DAY 19a
DORNOCH FIRTH (Highland, SCO)
Tuesday September 16th, 2008
TODAYS MILEAGE – 436 miles or 702 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 13916 miles or 22396 kilometres
Dornoch Firth is a natural aquatic estuary between the Easter Ross and Sutherland districts of Highland Council Area, the national wildlife sanctuary receives the River Oykel which is joined by the Shin near Carbisdale.
The estuary opens into the Kyle of Sutherland just south of Carbisdale, narrowing at Bonar Bridge before continuing eastwards to the sea, beyond Dornoch Point near the burgh of Dornoch on the east coast of Northern Scotland.
The Meikle Ferry, that once crossed the narrows, was the scene of a tragedy in 1809 when an overcrowded ferry boat capsized with the loss of nearly 100 lives. The Durnoch Bridge, on which I took the photos from, was built in 1991 and was opened by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, which shortened the A9 route from Inverness to Wick.
