The Pictish Trail, Easter Ross

What happened to the Picts?

The Picts wrote nothing down in their own language. However, manuscripts written by the Irish and English have survived which tells us something of their story. Viking raids took place in the late 8th and 9th centuries in northern Pictland and on the west coast. Orkney and Shetland came under Norse rule and even Ross and Cromarty was threatened. To protect themselves against this Viking threat the Scots and Picts amalgamated under a Scottish king, Kenneth mac Alpin, in 843AD.

One of the results of this was that the unique style of Pictish craftsmanship in sculpture and metalwork was lost. Geometric and animal symbols no longer appeared. Sculptors and metalworkers worked for new masters with different ideas. The culture of the Picts was overwhelmed by the Scots, but the Christian faith continued. These cross-slabs are therefore the last tangible record of the Picts in Easter Ross.

Where some Pictish stones can be seen

Pictish stones of the 6th/7th centuries can be seen in the open air at Strathpeffer and Dingwall. There is an excellent display of Early Christian stones of the 8th/9th centuries at Groam House Museum, Rosemarkie. This Pictish Centre also has an audio-visual display presentation on the Picts of Easter Ross. There are displays of others in the museums at Dunrobin Castle, Golspie and Inverness. The stones from Tarbat and Hilton of Cadboll are in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland.

Getting there

Most of this trail has to be done by car, although there is a local bus service to the Seaboard Villages of Shandwick and Hilton of Cadboll. There are cafes in Portmahomack (Tarbat) and Tain, village shops in Balintore and Edderton.

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