You may have heard the saying "West is best" when talking about the Scottish Highlands, and, in many ways, I would probably believe that myself. I live in the West Highlands, and I love the dramatic landscape in this part of the world. Wherever you look, there are mountains and lochs and beautiful little villages.
On our way to the ferry to Orkney, we spend a day working and exploring Sutherland and Caithness. We have visited Dornoch few times over the last few years, but we haven't really had much opportunity to explore other parts of Sutherland and I had never a chance to explore Caithness before.
On our journey north, we decided to stop at Dunrobin Castle. This fairytale castle is the most northern stately home in the UK and home to the Sutherland family. It's a place I've wanted to visit for many years, but, unfortunately, we turned up too late to actually go inside. That didn't matter too much because the grounds were still open. I love looking at the beautiful flowers in the gardens and we had the place all to ourselves.
The next morning, our ferry to Stromness was delayed from the early morning until lunchtime, so we decided to make the most out of time in the very north of Scotland. We headed out of Thurso and headed to the northernmost tip of the UK, John O'Groats. I've never been one to head to the most touristy spots, but when in the north of Scotland, you have to visit that famous signpost.
When people say they want to visit the Scottish Highlands, they often mean the want to see the beautiful lochs and dramatic mountains of the West Highlands. They want to visit the Isle of Skye and Loch Ness, and I can't blame them. I love these parts of the Scottish Highlands as much as the next person.
But I would highly recommend giving the Far North of Scotland a visit. Though the landscape isn't as dramatic as the West, that doesn't mean it isn't beautiful. We loved seeing the complete difference in landscape between Sutherland and Caithness and our home in Lochalsh and nearby Wester Ross.
This may have been my first time visiting this part of the world, but it certainly won't be my last.
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