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| Northern Highlands Land of the midnight sun and golf course treasures |
| Home Scottish Links Golf The Basics AFSD - how to determine the real length of a golf course Helpful Websites Platinum Page Upscale golfing products & services Aberdeen & Grampian Highlands Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay... Ayrshire Royal Troon, Turnberry, Prestwick... North Berwick Golf Coast Edinburgh area, NorthBerwick, Muirfield, Gullane... Northern Highlands Boat of Garten Bonar Bridge Ardgay Brora Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golspie Nairn Nairn Dunbar Royal Dornoch Strathpeffer Tain St. Andrews area Other golf courses Machrihanish, Pitlochry... Links lite... Great links golf for the not-so-great golfer |
A World Apart -- (c) 2006, Richard & Mary-Alice Jafolla The Northern Highlands--land of great beauty, the clans, the late evening sun (in June you can play golf until after 11 PM and then tee off again at 4:30 AM if you wish), history as rugged as the terrain, wild mountain streams, and golf courses that will live in your memory forever. This northern part of Scotland is not as remote as you might think. In fact, it's very accessible and should part of your golfing experience. It's also the warmest and driest area in the Highlands. The Royal Burgh of Dornoch is our hub for this area for several reasons--good lodging, a choice of eateries, convenient location for all of the golf courses, and... it just happens to be the home of Royal Dornoch Golf Club, that great star of the North.
Where To Stay B&Bs... Hillview - Beautiful 4 star B&B, warm and gracious owners, every detail deluxe. In a rural setting on the
Phone Pat Woodstock (0)1862 810151 Email - hillviewBB@talk21.com www.milford.co.uk/go/hillviewbb.html Highfield House - Well deserving of their 5 star rating. Good location on main road into town centre. Cater to golfers and will arrange tee times for you if you wish, as well as prepare lunch to take with you. A fine, well-established B&B. Visit their website to see all the amenities the Dooleys offer their guests. Tel: (0)1862 810909 www.highfieldhouse.co.uk Auchlea House - In a country setting about 1 mile north of Dornoch, this very nice 3 star B&B is well-priced and will also serve dinner if you reserve in advance. As in all lodging listed here, every bedroom is en-suite. Tel: (0)1862 811524 www.milford.co.uk/scotland/accom/h-a-1927.html Fourpenny Cottage - Delightful lodging, a bit farther from town but very close to Skibo Castle, where Madonna and Guy Ritchie were married. Woodsy area, first-rate accommodations, good price. Phone Julie Board: (0)1862 810859 fourpenny@tesco.net http://homepages.tesco.net/~fourpenny/index.html A small hotel... 2 Quail Hotel and Restaurant is an upscale establishment in the town centre. Elegant rooms and prices to match. For a special event... www.2quail.com Self-Catering... NOTE: for stays of a week or more, Richard and I like to "self-cater" whenever we can, because you can cook your own meals if you wish, come and go as you please, and have it all to yourself like your own house. Here are two self-catering places we recommend.. #4 Dornoch Square East -- fine self-catering townhouse just 3-minute walk to Royal Dornoch's 1st tee ! Just off "The Square" in the town centre, tucked behind the police station. Constructed on 3 levels, the top floor is an attractive "great room" with full kitchen (dishwasher & washer/dryer), dining area, and comfortable living area with a library of golf books. Three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom (definitely rare!), make-up the second level. Accommodates 4-5 people, has private parking, and the price is excellent. For info call David Tepper in U.S. 415-956-5593. Email - tcmnav@aol.com Fairways Dornoch -- self-catering apartment almost across the street from Royal Dornoch golf course in a peaceful cul-de-sac. Ideal for a couple, this bright and cheerful apartment has its own private garden, easy parking, and excellent rates. Contact owners Irene and Douglas Tod at info@fairwaysdornoch.co.uk or phone them at (0)141 955 0644. Their website will give you a good sense of this comfortable flat. www.fairwaysdornoch.co.uk ____________________________________________________________ When You Are Hungry You will discover several eateries right in the centre of Dornoch. Luigi's on Castle Street is popular, Dornoch Castle Hotel has a garden restaurant, nice for lunch. Mansfield House Hotel has a good bar menu, which means less expensive pub-type meals. Sutherland House - our first choice for fine food. Wonderful authentic Scottish dining with warm service. Their excellent chef cooks everything to order. The home-made desserts are exceptional--world's best StickyToffee Pudding!!! Very fine food at fair prices. The Sutherland House also offers a Bar Food menu during the day. For evening meals it's definitely best to call ahead for bookings.
Travel a few miles north to Brora and you'll easily find ... The Quiet Piggy, right in the Brora Railway Station Square. Quite new and already popular, the menu changes almost daily, with fresh produce used in their well-prepared meals. (See Brora for more details.) _____________________________________________________________ What To Do All Day Dornoch has a wonderful aura of the past about it--very small but with everything you'll need for a truly memorable stay. Definitely a walking village, you can cover most of it in a short time. But stroll easily, as almost every building offers something of interest. If your travel companion is playing Royal Dornoch, the best plan is to leave the car right there at the golf course and walk down the street to the corner, where you turn right. In another 100 yards you will be in the town centre. Turn left and begin your walk along the main street and the small streets running off it. The town is dominated by the Cathedral, which you are free to enter. Up until a few short years ago the Dornoch Cathedral was known for its historical value--it was founded in 1224! Now, of course, it receives many more visitors because it is where Madonna and Guy Richie held their son's christening ceremony. Hollywood and the outside world have discovered Dornoch and the Northern Highlands, but this is a hardy, ancient land...and it remains unchanged. And that's the beauty of it, and the joy and peace of being here in this timeless place.
Once you've investigated the cathedral, meander
around and savour the local scene.
You'll
find a few good antique shops, an old-fashioned
combination general store and gift
shop,
called "The Gift Shop," and
another
unusual emporium called the "Dornoch
Pet And Country Store." You can
browse
freely in any of the shops, where you'll
see items you may have never seen before
and you'll meet people who are friendly
and
helpful.
Donald Ross, the great Scottish golf architect, lived in Dornoch, and if you walk onto the little street off the high (main) street in the village centre you can see the plaque on the house he grew up in. Donald Ross "cut his teeth" on the Royal Dornoch course, and later went on to design several hundred (!) golf courses in the United States, most of which contain some reminder of Royal Dornoch.
History Links Museum -- If you like your history information organized and easy to grasp as well as colourful, walk one block south of the main street to the History Links Museum, tucked behind the Castle Hotel and located on a street called "The Meadows." There are signposts pointing the way. Everything is easy to find in Dornoch, and you cannot get lost. Dornoch is fun to explore by taking the Heritage Trail, which starts at the History Links Museum. But the museum itself is very rewarding. You'll find 7,000 turbulent years packed into one small musuem. Discover Dornoch's fiery past--the treachery and violence of the Picts and the Vikings, the feuding clans and the shameful burning of Scotland's last condemned witch. www.historylinks.org.uk And when you grow weary of walking around, pop into one of the tea shops in the village for a relaxing cup of tea and some homemade scones, for instance. It's a comfortable, unhurried way to enjoy some time to plan your next move. The Dornoch Bookshop is a fine place to check out. I always spend a lot of time in here and if you like books, you will too. And speaking of books, I recommend an excellent book about Dornoch and the Highlands golf, and you can purchase it right here in this bookshop--A Season In Dornoch, by Lorne Rubenstein. It will give you a heightened sense of the area and its specialness. Very entertaining reading. Saturday nights in the summer...Pipe bands and Highland dancers perform in the town centre Saturday evenings in summer. A special Highland treat. It's very light at night in these latitudes.
In the surrounding countryside and not far --
Glenmorangie Distillery The Scottish Highlands have the most and some of the best whisky distilleries in the world. And here, at Tain, south of Dornoch just after the A9 crosses the Firth of Dornoch, you can visit one of the most remowned. www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/tain/glenmorangie/index.html Other worthwhile places are listed on the individual golf course pages. Especially see Tain. |
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