If The Black Isle Scotland isn’t on your must-see list of things to see in Scotland, it needs to go on it now! It’s an absolutely remarkable area of the country and certainly not one to miss!
Less than 20 minutes from Inverness, visiting the Black Isle is a great escape from the city! You’ll find bottlenose dolphins, lighthouses, the Black Isle Brewery, and wee Scottish villages like Cromarty.
When we lived in Inverness, we made a point to spend a weekend on the Black Isle, and our only regret was not going to the Black Isle sooner… it’s really pretty!
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Where is the Black Isle Scotland?
The Black Isle Scotland is just north of Inverness via Kessock Bridge, a site to see in itself! While it’s not technically part of the North Coast 500, it’s a great detour to take along the way!
Following the signs north out of Inverness, you’ll drive along A9 north until the roundabout at Tore, and follow the highway up the Moray Firth over to Cromarty. It’s a rather small peninsula-like isle in Scotland, but the beauty is grand!
Getting to the Black Isle Scotland
Inverness is the closest airport to Scotland’s Black Isle, and actually has really cheap flights in and out of the airport with budget airlines! Compare flights and even see a window of good flight times here.
One in Inverness, you can get to The Black Isle by bus from Inverness, and honestly can see all major parts of the isle with public transportation.
The problem with public transportation in Scotland is, though it’s fairly reliable, it’s also very expensive. And then you’re on the bus schedule instead of making your own!
We recommend renting a car and driving around the Black Isle yourself! For the best rental car prices, shop for your rental car here. You’d be surprised how cheap renting a car in Scotland actually is!
The Black Isle Scotland Map
Things to do on the Black Isle Scotland
See the Cloots at the Clootie Well
The Clootie Well is a place known in the Celtic culture for healing. Cloots, or cloths dipped in the water are hung on trees around the well as part of a ritual in hopes of finding healing from the well.
While the cloots rot away, the illness of a person is meant to leave as well.
Find out more about the Clootie Well and how to access it here.
Watch Bottlenose Dolphins at Chanonry Lighthouse
Heading out of Inverness our first stop in the Black Isle Scotland was at Chanonry Lighthouse. Here you are almost guaranteed to spot dolphins playing in the bay. We were there for about five minutes before we spotted two bottlenose dolphins swimming just off the shoreline.
There is a lovely walk from the bus stop along the coast to the lighthouse, or if you’re driving you can drive right down to it. Just be careful here, as you’ll be driving through Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Course!
Chanonry Point is a great place to have a picnic and enjoy the ocean crashing before you!
Traveler’s Tip | Chanonry Point is a great place to spot bottlenose dolphins swimming in the Moray Firth!
Search for Fairies While Walking Through Fairy Glen
Fairy Glen is a lovely, local hike located right in Rosemarkie. If you’re heading north on A832 the parking area is just before the bridge and is quite large.
This walk is roughly 3km and is a fairly flat out and back hike along a creek to not one, but two waterfalls. And, while the waterfalls are pretty, the glen the trail goes through is absolutely gorgeous.
Be sure to bring a couple of coins for this hike. There’s an awesome surprise at the end that you’re sure to want a couple of coins for. (We didn’t include photos of this surprise because we don’t want to ruin this local secret for visitors. If you want to see our photos of it, shoot us an email, and we’ll send you some!)
Traveler’s Tip | The Groam House Museum in Rosemarkie is a great extra stop on your Black Isle road trip! It’s a museum full of Pictish stones, and entry to the museum is completely free. Learn more about the Groam House Museum here.
Breathe in the Blooming Rapeseed Fields
Traveling to the Black Isle in late-May, we drove through loads of Rapeseed Oil farms. You have to stop and smell these beauties.
Actually, if you simply roll down your window when driving alongside them you’re sure to get a good whiff!
These fields below are just outside of Cromarty, however, you will see rapeseed fields scattered all throughout The Black Isle Scotland.
Picnic in Cromarty
Cromarty is exactly what I imagine when thinking of wee seaside Brittish villages! With views over the gorgeous Cromarty firth, Cromarty offers great places to camp and stay a night or two!
Be sure to pop into the Cromarty Bakery (it’s seriously the best) and if you’re into history check out the Cromarty Courthouse Museum and Hugh Miller’s Museum and Cottage.
The Cromarty Courthouse Museum is free to enter while Hugh Miller’s Museum, located right next store, has a £6.50 entry fee, or you can get in with a National Trust of Scotland Membership.
We loved Cromarty so much, that we actually did a completely separate post dedicated to Cromarty. Find our stories and tips on Cromarty here.
Observe the Wildlife at Udale Bay Nature Reserve
This nature reserve is full of wildlife. We were particularly keen on the many swans we saw paddling around in the bay.
You will find Udale Bay Nature Reserve about 7 miles west of Cromarty.
There’s a small pullout on the side of B9163 with an information booth and bench for enjoying the view.
TRY SCOTLAND’S FINEST ORGANIC BEER AT THE BLACK ISLE BREWERY
Try Scotland’s Finest Organic Beer At Black Isle Brewery
Know for their organic beer, the Black Isle Brewery is the only brewery producing organic beers in Scotland! Stop in for a free tour of their brewery, or even stay at their hostel!
The Black Isle Brewery is known for putting the environment first, so be sure to pop in and buy some beer from them! You won’t be disappointed!
Sample Whisky at Glen Ord Distillery
Glen Ord Distillery is located in Muir of Ord. It’s part of the Friends of the Classic Malts membership (read about it here) and can be toured free of charge if you’re a member. Otherwise, £6 will get you a tour and a couple samples of their Scotch whisky.
If you’re interested in touring this distillery check out opening times, and tour availability here. We recommend asking if there are any tours scheduled on the day you plan on visiting, so you can avoid visiting Glen Ord at that time!
The distillery produces whisky mainly for the SE Asian market, however, you can also purchase whisky from the distillery itself. We were told on our tour that the Glen Ord Whisky can only be purchased in house or in Asia, so be sure to pop in and sample the whisky here!
Black Isle Accommodation
Black Isle Hotels
The Black Isle is full of hotel-like stays all across the peninsula. With more than 80 properties listed on Booking.com alone, you’re sure to find something to suit your needs!
Check availability and pricing for your Black Isle stay here.
AirBnB on the Black Isle
With places to stay on the Black Isle starting at 21 USD, AirBnB is a cheaper alternative to the hotel-like stays above! With AirBnB, you can stay in people’s own private homes with them in a room within the house, or rent out entire homes for your stay!
Camping on the Black Isle
There are a couple of paid-for campgrounds around the Black Isle, offering things like showers and running water, but you can also camp for free where you fancy! As long as there’s not a “no camping” sign, and you respect the land by packing out what you bring in, you can pitch a tent, or stay in your campervan wherever you fancy!
Places to Visit Near The Black Isle Scotland
Fort George
Located directly across the Moray firth from Rosemarkie, Fort George was built in 1746 as a safekeeping to King George during the battle of Culloden. Grab a pair of binoculars and see Fort George across the firth!
The Glenmorangie Distillery
Who doesn’t love a sample of Scottish Whisky? While traveling in Scotland, you’re never too far from a distillery! And although the Black Isle has one of Scotland’s classic malt distilleries, you’ll find Glenmorangie Distillery just north of the Black Isle. Pop in here for a wee taste of Scotch!
Loch Ness
Is the Loch Ness monster actually real?! It’s up to you to find out for yourself. While Loch Ness isn’t in the same direction as The Black Isle, you can easily make one big loop over to Loch Ness, seeing more of the Scottish Highlands before returning to Inverness if that’s where you’re staying!
Easter Ross
Continuing north from the Black Isle, you’ll begin a journey on the NC500. Easter Ross is the area of Scotland directly north of the Black Isle, and is full of great scenery (specifically in the spring), historic monuments and seaside villages! The NC500 has a lovely, brief article on Easter Ross, to dive deeper into checking out if it’s a place you’d like to visit!
If you’re up for an adventure and a 5ish hour hike, try summiting Ben Wyvis on Easter Ross! To learn more about this “highland walk”, check out this Ben Wyvis article — giving you details of how long the Ben Wyvis hike is, where to begin the hike, and what kind of terrain to expect!
Beauly
This wee town is located near the Black Isle and would be a great stop if looping around the Black Isle and over to Loch Ness. Beauly has some great ruins to explore, and isn’t frequently visited by other travelers + tourists!
More Travel Tips on Scotland
After living in Scotland for over two years, and exploring any time Jay wasn’t in class… we’ve gathered a lot of travel tips and advice on Scotland, as well as ideas on places to visit! Our Scotland travel page is where you’ll find all our Scotland posts, however, we’re sharing a few here too of places to visit near the Black Isle.
Spending a Full Day in Cromarty | We loved our time on the Black Isle, but specifically enjoyed our time in Cromarty. Finding the perfect wild camping location made our trip to Cromarty a complete dream!
Visiting Scotland’s Isle of Skye | We visited the Isle of Skye four different times while in Scotland. Sometimes it was just driving through to catch a ferry elsewhere, others it was weeks at a time road tripping around this beautiful isle. While we have a couple of different posts on Skye, this one here is our view on the top things to do in Skye.
Moving to Inverness + Living in a Van | When we moved to the north of Scotland, we moved into our van. It didn’t take much convincing that we were made for living in a van. Here we share our personal story of moving from a flat in Aberdeen to a van in Inverness.
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