Chanonry Point.

Start. Fortrose.

Route. Fortrose Cathedral - Academy Street - Wester Greengates - Fortrose Caravan Park - Chanonry Ness - Chanonry Point - Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club - Ness Road - Wester Greengates - Fortrose Caravan Park - Academy Street - Fortrose Cathedral.

Notes. An easy walk to one of the best dolphin-spotting sites in the British isles, splendid views across the narrowest point of the Moray Firth welcome the visitor, on the east shore the Napoleonic bastion of Fort George dominates the scene, still in use today and open to the public, well worth a visit. Us, well we were here for a spot of dolphin watching, as were lots of other visitors, but unlike us they drove to the point. Weather it was the fact it was raining, dolphins dislike rain (I made that up) or more than likely the salmon they hunt had already passed the point traveling on the incoming tide, we saw nothing. The only excitement witnessed was a dog that discovered it couldn't swim, forcing the owner to wade in almost waist deep to commit a rescue, owner and dog reached dry land safely. If you care to walk in our footfall time your visit at low water, your almost certain to have more luck than us.

We parked in Fortrose next to the 13th century cathedral, sat in the car ages hoping the rain would ease, eventually biting the bullet we headed down Academy Street, after passing St Andrew's Church we accessed Wester Greengates, a small picnic area marked the start of a narrow path, this unassuming trod guided us behind a number of properties, through Fortrose Caravan Park and on to a finger-post inviting us to Chanonry Point. On we rambled along the edge of a golf course, warning notices foretold of the dangers of stray golf balls We soon reached the safety of our intended destination to be greeted by a car park, ice cream van, light house and a multitude of dolphin spotters.

These sea going mammals turned out to be rather illusive, we hung around ages only to be greeted by a seal. Turning our backs on the point we wandered across a large arc of sand, Rosemarkie Bay to our right the green manicured lawns of the golf links our left, we soon reached a finger-post inviting us to Fortrose. The path passed through the Club House car park to access Ness Road, Ness Road in turn lead to a narrow path running between housing, this deposited us on Wester Greengates, all that remained to re-trace our steps of earlier.

view route map.

home.

Seen from the shelter of a rather large tree, the sand stone ruin of Fortrose Cathedral.

Sue en route to Chanonry Point.

Fortrose seen along the edge of Fortrose Bay, with Broomhill rising behind.

The sea washed stonework of Chanonry Point Jetty.

On view from the point the impressive bastion of Fort George.

From Chanonry Point, Eathie Hill and Gallow Hill rise grey on the far horizon.

Views taken south over the Moray Firth to the hills above Avoch and Munlochy.

We've left the crowds of Dolphin spotters to enjoy a lonely walk along the edge of Rosemarkie Bay.

Rosemarkie and it's bay, proving you don't have to walk very far to escape the crowds.

En route to Fortrose, at the end of an unsuccessful Dolphin hunt.

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