Dingwall

Dingwall is 15 miles northeast of Inverness via A9 then A835. Stagecoach Highlands buses 27 / 28 runs M-Sat hourly (Sun every 2 hours) from Inverness: Bus 27 via Beauly and Muir of Ord, Bus 28 direct via Kessock Bridge, taking an hour. These buses continue (M-Sat only) to Strathpeffer.
Dingwall has trains M-Sat every hour or so from Inverness, taking 35 mins. Four of these continue north via Tain, Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle), Helmsdale, Thurso (for ferries to Orkney) and Wick. Four other trains branch west via Achnasheen and Plockton to Kyle of Lochalsh, for buses to Skye. On Sunday the trains from Inverness are every 2-3 hours, mostly terminating at Tain.

Dingwall railway stationIt's just east of town centre.

You'll need your own wheels to reach the Red Kites Reserve.

• Castles, sort of. Nothing now remains of Dingwall Castle. Tulloch Castle probably dates to the 12th C but the present structure, now a hotel (see "Sleep"), is from the 16th C. Any pair of castles within sight of each other usually have a mythical "secret tunnel" that supposedly connected them; but here for once it's true, and you can peer into the collapsed passageway. The nearby ruin of "Caisteal Gorach" is a late 18th C folly, recycling the masonry of both.

• Hector MacDonald Memorial Tower

  address: Mitchell Hill Cemetery
  Monument to the 19th-century major general, known as 'Fighting Mac'. He was born a few miles from Dingwall, and fought in the Boer War, Afghan War and Sudan Campaign.

• Dingwall Museum

  phone: +44 1349 865366
  address: Town House, High Street, IV15 9RY
  Local artefacts and exhibitions.

• Tollie Red Kites

  phone: +44 1463 715000
  address: Brahan, by Maryburgh
  Visitor centre to watch for red kites, who are fed every day. A variety of other birds can also be spotted.
• Walk Britain's shortest canal, the one-mile stretch of the disused Dingwall canal. It passes a firing range so don't walk there if red flags are flying.
• Watch football ie soccer at Ross County FC. They were promoted in 2019 and now play in the Premiership, the top tier of Scottish football. Their home ground is Victoria Park just east of the railway station.
• Visit a whisky distillery at Muir of Ord, 5 miles south. Tours daily 10:00-16:00, £8.
• Highland Games & Agricultural Show: the Black Isle Show is held in July / Aug at Muir of Ord. The next event is Wed 31 July - Thurs 1 Aug 2019.

There's a Tesco and a Lidl in town centre.

• Batty's Bap's

  phone: +44 7938 142508
  address: 35-36 High St
  This is a sandwich shop.
• Other town centre offerings are Victoria Restaurant (closed Mon), Ding's Chinese (closed Mon), Renato's fish & chips (closed Mon), two Indians (open daily) and a Thai (closed Mon).

• The Mallard is next to the railway station. It's open Su-Th 10:00-01:00, F Sa to 03:00.

• National Hotel

  phone: +44 1349 862166
  address: High Street, IV15 9HA
  Family run hotel with 45 rooms, some distinctly small.

• Tulloch Castle Hotel

  phone: +44 843 178 7143
  address: Tulloch Castle Drive, IV15 9ND
  A castle dating from the 16th C, with a 250 year old panelled great hall. It is now a 20 bedroom hotel.

• Dingwall Camping and Caravanning Club Site

  phone: +44 1349 862236
  address: Jubilee Park Road, IV15 9QZ
  Pitches for caravans, motorhomes and tents. Members and non-members welcome.

• Strathpeffer
• Fortrose and Rosemarkie
• Inverness