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The Black Isle

2 Reviews 4.50 out of 5 stars Based on 2 reviews collected by City Balloon Tours and TripAdvisor | Recommended by 100% of reviewers | Inverness, Scotland
Don't miss out!
On average, this is booked 24 (0) days in advance.

8 hours (approx.)
Hotel pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Instant confirmation

Overview

The Black Isle

The Bonnie Black Isle is, on a bright summer’s day, not black. Nor, on any other day is it an island. “Bonnie” (Scots for “beautiful”) however, it assuredly is and it affords the visitor many beautiful views, seascapes, wildlife and places of interest. The “Isle” is in fact a peninsula strategically lying between the broad expanses of two Firths, Moray and Cromarty.

What's Included

  • Private tour
  • Hotel/port drop-off
  • Hotel/port pickup
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities
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Meeting and Pickup

Pickup point
Pickup details

Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen Airport by arrangement. Contact us the evening before and we will give you your driver/guides phone number.

What To Expect

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Our secure website provides real-time availability, instant confirmation, and free, no-hassle cancellations up to 24 hours before your tour begins.
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Clootie Well

This ancient site is dedicated to St Boniface. The tradition of tying a cloth or "clootie" to a tree after dipping it in the well signifies that the patient, from whom the cloth has been taken, lying ill at home, will, as the cloot dries out, be relieved of the suffering from which he, or she, is afflicted.
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1 hour Admission Ticket Free

Fortrose Cathedral

The cathedral dates to around 1300. Not popular after the Reformation in 1560 services ceased at Fortrose. In the 1650s the stone from the now roofless and decaying nave and choir were removed. This, the Priory at Beauly, and other sacred sites were savaged, barges of stone transported to Inverness to build Oliver Cromwell's Citadel, reportedly costing £1,000 per barge, a huge amount of money in those times.
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1 hour Admission Ticket Free

Chanonry Point

Chanonry Point is a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between the villages Fortrose and Rosemarkie. It is regarded as probably the best viewpoint to see Bottle-Nosed Dolphins. They, who make these waters home is reputedly the biggest of their kind in the world. A Stevenson lighthouse stands guard over the narrows here and across the Firth, starkly visible, is the garrison Fortress of Fort George built after the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion to pacify the Highlands. It is still an active garrison today home to the Black Watch Regiment of the British Army.
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1 hour Admission Ticket Free

Groam House Museum

A museum of Celtic and Pictish Art, located in the village of Rosemarkie. Groam House is custodian, not only the Rosemarkie Stone, one of the major surviving examples of Pictish art in stone, but also, the Rosemarkie sculpture fragments, that are 14 stone fragments, the most well known being Daniels Stone. The museum also hosts the George Bain Collection. Bain, is considered the father of modern Celtic design, he spent many years working out the intricate mathematical designs found in Celtic art. In 2015 the museum organised a Celtic felt banner-making project to create banners for the Celtic Connections Festival 2016
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1 hour Admission Ticket Free

Fairy Glen Falls

Wild scenes and wild legends and some of the traditions connected with this romantic and solitary dell illustrate this remark. Till a comparatively late period, it was known at many a winter fireside as a favourite haunt of the fairies…I have conversed with an old woman…who, when a very little girl, had seen myriads of them dancing as the sun was setting on the further edge of the dell…' (Hugh Miller 1835)
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1 hour Admission Ticket Free

Cromarty

Cromarty and the sea are indivisible. Fishing was traditionally the major industry. Other trade was also by boat from an outstanding natural harbour, and was an important British naval base during the two World Wars. HMS Natal blew up close by on 30 December 1915 with a substantial loss of life. [ Cromarty gives its name to one of the sea areas of the British Shipping Forecast. In the nineteenth century, Cromarty was the birthplace and home of Hugh Miller, a geologist, writer, journalist. His cottage and the Old Courthouse are both open to the public. The Sutors of Cromarty are two opposing headlands which mark the entrance to the Cromarty Firth. They stand guard over the firth, and many stories have been told about them. Sutor is the Scots word for shoemaker, and one story tells of two giant shoemakers, the Sutors, who used the two cliffs as their workbenches.
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1 hour Admission Ticket Free

Cromarty Firth

Said to be the finest deep-water, natural harbour in Europe the Firth was home to the High Seas Fleet during World Wars 1 and 2. Even today the N.A.T.O fleet call in here and is an impressive sight. The port of Invergordon across the Firth is a significant base for visiting cruise liners and a service port for the oil industry.
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1 hour Admission Ticket Free

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Additional Info

  • Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Frequently Asked Questions (7)

Q: What is the cancellation policy for the The Black Isle?

A: You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund. For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (GMT). Read more Apr 2025

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund.

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Activity code: C-25141P5

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.50
2 reviews

Average 4.50 out of 5 stars based on 2 traveler reviews collected by City Balloon Tours and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor

5 stars
1
4 stars
1
3 stars
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2 stars
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1 star
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Don't miss out!
On average, this is booked 24 (0) days in advance.

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What's Included

Activity name

  • Private tour
  • Hotel/port drop-off
  • Hotel/port pickup
  • Live entertainment
  • Live commentary on board
  • Transport by private vehicle
  • Driver/guide
  • Professional guide
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities

Additional Info

Activity name

  • Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Driver will pick up from your location and drop off at your required final destination.

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