The Tarbat Peninsula in Easter Ross lies just off A9, on route to Tain, along the east coast of the NC500 – and the best way to see all that this area of natural beauty has to offer is on foot. The Tarbat Peninsula divides the Dornoch Firth and the Moray Firth, both of which can be seen if you complete the Tarbat Ness Walk, a wonderful coastal circuit of the Tarbat Ness headland, beginning and ending in the picturesque village of Portmahomack.

As you leave Portmahomack to begin the Tarbat Ness Walk, stop to take in the views across the Firth and over the Sutherland hills, towards Golspie and Brora. By following the road past the Tarbat Discovery Centre for around three miles, you’ll reach the very tip of the peninsula and, of course, Tarbat Ness itself, upon which sits one of the tallest lighthouses in mainland Britain. More than 40 metres in height, the Tarbat Ness Lighthouse was constructed in 1830 by Robert Stevenson, the uncle of novelist Robert Louis Stevenson.

As you complete this wonderful coastal circuit and head further south and west, you may be fortunate enough to spot seabirds, dolphins and seals off the grassy shorelines – this area has a rich abundance of wildlife.