Tucked away in the mystical Woodside of Drumnamerg at the heart of the bonny Black Isle, Wildwoodz cabins provide the perfect getaway.
The Black Isle (or ‘Eilean Dubh’ in Gaelic) is one of Scotland’s most stunning locations.
Despite its name, the Black Isle is not an island but a
peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the
sea – the
Cromarty Firth to the north, the
Beauly Firth to the south, and the
Moray Firth to the east.
Gaelic does not make the distinction between ‘island’ and ‘peninsula’ that English does. The area is home to a population of
Bottlenose dolphins.
On the fourth, western side, its boundary is broadly delineated by rivers. The
River Conon divides
Maryburgh from
Conon Bridge, which is the first village on the Black Isle from the north-west. Its southwestern boundary is variously considered to be marked by either a minor tributary of the
River Beauly separating
Beauly (in
Inverness-shire) and
Muir of Ord(on the Black Isle in Ross and Cromarty), dividing the two counties and also delineating the start of the Black Isle; or alternatively, the River Beauly itself, thus including Beauly in the Black Isle despite its official placement in Inverness-shire.
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There are modern road bridges across the
Cromarty and
Beauly Firths, which carry the
A9 trunk road across the heart of the Black Isle. The last remaining ferry is a summer service from Cromarty to
Nigg. The
North Coast 500 scenic route crosses the base of the peninsula.
The Black Isle is close to railway stations at Inverness and along the
Far North Line to Dingwall, as well as
Inverness Airport and the cruise ship terminal at Invergordon.
Land use is primarily arable farming and forestry. Since the
Kessock Ferry across the Beauly Firth was replaced by the bridge, the Black Isle has become something of a dormitory area for Inverness.
