Discover Dingwall: History and Trails on the Cromarty Firth

Dingwall lies at the head of the Cromarty Firth and combines a distinctive historic townscape with trails through the surrounding landscape. Those wishing to combine culture, short explorations of the town and longer walks during their holiday will find various starting points here for planning their trip. A holiday apartment or holiday cottage in Dingwall can serve as a base for a stay whose focus you can set between history, visiting the town and experiencing nature.

Historical traces in Dingwall

One of the best-known historical references is Dingwall Castle. The castle was the seat of the Earls of Ross until the earldom was lost in 1476. Today, the remains of Dingwall Castle are located in a private garden at The Castle House.

The town itself also preserves older structures. The main street is accessed via several closes or vennels, giving an impression of the town layout that developed over time. St Clement’s Aisle dates from the early 16th century and survives in a ruined state in the churchyard of St Clement’s Church. For travellers interested in church and urban history, these places add different historical periods to the picture of Dingwall.

Getting to know the town on foot

The Dingwall Heritage Trail connects information panels at historic sites with an accessible walking route along existing roads and footpaths. The town section can be completed on foot in around 30 minutes. This allows you to incorporate a compact circular walk into a shorter excursion without dedicating your entire stay exclusively to an extensive hiking programme.

The virtual version of the Dingwall Heritage Trail starts at the “Welcome Panel” and leads via the High Street to the Town House. It offers another way of organising the town’s points of interest. If different interests come together in your travel group, you can use this to combine historical information, a short walk and other destinations flexibly.

Town House, museum and special exhibits

The Town House, also known as the Tollbooth, was built in 1733. The Dingwall Museum is located in the historic Town House. There, the museum displays the Conan Cross slab, which was carved in the first millennium AD. The museum also includes an exhibition about the local regiment, the 4th Seaforth Highlanders.

Another unusual feature is the replica of Gordon’s Smiddy. The smithy operated in the town centre for more than three generations; its reconstruction makes this part of the local working and urban history understandable. Together with the Town House, it forms a cultural focus that can be combined well with the Heritage Trail and the historical traces along the main street, without having to treat all the stops as one single location.

Canal landscape and trails in the surrounding area

The River Peffery was converted into a canal, which was completed in 1819. This historic intervention is part of Dingwall’s landscape history and adds an example of the alteration of a river course to the impressions from the town area. Those who enjoy being out and about can also follow the Peffery Way, a route that passes sheep pastures, woodland and farmland. Along the way, there are views of Knockfarrel and The Heights.

The Peffery Way has an entrance on Mill Street near the railway crossing. This allows you to adapt your choice of day’s activities to the desired section of the route. The Heritage Trail represents a shorter historical walk around the town, while the Peffery Way offers a different landscape experience with pastures, woodland and farmland. You should consider the information about the respective routes separately when planning specifically, as the trails mentioned describe different experiences.

The Memorial Tower as another highlight

The Sir Hector MacDonald Memorial Tower on Mitchell Hill was officially reopened to the public on 2 July 2026. Supervised summer visits were offered in connection with this reopening. From the tower, there are views of Dingwall and the surrounding landscape. For your travel planning, the reopening date is just as relevant as the reference to the supervised summer visits: you should check current visitor information separately for the period of your planned trip.

When looking for accommodation in Dingwall, you can therefore first consider which combination matters most to your travel group: historical explorations of the town with the museum and Heritage Trail, a route through the landscape or the view from the Memorial Tower.

As additional destinations, you can discover Forsinard, Tongue, Dunvegan, Roybridge, Spean Bridge, Portnalong, Broadford and Croy.

For the higher-level travel overview: Highland.