A dalliance with Dingwall
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FROM the very edge of the Cromarty Firth to a towering view over the nearby hills, this walk really is a varied one.
It’s described as the Round Dingwall Walk on a number of wooden signs around the town and I wondered where they would take me.
There are many shorter walks and various tracks and trails here, but I was keen to explore the full route – so I donned my trainers (though boots would have been better on some very muddy sections of the walk) and set off from the railway station.
There’s an information board here with a number of shorter walks suggested and there’s one at the main town centre car park off the A862 as well, where it’s also possible to pick up this route.
From the station go right along the High Street then turn right just before it becomes pedestrianised onto Tulloch Street.
Continue to the canal crossing (known as Peter’s Bridge), where you’ll see the first sign marking the Round Dingwall Walk.
I decided to do the route in an anticlockwise direction, heading first to the Tulloch Castle side of the walk and finishing with the canal stretch. Following the sign to Craig Wood I went straight on, turning right at the end of the road and continuing along Craig Road past houses on my left and a garage further on, on my right. Shortly after this on the left-hand side of the road there’s a tiny gap in the stone wall with a couple of steps leading onto a woodland path. Follow the sign into the woods and keep right at the top of the steps.
The path offered tantalising glimpses through the trees to the shimmering Cromarty Firth below. It was flat calm all the way across to the Black Isle.
Eventually the path moved well away from the houses and I was directed left up some more steps to climb towards Tulloch Castle.
A fine, narrow path led alongside some grand old beech trees, coming to an end at a wet section just before a gate.
Cross the road here and continue ahead up a tarmac track, then turn left on the corner where another signpost stands.
A long, straight track now leads you below Tulloch Hill, passing through a gate then a farmyard before losing height and passing the castle, which is now a hotel complete with resident ghost... or so it is said.
You don’t see much of the castle from this side, though you can see the tower, one of the few remaining parts of the original 12th-century building.
A short distance past the castle, take a left turn signed to Maggie’s Drive. It’s horribly boggy here so I had to squelch my way through in my inappropriate footwear, but I was rewarded with a spectacular view over the Cat’s Back – the local name for the ridge leading up to the summit of Knockfarrel.
Follow the path straight down, ignoring some better (and drier) looking options off to the right. You cross a track then go through trees near to houses on the left and soon emerge on a tarmac path just before a crossroads of paths. Go straight down again and follow the yellow footsteps all the way to the road at Robert’s Bridge.
Turn right to cross the bridge then follow the main road left, over the level crossing and past the police station to the traffic lights.
The High Street is straight ahead and offers an easy shortcut back if you don’t want to do the full circuit. But for me the best was still to come with the lovely stretch along the Cromarty Firth.
I turned right at the lights and followed the pavement past the turn-off to Hector Macdonald’s Monument and out of town to Pitglassie – not the most scenic part of the route but a simple link between two halves of this walk. Stick to the right-hand side of the road and go on the shared-use path that runs parallel to the road.
A short way along you will see your first mention of the Round Dingwall Walk for some time – at last, another sign!
Turn left and go through the underpass to be transported into a different world.
Follow the farm track ahead past the house and carefully go over the level crossing. The track heads down to almost reach the shore before turning left.
At an old building, a path continues to follow the firth and I enjoyed magnificent views in every direction – right over the flat sea to the Black Isle, ahead to the distant Cromarty Bridge and left to Hector Macdonald’s Monument, Ben Wyvis and Dingwall.
At one point you need to ignore the "Round Dingwall Walk" sign and instead follow the one to the Town Centre that crosses a wooden bridge and keeps to the edge of the firth instead. I’m sure this sign must have been erected incorrectly some time ago, as the walk continues to be signed further along the shore.
Pass to the left of some houses before turning right at the next sign to the Ferry Picnic Site down a short road which leads to the car park. Follow the paths round the shore or stop for a bite to eat and to take in the view before following the towpath of the most northerly canal in Britain, albeit one that went out of use in the late 19th century. The path alongside the canal goes through a Ministry of Defence rifle range, so if the red flags are flying you’ll need to retrace your steps some of the way and follow any relevant signs.
The towpath passes Ross County’s football stadium to the left before crossing the railway and, if you follow the sign to Pefferside Park, returning to Peter’s Bridge on Tulloch Street.
If you need a final shortcut, go left to the town centre after crossing the railway – but this last little stretch makes a rather satisfactory complete circuit and means you’ll have been all the way round the county town of Ross-shire.
