Fortrose Beach

The Highland town of Fortrose lies on the Black Isle peninsula, which is noted for its relatively mild climate. Walking is the most popular pastime at this sand and shingle beach, which stretches for about a mile and a half from Fortrose Harbour to Chanonry Point in the east, and offers views over the Moray Firth.

A walk along the beach to Chanonry Point will bring the visitor to a scenic lighthouse (now in private ownership) and a popular viewpoint at the end of a spit of land. It is also said to be one of the best places in the British Isles to spot dolphins. There is a chance of seeing them here at any time of day, but they are usually most visible just after low tide. Fort George can also be seen from here across the mouth of Moray Firth.

Fortrose Harbour, at the western end of the beach was once a bustling commercial port.  Today it is just a sleepy, but pleasant, little backwater, leased by the Chanonry Sailing Club.

There is some parking along Wester Greengates and limited parking at Chanonry Point, both with direct access to the beach. There are toilets, shops, and places to eat and drink in Fortrose town centre, about 150 meters from the western end of the beach.

Fortrose is also home to a campsite and an historic, 18-hole golf course next to the beach. On the links, a plaque marks the spot where the Brahan Seer, a local prophet, known to some as Scotland’s Nostradamus, was burnt as a witch in the 17th century.