By Keith A. Forbes and Lois A. Forbes at keithaforbes@btinternet.com.
We live in Brora, Sutherland, Scotland and also write about Brora, in central east Sutherland
Sutherland, north of Inverness
Sutherland is a croft county. The word "croft" comes from the Gaelic "croitean" meaning a small, enclosed field. Croft land ownerships and tenancies still exist, with complex regulations protecting crofters. The world headquarters for the Crofters Commission is in Inverness. There are also various crofting organizations including the Scottish Crofting Foundation which encourages crofters to look at realistic alternatives to traditional farming. Crofters have diversified into areas such as growing organic vegetables, bee-keeping and leisure activities for tourists.
Sutherland beaches are beautiful to see, if cold to swim from
It is the county that Andrew Carnegie made famous throughout North America and Europe when he lived here - mostly at Skibo Castle, shown below - in the early 20th century. But if you click to www.visithighlands.com/northern-scottish-highlands/ the map you see fails to show Brora or Golspie, Lairg and so many other places in Sutherland.
Rainfall can be as high as 118 inches a year on the west coast but can be far less, about 40 inches a year on average, on the east coast. April and May are usually the driest months. In winter, especially inland, blizzards can disrupt life for a day or two. Wind is the climatic factor for most people, especially north and west, and for the east coast too when it howls in from the west. But winters can be beautiful, with unusual crystalline colours in the short day.
Dornoch is the only large town, with usually the lowest rainfall. Of the other population centres, Brora, its neighbors Golspie to the south and Helmsdale to the north - once had much in common with the English county town of Stafford and the West Midlands. At that time, these three Sutherland areas comprised the most north and east parts of the huge Stafford and Sutherland Estates, with Brora the industrial heartland of Sutherland. Many streets in Brora and Helmsdale still have Stafford or Sutherland names.
Population about 14,180 in 2008, is the most north-westerly mainland county in
both Scotland and the United Kingdom and 1,297,846 acres, or 5252 square km
(2,028 square miles) in size (compared to
Caithness, with 700 square miles). Sutherland today is the least
populous of Scottish counties, having lost 60% of its population in 110 years.
Several uninhabited islands lie off the west and north coast. Gaelic is a
minority language The county no longer returns a member to the Westminster
parliament, it shares a constituency with Caithness and Easter Ross. The same
applies to the Scottish Parliament. There are two cottage hospitals,
Lawson Memorial, in Golspie and Migdale at Bonar Bridge.
Lord Lieutenant since May 2005, Brora GP Dr. Monica Main.
Vice Lieutenant: Lord Strathnaver
Depute Lieutenants: several.
Clerk to the Lieutenancy: Liam O'Neill
All areas of Sutherland are in Highland Council jurisdiction and in these two constituencies:
North West and Central Sutherland, with councillors:
George Farlow, Scottish National Party, 7 Seaforth Road, Ullapool, Ross-shire IV26 2UY. Phone 01854 612545 or mobile 07765 921741
Linda Munro, Independent, 3 Achnabourin, Strathnaver, Kimbrace, Sutherland KW11 6UA. Phone 01641 521424
Robbie Rowantree, Liberal Democrat, Keeper's House, Gordonbush, Brora, Sutherland KW9 6LX. Mobile 07866 266488.
East Sutherland and Edderton, with councillors:
Deirdre Mackay, Labour, 2 Muirfield Road, Brora, Sutherland KW9 6QY. Phone 01408 621114. Mobile 07808 169621.
Jim McGillivray, Independent, Struay Villa, 11 School Street, Embo, Dornoch, Sutherland IV25 3PZ. Phone 01862 810650.
Ian Ross, Liberal Democrat, An Crasg, West Drummuie, Golspie KW10 6TA. Phone 01408 634440.
Source: Northern Times, Front Page, Friday, June 6, 2008
Sutherland, the northernmost
county of mainland Scotland, is bounded N. and W. by the Atlantic, E. by Caithness,
S.E. by the North Sea and S. by the shire of Ross and Cromarty. It stretches from Cape Wrath to Drum Hollistan
along the north coast; south to Lochinver and Ledmore on the west; as far as
Ardgay in the southeast. The west coast looks seaward to the Hebrides. The east
coast looks across the Moray Firth to Moray and further east and over the North
Sea towards Europe. Its original area was 1,297, 846 acres or 2,028 sq. m. It is
the principal home (shared with much smaller Caithness to the north east) of The
Flows National Nature Reserve (NNR), a national treasure, the largest blanket
bog in the world, an area of 11,373 hectares, internationally recognized for its
habitat quality and breeding bird populations. Other features of
considerable importance include wet heath, open waters, otters and many
species of waders, waterfowl and birds of prey. The reserve is about 30 miles
north of Helmsdale extends west and east across peat lands from Sutherland into
west Caithness and mostly encompasses land within the former Forsinard and
Dorrery Estates. There is an RSPB visitor centre at Forsinard. The national and
international importance of the reserve is reflected in designations which
include Ramsar, Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation status.
Also, 73% of this 2007-opened NNR is designated as a Site of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSI).
The western and northern shores of Sutherland are much indented and terminate at many points in precipices and rugged headlands. The mountains are distinguished by grandeur of outline. Ben More (3273 ft.) in Assynt is the highest in the shire, and next to it in height is Ben Clibreck (3154). Ben Hope (3040 ft), in the north the only place in Britain where the Alpine Alsine rubella is found, and also for its fauna, with ptarmigan common, and even the wild cat and golden eagle sometimes visible. On occasions, black-throated divers and red kites, extremely rare, can be seen. No more than 50 pairs of the former breed in Britain - all of them confined to the Northwest Highlands. Their black throats glow like shot-silk purple when the sun touches them. Bird-watchers will be thrilled. Also see black guillemots whirring from the wet mouths of caves, with grey seals bobbing up between the waves. A lucky few may see a giant bird lofting into space and hanging on crooked wings above. Its feathers are the colours of winter: of hoar frost and rock and the old year's heather. Its beak is hooked like a butcher's cleaver. It is a sea eagle - also known as the white-tailed eagle - the most spectacular raptor ever to grace Scottish skies. With a nine-foot wingspan it is bigger than the golden eagle, and a very rare bird indeed. Sea eagles were widespread in Medieval Britain, but in Victorian times they were driven to extinction by sheep farmers, gamekeepers and egg collectors. The last pair known to nest (on Skye) disappeared in 1916. Their return to Scotland in the 1970s has been a major success story. Reintroduced from Norway to the island of Rum, they have steadily multiplied until there are now nearly 40 pairs scattered among the islands and sea lochs of the west coast.
Other lofty hills include Foinaven (2980 ft) in the north-west; Ben Hee (2864), the highest point in Reay Forest; Quinag (2653 ft) and Glasven (2541 ft) north; Canisp (2779 ft) south of Loch Assynt; Cam Stackie (2630 ft) in Durness; Ben Arkle (2580 ft) and Ben Stack (2364) above Loch Stack; the peaks of Ben Loyal (2504 ft) in Tongue; and Suilven (2399). The greater part of the mountainous region consists of wild and desolate moorlands.
The chief river is the Oykell, which, rising in Coniveall (3234), a peak of Ben More, flows south and then south-east for 33 m. to Dornoch Firth, forming the major part of the southern boundary of the shire. Its major left-hand tributaries are the Shin and Cassley. Other rivers flowing to Dornoch Firth are the Helmsdale (22 m.), issuing from Loch an Ruathair; the Brora (28 m.), rising in Mt Uaran and preserving in its name (bridge river) the fact that its bridge was once the only important one in the county; and the Fleet (i 7), the head of the estuary embanked for 1000 yds. in 1813 by Thomas Telford, whereby a considerable tract of rich alluvial land was reclaimed from the sea.
The longest rivers flowing to the north coast are the Dionard to Kyle of Durness, the Naver to Torrisdale Bay, and the Halladale rising in Knockfin on the borders of Caithness and entering the sea to the east of Portskerry. Much of the surface in the district of Assynt is honeycombed with lakes and tarns, but the only large lake is Loch Assynt, which is 63 m. long, lies 215 ft. above the sea, has a drainage area of 43 sq. m., and a greatest depth of 282 ft., and empties into the sea by the Inver. Other lakes are Loch Crocach, little more than i m. long by s m. wide, in' which the ratio of the area of islands to the total area of the loch is greater than in any other British lake; Loch Shin (17 m. long); Loch Loyal (4 m.); Loch Hope (6 m.); Loch Naver (6 m.); and Loch More (4 m.). The principal inlets of the sea are, on the north coast, Kyle of Tongue - on the east shore of which stands Tongue House, once the property of the Reay family, now a seat of the duke of Sutherland - Loch Eriboll and Kyle of Durness; on the west, Lochs Inchard, Laxford, Cairnbawn, Glendhu, Glencoul, Eddrachilis Bay and Loch Inver; and, on the south-east, Loch Fleet.
There are many waterfalls. Those of Escuallin, near the head of Glencoul, are among the finest in Great Britain. The Falls of Shin are superb and the waterfall at the top of the Big Burn in Golspie is awesome.
There are three principal capes - Strathy Point on the north; Cape Wrath at the extreme north-west; and Ru Stoer, near the Old Man of Stoer, a detached pillar of rock about 250 ft. high. On its seaward face Cape Wrath rises in precipitous cliffs to a height of 300 ft. The gneiss rocks are scored with pink granite. Sunken reefs keep the sea almost always in tumult. Of the larger islands Handa, usually visited from Scourie on the west coast, has magnificent cliff scenery, distinguished for its beautiful coloration, its caverns and the richness and variety of the bird life, especially on the north-west, where the Torridonian sandstone rocks are 406 ft. high. Smoo Cave on the north coast, 1 m. east of Durness, is the most famous cavern in the shire; it consists of three chambers hollowed out of the limestone; the entrance hall, 33 ft. high and 203 ft. long, is separated from the inner chamber, 70 ft. long by 30 ft. wide, by a ledge of rock beneath which pours a stream that descends as a cataract from a hole in the roof, 80 ft. above. Behind the waterfall is the third chamber, 120 ft. long by 8 ft. wide, which can only be seen by artificial light.
City Link - at phone 990 505050 - operates an Inverness to Thurso and Scrabster service (Route 958, from the Inverness Bus Station at phone 1463 233371. It stops five times a day at Tore, Evanton, Invergordon, Tain, Clashmore, Dornoch, Golspie, Brora (Fountain Square and stops by request at local bus stops on Victoria Road), Helmsdale, Berriedale, Dunbeath, Latheron, Lybster, Wick, Reiss, Killmster, Hastigrow, Castletown, Thurso, Scrabster, Stromness.
The Thurso to Inverness service stops five times a day. Exceptions are 25th December and 1st January when there are no services at all and 26th December and 2nd January when only one bus will operate in each direction.
There is a direct but slow train service from Inverness, 4 times a day on weekdays, one each way on Sunday. Trains - usually two carriages - run on the Inverness to Thurso/Wick line several times a day and once on Sundays. Train service is presently at an average speed of 25 miles per hour and the 160-mile Inverness to Thurso/Wick route currently takes from 3.5 to 4 hours.
Southbound stops, from Thurso, are 3 or four times a day Monday-Saturday and once only on Sunday.
Rainfall varies greatly, being lowest on the south-east and highest in the mountainous hinterland of the west, with an annual mean of 44.7 in. The average temperature for the year is 47° F., for January 38.5°F., for July 56.5° F. Only one fortieth of the total area is under cultivation, the shire ranking lowest in Scotland in this respect. The great mass of the surface is grazing ground and deer forest. The best land adjoins Dornoch Firth, where farming is in an advanced condition, but there are fertile patches along the river valleys. At the beginning of the 19th century the crofters occupied almost every cultivable spot, and were more numerous than the soil could support. The first duke of Sutherland (then marquis of Stafford) adopted a policy of wholesale clearance. Between 1811 and 1820 fifteen thousand peasants were evicted from their holdings in the interior and transferred to the coast. Later dukes made reforms, which included reduction of rent, improvement in the wellbeing of the people, reclamation of thousands of acres, and abolition of the tacksman or middleman. They also did much to open up the shire generally. Between 1812 - when there was only one bridge and no road in Sutherland - and 1832, they bore half the cost, the government contributing the rest, of constructing 450 m. of road, 134 bridges, some of considerable size, and the iron bridge at Bonar (150 ft. span. The 3rd duke (1828-1892) carried out a large plan of reclamation. Attempts have been made to re-people some of the glens (Strathnaver, for example) depopulated by the clearances. Crofters still largely predominate, nearly two-thirds of the holdings being under 5 acres - the highest proportion in Scotland. The chief grain crops are oats and barley, the chief green crops turnips (including swedes) and potatoes. Raising of livestock is the staple business of the county. Sheep are mostly North Country Cheviots, but there are also Suffolks, Texels, Beltex, Jacobs, Shetland and Blackface. Cattle include West Highland, shorthorn and crossbred. Horses - principally ponies, though Clydesdales are used on the bigger farms - are almost wholly kept for agricultural purposes. Pigs are also reared. The Highlands and Islands Sheep Health Association is active regionally. The deer forests belonging to the duke of Sutherland are Reay, 64,600 acres; Ben Armine and Coirna-fearn, 35,840; Glen Canisp,34490; and Dunrobin, 12,180 - in all 147,110 acres, or more than one-ninth of the whole area. Excepting the south-east coast, the valley of the Shin, and a considerable portion of Strath Oykell, there are very few districts under wood.
Every year, there is a massively supported Sutherland Agricultural Society Limited County Show, held at The Links, Dornoch, usually on the Saturday in the third week of July, with something for everyone of all ages and abilities. The extensive annual programme includes displays of the Sutherland Schools Pipe Band; Men's and Ladies Tractor Pulling; Stock Parade; Tug O War; Sheep dog show stalls of every kind for judging of cattle, horses, ponies, goats and sheep; flower Show and handicrafts
Next to agriculture, the salmon fisheries in the rivers are important seasonal interests. Herrings are no longer the principal catch. Some shellfish and crustaceans are harvested. Whisky is distilled at Brora. Facilities offered by the deer forests, moors and the many lochs and rivers attract large numbers of sportsmen whose custom is valuable to the inhabitants. The Far North (Highland) railway enters the county at Invershin, goes northward to Lairg, then east to Brora and north-east to Helmsdale, whence it runs north-west to Kildonan, and north to Forsinard, where it shortly afterwards leaves the shire. Considering its scanty and scattered population and mountainous character, the county is well intersected by roads, many of which were constructed by successive dukes of Sutherland.
A very irregular line from Loch
Eriboll on the north coast to the neighbourhood of Cromalt near the southern
boundary separates the two rock groups that form the foundation of the major
portion of the county. On the western side are the ancient gneisses and schists
(Lewisian gneiss) penetrated by innumerable basic and acid dikes which generally
have a north-west to south-east trend. On the eastern side of the line,
occupying the whole of the remaining area except the eastern fringe of the
county, is a younger series of metamorphic rocks, the Moine schists. Resting
upon the old gneiss near Cape Wrath, at Ru Stoer, Quinag, Canisp and Suilven are
dark red conglomerates, breccias and sandstones of Torridonian age. Cambrian
rocks succeed the Torridonian, represented in ascending order by false bedded
quartzite, quartzite with annelid burrows, fucoid beds with Olenellus band,
serpulite grit, (5) Durness limestone and dolomite and their marmorized
equivalents. The white quartzite that has been left as a cap on such dark
Torridonian hills as Quinag and Canisp forms a striking feature in the
landscape. These Cambrian rocks occupy a very irregular belt along the line
above mentioned; the broadest tract is in the neighbourhood of Loch Assynt,
another large area lies about the southern end of Loch Eriboll and the Durness
limestone is extensively developed near the loch of that name. Along the belt of
Cambrian rocks there is abundant evidence of crustal deformation on the most
extensive scale; one after another great slices of rock, often miles in extent,
have been sheared off and pushed forward by thrusts from a south-easterly
direction, so that in several places it is possible to find the Lewisian gneiss
dragged up and carried forward right on to the Cambrian; in the Durness district
the eastern schists have been so transported from a distance of 10 m. The most
striking of the planes of thrusting is the Moine, others of great magnitude
occur to the west of it, such as those by Glencoul and Ben More. Masses of
granite appear in the eastern schists on the county boundary by Strath
Halladale, at Ben Laoghal, Ben Stomino and east of Lairg. The Old Red Sandstone
forms some elevated ground around Dornoch and Golspie and patches occur at
Portskerra and elsewhere. A narrow strip of Mesozoic strata lies along the coast
from Golspie Burn to Ord. Triassic marls are seen in the Golspie stream; these
are succeeded northwards, near Dunrobin Castle, by Lias, then by Great Oolite,
with the Brora coal, followed by Oxfordian, Corallian and Kimeridgian beds.
Evidence of ice action is everywhere apparent, the striations show that the ice
travelled towards the north-west and north, and from the eastern part of the
county, towards Moray Firth.
Council Taxes, 2009/2010. Applied by the Highland Council. They include annual Scottish Water charges for the financial year 1st April to 31st March. While for most Council tax rates have stayed the same for 2009/2010 as they were in 2008-2009 and 2007-2008, the cost of Scottish Water - owned solely by the Scottish Government and a monopoly - increased by about 10% in 2008/2009 and was further increased in 2009/2010 despite the massive economic downturn. Council Taxes cost approximately the same here for a semi-detached or detached property - bungalow or house - with a market value of under £200,000 as they do for a semi-detached property with a market value of over £850,000 in London. See Scottish Council Taxes. According to the Highland Council Information Leaflet, Council Tax Bands are supposed to "reflect the Assessor's opinion of what the market value of your property would have been as at 1 April 1991." But in some cases they don't, they've been raised substantially for some new buyers. Also, two rates of Council Tax banding seem to apply.
| Council Tax Band | Band A | Band B | Band C | Band D | Band E | Band F | Band G | Band H |
| Council Tax, same as in 2007-2008 | £775.33 | £904.56 | £1033.78 | £1163.00 | £1421.44 | £1679.89 | £1938.33 | £2326.00 |
| + Water (10% rise in 2008-2009, a further rise in 2009-2010) | was £118.80 in 2008/2009, now £123.18 in 2009/2010 | Was £138.60 in 2008/2009, now £143.71 in 2009/2010 | Was £158.40 in 2008/2009, now £162.24 in 2009/2010 | Was £178.20 in 2008/2009, now £184.77 in 2009/2010 | £217.80 | £257.40 | £297.00 | £356.40 |
| + Waste Water (10% rise in 2008-2009, a further rise in 2009/2010) | Was £134.22 in 2008/2009, now £139.20 in 2009/2010 | Was £156.59 in 2008/2009, now £162.40 in 2009/2010 | Was £178.96 in 2008/2009, now £185.60 in 2009/2010 | Was £201.33 in 2008/2009, now £208.80 in 2009/2010 | £246.07 | £290.81 | £355.55 | £402.66 |
| Combined water & waste water (rose by 10% in 2008-2009, a further rise in 2009/2010 | Was £253.02 in 2008/2009, now £262.38 in 2009/2010 | Was £295.1 in 2008/2009, now £306.11 in 2009/2010 | Was £337.26 in 2008/2009, now £349.84 in 2009/2010 | Was £379.53 in 2008/2009, now £393.57 in 2009/2010 | £463.87 | £548.21 | £632.55 | £759.06 |
| Total for 2 or more occupiers of combined Council Taxes and water/waste water charges | £1028.35 in 2008-2009; Was £1019.23 in 2007-2008 | £1199.75 in 2008-2009; Was £1189.11 in 2007-2008 | £1371.14 in 2008-2009; Was £1358.98 in 2007-2008 | £1542.53 in 2008-2009; Was £1528.85 in 2007-2008 | £1885.31 in 2008-2009; Was £1868.59 in 2007-2008 | £2228.10 in 2008-2009; Was £2208.34 in 2007-2008 | £2570.88 in 2008-2009; Was £2548.08 in 2007-2008 | £3085.06 in 2008-2009; Was £3057.70 in 2007-2008 |
| Single Occupier less 25% discount | £771.26 in 2008-2009. Was £764.42 in 2007-2008 | £899.81 in 2008-2009. Was £891.83 in 2007-2008 | £1028.35 in 2008-2009. Was £1019.23 in 2007-2008 | £1156.90 in 2008-2009. Was £1146.64 in 2007-2008 | £1413.98 in 2008-2009. Was £1401.44 in 2007-2008 | £1671.08 in 2008-2009. Was £1656.26 in 2007-2008 | £1928.16 in 2008-2009. Was £1911.06 in 2007-2008 | £2313.79 in 2008-2009. Was £2293.27 in 2007-2008 |
| No occupiers less 50% discount with full water and sewerage | £640.68 in 2008-2009. Was £631.56 in 2007-2008 | £747.47 in 2008-2009. Was £736.83 in 2007-2008 | £854.25 in 2008-2009. Was £842.09 in 2007-2008 | £961.03 in 2008-2009. Was £947.35 in 2007-2008 | £1174.59 in 2008-2009. Was £1157.87 in 2007-2008 | £1388.15 in 2008-2009. £1368.39 in 2007-2008 | £1601.71 in 2008-2009. Was £1578.91 in 2007-2008 | £1922.06 in 2008-2009. Was £1894.70 in 2007-2008 |
| Second homes less 10% discount with full water and sewage 2008-2009 | £950.82 | £1109.29 | £1267.76 | £1426.23 | £1743.17 | £2060.11 | £2377.05 | £2852.46 |
One person alone living in the property is entitled to a Single Occupancy Discount of 25%. More than two occupiers who are not full-time students mean that the Band rate is increased by more than £500 a year, unlike in the USA, Canada and other places where one rate applies irrespective of the number of occupants. Deductions and rebates are available for those who qualify.
Newcomers who want to conserve water and would like to be able to get a water meter to their homes instead of paying the rates above - as they have in most parts of England - will be disappointed. Scottish water does not have them.
See under "Brora areas (streets or places)" mentioned above for present Highland Council Taxes by area.
Homes:
From 1 December 2008 every property in Scotland must have a Home Report (in other parts of the UK a Home Information Pack (HIP) paid for by the person or family selling the property before they can sell it. A Home Report or HIP is a new document designed to provide buyers with more information about homes they are thinking of buying before they submit an offer. It is part of a series of measures said to be introduced across Europe reflected in legislation to help cut out carbons emissions and tackle climate change. The Home Report is reputed to provide a measure of the overall energy efficiency of the home and its environmental impact and is required whenever a building is built, sold or rented out. The property's performance is rated in terms of energy use per square metre of floor area; energy efficiency based on fuel costs and environmental impact based on CO2 emissions. You, or more likely your selling solicitor, will be required to have a copy before your home is advertised for sale and to make a copy available to interested buyers of your home. The Home Report includes three separate reports; the Property Questionnaire; the Single Survey; and an Energy Report.
This
asks you to answer questions about your home that only you are likely to know.
Have you, for example, installed new replacement windows, or added an extension?
Do any of your neighbours have the right to walk across your property to empty their bins?
As far as you know, has your home ever had a problem with rot?
These are the sort of questions you will be asked to answer.
While many of them will be straightforward, you may not be clear about the answers to others. In some cases, your answer could raise questions at the conveyancing stage that should be dealt with now.
If, for example, you made an alteration to your home, you will need to show that you obtained a building warrant if one was required and that you got planning consent if necessary.
If you don't have these documents, then this is the time to take remedial action.
If you are in any doubt, the solicitor you appoint to sell your home will be able to advise you on the best course of action.
The
Single Survey is a detailed survey of your home conducted by a qualified
surveyor.
It will also provide an estimate of market value.
The survey will list the main features of your home and give an assessment of condition for each one.
There are three scales, namely:
scale from 1 = no repairs necessary, to 3 = urgent repairs or replacement are needed now.
If the survey for your home features a category 3 repair, you might want to consider carrying out the repair yourself before putting your home on the market.
However, that may not always be the best solution.
You can rely on your solicitor to advise you on whether it is better to repair or to sell your home as it is.
You can also expect your solicitor to appoint a surveyor on your behalf who is familiar with, and sympathetic to, your area.
The
Energy Report provides a measure of how energy efficient your home is.
It is done in pretty much the same way that dishwashers and other electrical appliances now display an energy rating.
The report, which will be conducted by the surveyor who provides the Single Survey, also provides information on how you or any buyer could improve the energy efficiency of your home.
Unfortunately, all who live in this East Sutherland region are not going to get a good energy rating on the homes they want to sell. Why not? It was explained in part in the Northern Times of February 20, 2008 in a front-page article titled "Energy assessment scheme a travesty."
It boils down to the fact that unless you have mains piped-in gas as many cities do (but which no properties in this region do) you'll get a poor rating, despite the quality of local plumbing and heating.
You can have a very efficient "green" boiler and it might well have a boiler-efficiency rating of 90% or above to a boiler inspector but unless you run it on mains gas the report will say your boiler is inefficient.
Similarly, if you use electricity to heat hot water and cook by LPG gas (the only kind of gas available locally, as trucked in and put into a metal gas tank), or use oil (kerosene) from an oil tank on your property to heat your house you'll get a low rating. Why? Because the gas and oil have to be trucked in.
The UK Government and Scottish Governments have made no allowances at all for better efficiency ratings for homes in this region that have no piped-in gas, even when home heating - for example, from locally-sourced wood - is considered to be good from an environmental point of view.
Of the Picts, the original inhabitants, there are considerable remains in the form of brochs (or round towers), such as the one between Brora and Golspie, numerous and widely scattered, Picts' houses, tumuli, cairns and hut circles. Dun Dornadilla, in the parish of Durness, 4 m. south of Loch Hope, is a tower, 150 ft. in circumference, still in good preservation. The Norse jarl Thorfinn overran the country in 1034 and the Scandinavian colonists called it, in relation to their settlements in the Orkneys and Shetlands, Sudrland, the "southern land," or Sutherland. After the conquest of the district by the Scottish kings, Sutherland was conferred on Hugh Freskin (a descendant of Freskin of Moravia or Moray), whose son William was created earl of Sutherland in 1228 by Alexander II. Assynt was peopled by a branch of the Macleods of Lewis until they were dispossessed by the Mackenzies, who sold the territory to the earl of Sutherland about the middle of the 18th century. The vast tract of the Reay country, belonging to the Mackays, an ancient clan, also fell piece by piece into the hands of the Sutherland family. Killin, on the east bank of Loch Brora, was the site of an old chapel dedicated to St Columba, an association commemorated in the name of Kilcolmkill House. On the south shore of Helmsdale creek were once the ruins of the castle in which the 11th earl of Sutherland and his wife were poisoned by his uncle's widow in 1567, with a view to securing the title for her only child who was next of kin to the earl and his son. Ardvreck Castle, now in ruins, at the east end of Loch Assynt, was the prison of the marquis of Montrose after his defeat at Invercarron (1650), whence he was delivered up by Neil Macleod of Assynt, via Carbisdale Castle (now in Sutherland, originally in Ross-shire) for execution at Edinburgh. In the graveyard of the old church of Durness is a monument to Robert Mackay, called Rob Donn (the brown), the Gaelic poet (1714-1778).
Bibliography. -Sir Robert Gordon, History of the Earldom of Sutherland (1813); R. Mackay, House and Clan of Mackay (1829); C. W. G. St John, Tour in Sutherlandshire (1849); Hugh Miller, Sutherland as it was and is. (1843); D. W. Kemp, Bishop Pococke's Tour in 1760 in Sutherland and Caithness (1888); Sir W. Fraser, The Sutherland Book (1893); A. Gunn and S. J. Mackay, Sutherland and the Reay Country (1897
Today, Sutherland has much to offer. It seems that because it is so far north, many people assume it is far colder than it really is. In fact, it is far less cold in winter than anywhere in New England, USA, but far less warm and humid than New England in summer.
One of the special places to visit is the North West Highlands Geopark, founded in 2004. It is one of 32 geoparks in Europe and covers most of west Sutherland, also part of Wester Ross. It is administered by the Sutherland Partnership, based in Lairg.
HMS Sutherland, at http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.1356 is one of the Royal Navy's 16 Type 23 frigates, is named after and has very close, continuing links with Sutherland. She is the third ship of that name, the first in 1716, the second in 1741. She was given the Freedom of Sutherland in September 2004. She was commissioned on 4th July 1997 after being built in 1996 at Yarrows shipyard on the Clyde, is 133 metres long, has a beam of 16.2 metres, a draught of 7.3 metres and a displacement of 3500 tonnes. She is crewed by 176 officers and men. She is heavily armed. One of her favourite places in which to dock is at Loch Erribol, the deep sea loch near Durness.
Sutherland is a region of Dinwiddie County, Virginia, USA, consisting of 540 square miles, the second largest county in Virginia.
Sutherland, Iowa, USA
Sutherland Shire in Australia is located at the southern coastal border of the Sydney metropolitan region. It covers an area of 370 sq. kms and has a population of approximately 215,000, making it one of the largest council areas by population in Australia. Geography ranges from beaches, wetlands, bays and rivers, to tablelands dissected by deep river valleys and gorges. The Shire's boundaries are the Georges River in the north, Deadman's Creek, and Woronora Dam in the west, the Royal National Park in the south and the Pacific Ocean in the east. There are two great bays - Port Hacking and the southern third of Botany Bay; three of Sydney's six rivers - the Georges, Woronora and Hacking; four national parks - the Royal, Heathcote, Botany Bay and Georges River; many of Sydney's best beaches; and Kurnell Peninsula, birthplace of the Australian nation where Captain Cook and Phillip first landed.
Sutherland Ranch, at 23415 Sutherland Road, Mason, WI 64856, USA is a cattle ranch of Angus cattle.
British/Scottish foods - smoked salmon, smoked haddock, oysters, certain cheeses - are among the best in the world.
Car hire is readily available from regional airports and some garages..
Concessionary prices for some sightseeing attractions for locally or regionally registered senior citizens and registered disabled - is readily available from many attractions, on application and proof of age.
DAB radio in vehicles is non-existent. For all motorists on the A9 that stretches from Perth north to Thurso there is DAB silence from Inverness to Perth and from Inverness to Thurso. Drivers will find that all other places in Sutherland are similarly deprived of any DAB reception.
Disabled (handicapped in USA) locals and visitors will find no legislation, as there is in USA and Canada, protecting those with valid Disabled Parking Permits from abuse in Disabled Parking Spaces by the non-disabled, in both public and private car parks such as shopping malls.
For new residents, there is no legislation, as there is in USA and Canada, requiring home improvement businesses to be licensed and certified.
Grocery store shopping. No supermarkets at all in Sutherland, only small convenience stores. Nearest and least expensive places are Lidl branches in Alness , Tain or Wick, or Morrisons in Alness, or Tesco in Wick.
Liquor and cigarettes, cigars, etc are hugely expensive compared to USA, Canada and Europe.
Public transport - by bus, coach, train, ferry, for all under 60 and not a local resident - is
Public golf courses welcome visitors and are very inexpensive compared to USA and Canada, especially at the lesser-known golf courses in the Northern Highlands such as Brora, Helmsdale, Lairg, where golfing can be an unexpected bargain.
Petrol - (gasoline) per litre is the second most expensive in Europe, except for Norway (but which has far better roads, paid for from profits from oil and gas, unlike in the UK). Sutherland's prices are 10% higher than the UK's national average. Pump cost makes visiting this part of Scotland and the UK unrealistic for those on a budget. There, the retail price and because of it the Value Added Tax too are the highest in the UK - more than 75% are government taxes - and nearly four times more than in USA. Petrol costs are 10-12% higher in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland than in London, with no compensation in pricing given by the government due to unavailability and/or infrequency of train, bus and coach services.
Compare them to:
In USA see state-by-state prices per gallon at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_home_page.html
In New York, see New York Gas Prices (note, per gallon (each gallon is 3.785 liters)
In Toronto, see Toronto Gas Prices (in liters).
TV Licensing
per household, annually. In the UK, the Government, not the BBC, sets an
annual licensing fee per household of £139.50 (US$279) from April 1, 2008 to
March 31, 2009), as mentioned in the UK's
TV Licencing with only the over 75-year olds exempted and with huge fines
of £1,000 ($2,000) to anyone who flouts the law. The cost to individual and
non-commercial households and consumers is the same as those paid by UK
business which are small hotels, bed and breakfasts, etc. and have many more
TVs per household. This licence is paid only to the BBC for its
television and radio programming, not to other television or radio providers.
TV-detecting vans police the country, to trace TV owners who have not paid.
The cost of the TV licence is the highest by in
Uninsured drivers make life very expensive to local and visiting motorists. According to the Association of British Insurers, 1 in 20 drivers on Britain's roads are uninsured. Visitors pay the most in damages, if they don't take out full insurance when renting, as most don't. For those caught when driving without insurance, the average fine is half the typical annual car premium. The Department for Transport says the maximum fine could be as high as £5,000 plus other penalties, but such heavy fines are rarely imposed. Insured motorists and visitors are the uncompensated victims, plus they fork out an extra 10% or £30 a year in extra insurance premiums to help fund a virtually useless Motor Insurers Bureau.
It is legal in Sutherland to drive at no speed limit on one lane each way or with passing places on narrow country and rural roads, but with speed limits applying on larger roads in built-up areas.
Alladale Lodge, Ardgay, Sutherland IV24 3BS, Scotland. E-mail enquiries@alladale.com or Tel: +44 (0)1863 755 338. Set in 23,000 spectacular acres. One of the absolutely must-see and must-stay places in Sutherland. Unique in not only Sutherland but Scotland, the rest of the UK and Europe. On Sunday, 8 June 2008 the BBC-2 program Moose in the Glen was outstanding. It followed Alladale landowner Paul Lister and his plan to turn this estate into Europe's first wilderness reserve, complete with moose, wolves, lions and more. He's had to content with mountains of red tape, silly uniquely Scottish laws re his fencing, outrageous costs of petrol to get there, due mostly to a 70% government tax on it and more. But the tide is turning in his favour, at last. Scotland really needs this. When neighboring landowners can also agree, instead of being undecided, this project could be the best thing ever to happen in Sutherland re unique tourism potential.
Alladale Lodge, part of the Alladale Wilderness Reserve
Some Alladale Wilderness Reserve photos
Carbisdale
Castle. Culrain, Sutherland IV24 3DP, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Phone (0) 1549 421232. Email carbisdale@syha.org.uk.
One of the must-see places of Sutherland. On the
south bank of the Kyle of Sutherland, in a prominent position on Carbisdale
Heights, half a mile from the village of Culrain and four miles from Ardgay.
Owned by the Scottish Youth Hostel
Association (SYHA) and its flagship property. Dramatically crowning a
wooded spur, on a cliff-top towering above the valley, sea and hills of the
Kyle of Sutherland. Sleeps 189. Had about 29,800 visitors in 2007. In
March 2007 it was fully opened to the public, complete with its own
restaurant serving reasonably priced lunches and dinners by reservation. Features include a main gallery with many
Italian marble statues - of of the largest collections in Europe - of shapely nude women looking towards the Main Staircase in
the Lower Gallery and an art collection at the Lower Gallery; Main
Staircase; Library (Downstairs Common Room); White Staircase and Upper
Gallery. With more then 30 bedrooms including 1 haunted on the
top floor. From £2,000 per night to rent the castle. It was begun in 1906
and completed in 1917 for
Duchess Blair (Mary C. Blair), second wife of the 3rd Duke of Sutherland who
died in 1892 leaving his widow a personal fortune. She had become unpopular
with his family, following a bitter family feud. She planned this castle,
built in 1910-11 on the site of the earlier Culrain Lodge, greatly extended
in English Tudor, designed by architects by W. S. Weatherley and F. E.
Jones, as her replacement for Dunrobin Castle. It was the last castle to be
built in Scotland. Because she was refused land in Sutherland by the Duke's
heir, she built it just inside Ross-shire but overlooking Sutherland. It
became part of Sutherland again following local counties' reorganization in
1974. Just to the west of Culrain is where the Battle of Carbisdale, 1650,
was fought by James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, who was defeated, captured,
tried and executed. It has housed wealthy and influential people, been a
convalescent home for British military officers and in World War 2, it was the refuge for the Norwegian
Royal Family. Read more about it in local history books about the Earls of
Sutherland.See (Inchnadamph). Mountains here can get up to 118 inches of rain a year.
About 7 miles north of Helmsdale. A 20 minute walk from the A9. See ruins of crofts at the Highland Clearance village.
North of Helmsdale. Has an interesting llama farm and in early summer, puffin colonies inhabit the shoreline. Berriedale Braes. A section of the A9 to watch carefully with its steep gradients and hairpin bends.
North Sutherland. Nearby Farr Beach is lovely.
and separately, list of Brora-based organizations.
Extreme north-west coast.
Overlooking Tongue. A former Viking stronghold, with a 50-metre bridge built in 1984 by the British Army. Visited by thousands every year, with bridge repaired in 2004.
01862 810216 - in Dornoch, once the palace of the Bishop of Caithness, now a
select central hotel.With Post Office.
Extreme north coast.
With Post Office at Durine and an exquisite beach area looking north.
Old church of circa 1746 was recently restored, with unveiling of the Edderton Stone, a Pictish cross slab. Also of interest is the restored outdoor preaching ark.
With Post Office. Near Dornoch.
Coastal village with beaches 6 miles south of Brora and 12 miles north of Dornoch. With hotels, guest houses, B&Bs. Its two principal claims to fame are world-famous Dunrobin Castle and Lawson Memorial Hospital, a community hospital minor injury unit. The local butcher and fishmonger attract clients from as far north as Kildonan.
Loch Fleet. With a magnificent national nature reserve, 4 miles south of Golspie, on A9..
Large village, with harbour, railway station and more. 12 miles north of Brora on the A9. Population 860. Local telephone area code is 01431. Once, Helmsdale Castle was here, a ruin by 1858, destroyed to make way for the A9. Claims to fame include Old Helmsdale Bridge 1809-1811, built by Thomas Telford. There is a distinctive War Memorial here, of 1924. Also see Timespan Heritage Centre & Art Gallery. Dunrobin Street, KW8 6AJ. Phone 01431 821327. Fax 01431 821058.
Until she died, world-famous and prolific novelist Barbara Cartland made this her favourite summer home for decades, brought her 2 sons here, frequented local shops. Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland was born in Edgbaston, West Midlands in 1901 and attended Malvern Girls' College and Abbey House, Netley Abbey, Hampshire. Her father was killed in Flanders in 1918 and the family subsequently moved to London where her mother opened a dress shop in Kensington. Cartland wrote the first of a long series of novels, 'Jig-Saw', at the age of 20 while she was working as gossip columnist for the Daily Express. It was published 1925 and was followed by a play, 'Blood Money'. In 1927 she married Alexander George McCorquodale but was later divorced from him, going on to marry Hugh McCorquodale, a cousin of her first husband, in 1936. During the Second World War, Cartland became Chief Lady Welfare Officer for Bedfordshire (1941-45). She was later a political speaker for the Conservatives, county councillor for Hertfordshire, chair of the St. John Council, deputy president of St. John Ambulance Brigade, and president of Hertfordshire branch of Royal College of Midwives as well as founding the National Association of Health in the 1960s. Cartland was also involved in campaigns for better conditions and salaries for women in nursing and improvements in the status of the elderly. In 1991 she was made Dame of the Order of the British Empire and by 1993 had sold over 600 million copies of her books, making her name synonymous with the romantic novel. She was also famous for her love of pink chiffon clothing and small dogs. She died on May 21, 2000, after a short illness.
Portgower. South of Helmsdale, on A9. Fishing village, 1855.
Historic Assynt has led work in 2003 and 2004 leading to preservation of
Also see the Inchnadamph Bones Caves. A guided walk back in history to the time when polar bears roamed in Sutherland.
Fishing harbour on north coast. With Post Office.
Inland, 30 miles west of Brora. Lairg Mart has Europe's biggest one-day sale of lambs, a huge annual sale of North Country Cheviot ewe and wether lambs from the hills of Sutherland, every August (except in 2007 when it was September). It has another unique claim to fame as the host of the annual Lairg Crofters' Show, the only one of its kind left in the world. With Post Office on Main Street. It has a Lairg Local History Society. Gunn's Wood is on the west side, between the village and crofts, with delightful mature woodland. With the coldest temperatures in the country (once - 19C), averaging 1.1C in January and 12.3C in August, but with a few hot days.
North west Sutherland fishing port south east of Stoer. With Post Office.
Rural area between Brora and Helmsdale, with some interesting buildings including the Parish Kirk of 1822 built by the Marquis of Stafford and Countess of Sutherland and the Wolf Stone where the last wolf in Scotland was killed in about 1700. There is also a Loth War Memorial when opened by George, 5th Duke of Sutherland in February 1922. It was originally on the A9 on a dangerous bend but since April 2004 was relocated in the church cemetery grounds.
Not a geographic region but a geological one, a distinctive feature of north west Sutherland, running from Durness to Ullapool in Ross & Cromarty. Geology students are routinely brought here to study it. In 2004, Highland Council officials submitted a bid to have it gain European Geopark status. It was successful and the facility is now the first Geopark in Scotland.
East coast water separating Sutherland from Moray.
Monuments of the Picts - ancient Scots of the area and region, who most frightened the Romans and dyed their skins with woad. The Romans called them savages.
West of the Mound, half way to Lairg from Brora. A widespread parish of farms, settlements and crofting townships with a multi-faceted personality. As best described in the book "Rogart: the Story of a Sutherland Crofting Parish" by former Parish postman and local Heritage Society chairman John Macdonald, £17.50, ISBN 0 9531 724 4 9.Small village with a pub, convenience store, service station/garage, veterinary, garden nursery and (at website sleeperzzz.com) railway carriages with kitchens offering accommodation (4 to 8 people) to visitors.
Chiefly famous for Loch Duart, which won the gold medal for Best Food in Taste of Britain 2005. It has also won other awards. Its salmon are served by name at Wimbledon, by Gordon Ramsay and at the French Laundry in California, four times voted the world's top restaurant.
Between Loch Fleet and Embo.
With Post Office.
A picturesque area east of Bonar Bridge. Most notable and of enormous interest to all from Pennsylvania in general and Pittsburgh in particular, is:
Skibo Castle,
Clashmore, not far from Dornoch. Very private, exclusive and by membership only,
with membership costing possibly hundreds of thousands. Dornoch. Has lovely gardens.
In the
980s it was the property of the Norse Vikings who built a fortress to protect their
long-prowed boats of conquest. Once the residence of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Caithness and Sutherland,
Gilbert de Moravia, later declared a saint, whose see was
established at Dornoch in 1224.
When the Reformation turfed out the Catholics, the property passed through many Protestant owners after 1565, such as the Grays, Dempsters and Sutherland-Walkers. It had one particularly famous moment in Scottish history in 1650 when the Marquis of Montrose spent two nights here under guard, after being captured following the battle of Carbisdale.
At that time, owner Sir Robert Gray was also a prisoner, held in Edinburgh for supporting the Marquis. But Lady Gray, the former Jane Seton, was at the castle and, as hostess, caused a fierce scene when, at the dinner table, the Marquis was not allowed initially by his captors to seat in the place of honour. She threw a leg of mutton at the senior officer, Holbourn, and humiliated him and his uniform.
Photo above by authors
The most notable
owner was Scots-born
Andrew Carnegie - see photo attached, left - of
Pittsburgh, PA, steel magnate and philanthropist, with his wife Louise and
daughter Margaret Carnegie Miller, from
spring 1898. He became world-famous for his Carnegie public libraries, symphony halls and institutions that included
the International Court of Arbitration at the Hague, in Holland; Pan
American Union in Washington, DC; and Central American Court of Justice
in Costa Rica. The baronial house
of 1880 that replaced and modernized the ancient castle became his Highland home
until his death on August 11, 1919. He extended it with land acquired from the Duke of Sutherland.
Louise (who died on June 24,
1956) last visited Skibo Castle in summer 1939. The
castle still flies the Carnegie hybrid flag of the Union Jack and Stars and
Stripes. Aultnagar Lodge, Lairg, was the private
retreat he and his family owned and escaped to when they lived at Skibo
Castle from 1898. ( Some of its furniture from Aultnagar Lodge is today at The Royal Marine Hotel in
Brora, Sutherland).
Margaret Carnegie Miller, daughter of Andrew and Louise Carnegie.
Most of the suites and bedrooms of the upper two
floors of the castle were
given names by Andrew Carnegie himself. Some were reflective of the
region, such as Cracail, Evelix, Dornoch, Lagain, Laro, Migdale, Ospis
and Struie. Others were named after certain illustrious figures
who had played a part in the property's long history, such as St.
Gilbert (of Moravia), Sigurd the Viking chieftain reportedly buried in
the earth of Skibo. The most imposing suite was named for the first
Marquis of Montrose who stayed there as a prisoner of the Scots Covenant
Army.
At Skibo Castle, breakfast of kippers, porridge and scrambled eggs for themselves and houseguests were eaten to the music of Haydn, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner. Dinners were sumptuous affairs. On the walls of the dining room were hung oil portraits of some of Carnegie's heroes, especially Benjamin Franklin, James Watt and Robert Burns. In the library specifically made to house them were magnificently-bound books Carnegie personally thought he paid far too much for. The Carnegie family brought royalty, statesmen, intellectuals, industrialists and politicians galore to see Skibo Castle and Sutherland and gave the county much fame. It still has the terraced gardens he built. They are outstanding, not open to the public.
Photo above by authors.
The bulk of the property - 19,000 of 22,000 acres - was sold by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust in 1982 to Inverness-born Derek and June Holt, of Holt Leisure Parks Ltd. However, three of its farms, Fload, of 263 acres; Acharry, of 100 acres; and Creich, of 362 acres, remained in the hands of the Carnegie extended family. The property has since changed hands again and is now a private mansion-castle and residential golf and sporting club owned by Skibo Ltd, on 7,000 acres, much smaller than before but still a huge property by international standards. Its Carnegie Club Golf Course, 18 holes, is 6.671 yards, not long by modern standards but challenging. It hosted the 2004 Northern Open.
East of Lairg, carrying the A839 and railway to Loch Fleet and The Mound.
Between Brora and Golspie, on the A9. Carn Liath broch. Guardianship Memorial, access at all times. Of outstanding interest, as circa 100BC-100AD broch, only a few feet high now but once perhaps 30-40 feet high. A broch is a circular, double-skinned tower, of drystone masonry, thought to have been built as a coastal defensive farmstead, mostly in Highlands and Islands. Mural cells are built into the base wall thickness, with stairs rising between outer and inner walls. It has a single tunnel entrance was guarded by a small mural chamber.
An angling and climbing centre in Sutherland, north of Ben Loyal. With Post Office. On the inland curve of the Kyle of Tongue. See the ruins of Caisteal Bharraich, once the home of an 11th century Norse king and then a Mackay stronghold. Tongue House, a 17th and 18th century building north of the village, is not the seat of the Dukes of Sutherland. Rather, it is the Scottish home of the Countess of Sutherland. (The Earldom, as an ancient Scottish title, can be inherited by a female, while the Dukedom, a more recent British title, goes in the male line. When the current Countess inherited the Earldom, a male relation of the previous Duke inherited the title of Duke).
Hamlet.
Westminster,
MP. John Thurso. Scottish
Liberal Democrat, which wants to take
back power and change politics for good in light of the recent parliamentary
scandals re some corrupt Members of Parliament. E-mail thursoj@parliament.uk.
In the 5th May 2005 General Election in the redrawn and now extended Northern
Highlands constituency of Caithness, Sutherland (which includes Brora), Easter
Ross, Alness and Evanton (the latter three in Ross-shire). With over 50% of the
votes. Scottish Liberal Democrat. Thurso East Mains, Thurso, Caithness KW14 8HW.
3rd Viscount Thurso, grandson of the first Viscount, Sir Archibald Sinclair, a
one time leader of the Liberal Party and Secretary of State for Scotland. Sir
Archibald Sinclair represented Caithness & Sutherland from 1922 until 1945.
His grandson, the 3rd Viscount, was born in 1953 and is married with a daughter
and two sons. He was schooled at Thurso and then sent to Eton. Lord Thurso first
stood for parliament in 2001, inheriting the seat of Robert Maclennan, who is
now a member of the House of Lords as Baron Maclennan of Rogart. His wife, Lady
Marion Thurso, is a Highland Councillor for Thurso, Ward 02.
Jamie Stone, constituency MSP
Vote if
Press & Journal (Aberdeen, Highlands and Islands edition), only daily of the region. E-mail pj.editor@ajl.co.uk. For letters to Editor, include full name, address, postal code and phone number for verification.
All the above printed by same organization.
PoliceLocal branch offices. Letters, parcels, not TV Licenses any longer. Summer opening hours are
Written, administered and web-mastered here in Sutherland, Scotland, by
Keith A.
Forbes, at keithaforbes@btinternet.com.
© 2009. Revised: June 24, 2009
