On the point of Chanonry Ness you will see the site of the burning of the Brahan Seer, the Highlands' Nostradamus, whose prophecies are still quoted. The nearby jetty was the landing place for the Chanonry-Ardersier ferry, once part of the King's Route, and this is a good point to look out for dolphins, especially at the turn of the tide. An interpretive panel nearby provides further information about dolphins, seals and other sea mammals. Rosemarkie's Groam House Museum contains the Rosemarkie Stone and an award winning display of other Pictish carving, while the Fairy Glen offers you a scenic walk through natural woodland.
Travel on to Cromarty ''the Highlands' top historic town'' and discover this remarkable 18th century town with a visit to Cromarty Courthouse, winner of over a dozen awards and commendations. Included in the entrance price to the courthouse is a Walkman tape tour around the older part of the town. You can also enjoy Hugh Miller's cottage, birthplace of one of Scotland's outstanding men of letters of the 19th century, and there are dolphin viewing boat trips from the harbour. Then it's onwards to Nigg and its church which contains another intricately carved Pictish stone. The Seaboard Villages of Shandwick, Hilton and Balintore are a cluster of fishing settlements on the rocky North Sea coast, with the Shandwick Stone, another Pictish symbol stone, standing above them.
The medieval Abbey of Fearn is now incorporated in the parish church. Early on a Sunday morning in the autumn of 1742, a mermaid was seen by the shore of nearby Loch Slin, washing blood stains from more than 30 shirts. Later that day, during a service, the roof of the ancient church fell and killed many of the congregation. The Tarbat Peninsula was the site of an early Pictish settlement at Portmahomack whose history is now being discovered through archaeological excavations. You can explore this area by following the Pictish Trail - lookout for signs and leaflets.
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