black Isle is not an island but a
peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the
sea – the
Cromarty Firth
The Cromarty Firth (; gd, Caolas Chrombaidh ; literally "kyles /nowiki>straits.html"_;"title="strait.html"_;"title="/nowiki>strait">/nowiki>straits">strait.html"_;"title="/nowiki>strait">/nowiki>straitsof_Cromarty.html" ;"title="strait">/no ...
to the north, the
Beauly Firth
The Beauly Firth ( gd, Linne Fharair) is a firth in northern Scotland. It is the outlet for both the River Beauly and River Ness. The Beauly Firth is bounded at its western end by the town of Beauly and its eastern by Inverness, where it empties ...
to the south, and the
Moray Firth to the east.
On the fourth, western side, its boundary is broadly delineated by rivers. The
River Conon
The River Conon ( gd, Conann) is a river in the Highlands of Scotland. It begins at Loch Luichart, and flows in a south-easterly direction to be joined by the River Meig at Scatwell before passing through Loch Achonachie. It is joined by the B ...
, which divides
Maryburgh
Maryburgh ( gd, Baile Màiri) is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland, south of Dingwall. It is situated on the northern bank of the River Conon. The village of Conon Bridge
Conon Bridge ( gd, Drochaid Sguideil, ) is a small v ...
from
Conon Bridge
Conon Bridge ( gd, Drochaid Sguideil, ) is a small village in the Highland region of Scotland. The current Gaelic name is likely a neologism: the bridge was not built until the early 19th century and some early gravestones show the name sgudal or ...
, defines the border in the north-west. The south-western boundary is variously considered to be either a minor tributary of the
River Beauly separating
Beauly
Beauly ( ; ; gd, A' Mhanachainn) is a village in the Highland area, on the River Beauly, west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. The town is historically within Kilmorack Parish of the Scottish County of Inverness.
The land around B ...
(in
Inverness-shire) and
Muir of Ord
Muir of Ord ( gd, Am Blàr Dubh) is a village in Easter Ross, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is situated near the western end of the Black Isle, about west of the city of Inverness and south of Dingwall. The village has a populati ...
(on the Black Isle in Ross and Cromarty), dividing the two counties and also delineating the start of the Black Isle; or alternatively, the River Beauly itself, thus including Beauly in the Black Isle despite its official placement in Inverness-shire.
There are modern road bridges across the
Cromarty
Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from ...
and
Beauly
Beauly ( ; ; gd, A' Mhanachainn) is a village in the Highland area, on the River Beauly, west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. The town is historically within Kilmorack Parish of the Scottish County of Inverness.
The land around B ...
Firths, which carry the
A9 trunk road across the heart of the Black Isle. The last remaining ferry is a summer service from Cromarty to
Nigg. The
North Coast 500 scenic route crosses the base of the peninsula.
The Black Isle is close to railway stations at Inverness and along the
Far North Line
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. As the name suggests, it is the northernmost railway in the United Kingdom. The line is entirely single-trac ...
to Dingwall, as well as
Inverness Airport and the cruise ship terminal at Invergordon. There are a number of hotels and B&Bs on the Black Isle itself, with many more nearby.
Land use is primarily arable farming and forestry. Since the
Kessock Ferry across the Beauly Firth was replaced by the bridge, the Black Isle has become something of a commuter zone for Inverness.
The whole of the Black Isle is part of the
Presbytery of Ross.
The Black Isle has a wide variety of wildlife including several legally protected areas. It is particularly known for the chance to see
bottlenose dolphins
Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the comm ...
at close range, either from wildlife boat operators in
Avoch
Avoch harbour
Avoch ( ; from the gd, Abhach – meaning mouth of the stream) is a harbour-village located on the south-east coast of the Black Isle, on the Moray Firth.
History Origins
Ormond Castle or ''Avoch Castle'' was a stronghold built o ...
and
Cromarty
Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from ...
or from the beach at
Chanonry Point
Chanonry Point ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Gob na Cananaich'') lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, Scotland.
Lighthouse
An active lighthouse situated at ...
between
Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie ( sco, Rossmartnie, from gd, Ros Mhaircnidh meaning "promontory of the horse stream") is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in Ross-shire ( Ross and Cromarty), northern Scotland.
Geography
Rosemarkie lies a qu ...
and
Fortrose.
Castles
Castles on the Black Isle (whether ruinous or otherwise) include
Castlecraig,
Redcastle
Redcastle ( gd, an Caisteal ruadh), historically known as Edirdovar and Ederdour, is a medieval castle in Killearnan on the Black Isle, northern Scotland. It is so named from the colour of the stone of which it is built. The castle is now in a ...
, and
Kilcoy Castle.
Cromarty House stands on the site of former Cromarty Castle and is built in part from its reclaimed stone and timbers. Kinkell Castle has been recently restored. Former castles of the Black Isle for which there are no physical remains include
Tarradale Castle,
Castle Chanonry of Ross and a mound indicating the former site of
Ormond Castle.
History
Conventional middle to modern Black Isle history is well documented at a number of visitor centres and cottage museums sprinkled across the peninsula. According to the
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, it was originally called Ardmeanach (Gaelic ''ard'', height; ''maniach'', monk, from an old religious house on the wooded ridge of Mulbuie), and it derived its customary name from the fact that, since snow does not lie in winter, the promontory looks black while the surrounding country is white. However, that is only one theory amongst many.
Rosehaugh, near Avoch, belonged to
Sir George Mackenzie
Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh (1636 – May 8, 1691) was a Scottish lawyer, Lord Advocate, essayist and legal writer.
Early life
Mackenzie, who was born in Dundee, was the son of Sir Simon Mackenzie of Lochslin (died c. 1666) and Elizabe ...
, founder of the
Advocates' Library
The Advocates Library, founded in 1682, is the law library of the Faculty of Advocates, in Edinburgh. It served as the national deposit library of Scotland until 1925, at which time through an Act of Parliament the National Library of Scotland ...
in Edinburgh, who earned the sobriquet of "Bloody" from his persecution of the
Covenanters. Redcastle, on the shore, near Killearnan church, dates from 1179 and is said to have been the earliest inhabited house in the north of Scotland. On the forfeiture of the
earldom of Ross it became a royal castle (being visited by
Mary, Queen of Scots), and afterwards passed for a period into the hands of the Mackenzies of
Gairloch. Previously, the Black Isle had been
Munro
A Munro () is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nev ...
country.
The Black Isle was one of the earliest parts of the northern Highlands to experience the
clearances and was settled with many Lowland shepherds and farmers, especially from the north east.
Hugh Miller, self-taught geologist and writer, was born in Cromarty where his cottage is now a
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organi ...
museum.
Alexander Mackenzie, who crossed
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
overland in 1793 and gave his name to the
Mackenzie River, is buried near Avoch.
Between 1989 and 1994, 93
red kite
The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds in the Western Palearctic region o ...
s of Swedish origin were reintroduced to the Black Isle.
From 1894 until 1960 the Black Isle Railway, known officially as the
Fortrose Branch, ran from Muir of Ord to Fortrose.
Education
The principal secondary school on the Black Isle is
Fortrose Academy which currently has around 780 pupils. Fortrose Academy is one of the top 50 secondary Schools in Scotland
There are a number of primary schools (listed below), most of whom transfer pupils to Fortrose Academy when they become of age, whilst the others transfer pupils to Dingwall Academy.
* Ben Wyvis Primary School
* Tore Primary School
* Avoch Primary School
* Culbokie Primary School
* Ferintosh Primary School
* Mulbuie Primary School
* Cromarty Primary School
* North Kessock Primary School
* Munlochy Primary School
* Beauly Primary School
* Tarradale Primary School
Culture
In addition to its Gaelic heritage, the Black Isle had its own dialect of
North Northern Scots, used mainly among fisherfolk in Avoch and Cromarty, where it became extinct in October 2012, upon the death of Bobby Hogg, the last native speaker.
Now barely used, there are
Clootie well sites at Munlochy, Jemimaville and Avoch.
Anne MacLeod, the writer, lives on the Black Isle.
Composer/musician
Neil Grant is originally from
Culbokie
Culbokie (''An Cùil Bhàicidh'' in Gaelic, meaning 'the haunted nook') is a small village in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. It is located on the north side of the Black Isle. The village is south-east of Dingwall and about north of In ...
.
See also
*
Easter Ross
*
Ross-shire
*
Cromartyshire
*
Ross and Cromarty
References
External links
*
Black Isle Partnership website from the Black Isle]
{{Coord, 57, 35, 27, N, 4, 14, 30, W, display=title, region:GB_type:isle_source:dewiki
Black Isle,
Ross and Cromarty
Peninsulas of Scotland