Posted on 18th June 2019.

Recently, HHBT has worked with Dr Jim Mackay of the Kirkmichael Trust which has been behind the award-winning restoration of the ancient church and kirkyard at Kirkmichael. The intention has been to promote interest in our area’s rich heritage of kirks and kirkyards around the Firths. Jim has produced a first draft leaflet to illustrate how such a kirkyard trail could look. The route features the most easily-accessible and open sites of interest based on the rich farmlands of the Black Isle and Easter Ross around the Cromarty Firth. 

The trail includes the kirks and kirkyards at Nigg Old, Kilmuir Easter, Rosskeen, Alness Old Church, Kiltearn Church and Kirkyard, the Storehouse of Foulis, St Clements in Dingwall, Urquhart Church, Kirkmichael and Cromarty (East Church, Gaelic Chapel and St Regulus combined). The draft leaflet comprises an image of each kirk and one image of a feature in the kirkyard, some appropriate text to attract visitors, and a location plan. The text when finalised should give a  brief taste of what can be found at each site, as well as parking and access and sources of further information about the site.

This could provide the format for a second trail around the Dornoch Firth and yet another around the Beauly Firth. In the bigger picture the three trails would overlap to a degree as well as link into the NC500 and the St Columba Pilgrim Journey which more or less reflects our own proposals but may be an opportunity for attracting a wider and more diverse audience.

In order to gauge and enlist support for the leaflet from the wider community, HHBT is making contact with and is seeking support from the local community through the community councils in the area and the owners of the buildings which are featured in the leaflet, among others.