Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands has many points of interest which makes it a very special place in which to visit, live & work.
Sutherland is situated in the far north of Scotland in the Highlands. The atmosphere of the place is breathtaking with plenty of space to explore a variety of wonders. Golden eagles soar high over hillsides and mountains, even wild cats still roam here.
Sutherland has it's Munro's..highest mountains of Ben Hope, Ben More, Ben Kilbreck & Conival.
Western Sutherland is designated a Geo park being such a natural wonder..it includes the famous Highland scenery of the Assynt.
Mountains silhouette against magnificent skyscapes, fabulous coastline & beaches surprise you at every turn. An abundance of wildlife many of them rare in the natural unspoilt setting in which they thrive.
Of course there are numerous lochs here but also rather surprisingly Sutherland has the largest waterfall ( at the head of loch Glencoul) in Britain. It is in fact four times higher than Niagara Falls at 650ft.
Sutherland is surrounded by coastline and has many long sweeping beaches ( sandwood bay the remotest of Scotland's beaches & regarded by many as one of the best) and inlet coves & Caves in the far north ( Smoo) a limestone sea cave is the largest in Britain. Bone caves exist at Inchnadamph where human remains were found dating back some 4,500 years, as well as bone fragments of bear & other animals now long extinct. Cape Wrath is the furthest north west tip of Sutherland a remote & rugged promontory.
Sutherland is a region rich in archeology and has unusual geological features (Knockan Cliff & Oykel) as well as having some of the the oldest rocks on earth.
The Highland clearances was the saddest event in Sutherland's history where tenants were left homeless to make way for sheep grazing back in the 19th century. You can still see evidence of this with derelict dwellings dotted about the landscape.
Sutherland was the scene of a gold rush back in the 19th century. At Baille An Or in the strath of Kildonan near Helmsdale. This place was where a man named Robert Gilchrist first discovered gold, that year saw the great Sutherland gold rush in 1869. Within a year it was over but small amounts can still be found today. We often see people panning for flakes of gold.
Fragments of rock like those illustrated above can be found in the shallows coated in gold flakes which glisten in the sunlight.
The famous holiday resort of Dornoch is on the east coast. It has a championship golf course ranked 13th in the world) & a Cathedral. The climate here is mild & sheltered. In fact a good part of the Sutherland especially coastal is warmed by the gulf stream, we have a much better climate than many realise. There is in fact in the Highlands a famous botanical garden (Inverewe) growing tropical plant specimens along the sheltered shore of loch Ewe.
Other places of interest & wonder here in Sutherland include RSPB nature reserve in Forsinard, an area of rare bog land. Falls of Shin where salmon can be seen leaping on route to their breeding ground, there are some unrivalled rivers in which to fish. There is a whiskey distillery here in Brora, you are never very far from a distillery traveling in the north east Highlands.
In Sutherland there is a wealth of outdoor activities to be had like walking, climbing, exploring, rally biking, fishing, fossil collecting, golf, a visit to a fairy tale castle complete with turrets by the sea..dornoch firth ( Dunrobin).
Sutherland is a splendid & inspiring place in which to live.