|
For people who believe that a
holiday is best spent in some favourite out-door pursuit and thus rest and
renew vital energies, few districts in Scotland afford such a great variety
of attractions as Easter Ross. There are three ideal seaside golf courses.
There are miles upon miles of beautiful sandy beaches from which bathers can
safely get into clear salt water, and on which children can play in clean
sand or wade in clear water by the hour. For the geologist who can follow in
the steps of Hugh Miller, the whole district is full of special interest.
Those who delight in shells, land or marine, or the natural history of the
sea shore, will find much to interest them. For the artist there are many
combinations of mountains and moors beautiful from many standpoints, wide
stretches of landscape and seascape ; and as light, shade, and colour vary
all day long, there is a never-ending variety of subjects for the brush or
pencil. The sociologist and the antiquary will find the place brimful of
interest, while those who delight in boating and sailing can do so safely.
Everywhere around there is a contented and prosperous population possessed
of that kindness and courtesy natural to Highlanders. The cost of living is
certainly much more moderate than in many district which offer fewer
attractions.
Tain, the centre of the district, is by rail within eight hours of Edinburgh
and Glasgow, and within sixteen hours of London. Mails are received and
despatched thrice daily and the trunk telephone system has been extended to
Tain.
There are many points from which the widest of views of scenic beauty can
easily be obtained. Thus if a person stands at Invergordon Harbour he can on
a clear day see across the Moray Firth, and, skirting the horizon, the
distinctly defined coast of Moray; nearer, the Sutors of Cromarty forming
the gateway through which the waters enter, and which immediately within
expand into a broad and beautiful bay with the old town of Cromarty nestling
cosily on the southern side ; on the north a rich and fertile country with a
magnificent background of hills. Other points commanding even wider sweeps
are Nigg Hill, from which one can trace the railway from Elgin to Inverness
and then right round to Helmsdale; Tarbatness Lighthouse, the top of Tain
Tower, and Struie Hill. Everywhere the scenery has the advantage of showing
wide sheets of water which add to the charm, for it still continues to be
thought that “scenery without water is like a drawing-room without a
mirror.”
If a map showing the rainfall in the various parts of the kingdom be
consulted it appears that this whole district lies within the driest belt in
Scotland, and the rainfall averages less than 24 inches per annum. During
the summer months there is much sunshine but the heat is tempered by
proximity to the sea. Approximately the average temperature for May is
49°F., June 54°, July 57°, August 56.8°, and September 53°. June is usually
an ideal month and the pity is that visitors cannot in larger numbers
sojourn here then.
There are in all just about 200 miles of roads beautifully kept, and the
surface is all that can be wished for by motorists and cyclists. |
