Inland from Wick, in the far north-east of Scotland, the land flattens into a vast, rolling expanse of peat bog, brown and gold, dotted with pools and lochans that reflect the sky. Munsary and Shielton are areas of this blanket bog, part of the Flow Country, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2024 as the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe. Here, sphagnum mosses have built up peat over thousands of years, storing vast amounts of carbon, and the bog teems with life: insect-eating sundews, cotton grass waving white in summer, and birds such as golden plover, greenshank and dunlin nesting among the hummocks.
The land looks empty, but people have lived here for thousands of years. Just south of Munsary stand the Grey Cairns of Camster, two remarkable Neolithic chambered cairns, great piles of stones covering passages and chambers built around five thousand years ago. You can crawl inside along low passages to stand in the chambers, an eerie experience. The surrounding area is rich in standing stones, brochs and ancient sites.
Wick, the nearest town, was once the busiest herring port in Europe, with hundreds of boats crowding the harbour in the season. The heritage centre tells that story well. Wick also has Ebenezer Place, which holds the record as the shortest street in the world, and a distillery producing whisky with a salty, maritime character. To the south, the Whaligoe Steps descend a cliff to a tiny harbour, where women once carried baskets of fish up hundreds of steps.
The riding is open and lonely. Single-track roads with passing places cross the bog, with long straight stretches, gentle curves and huge skies. Traffic is minimal, but sheep, deer and the occasional tractor demand attention, and the surface can be rough. Weather is the main challenge: wind blows almost constantly across the open landscape, rain can arrive suddenly, and in winter the days are very short. Summer brings long days with light until late at night, though midges can be a nuisance when the wind drops.
Wick, about fifteen kilometres away, has fuel, shops and cafés. There is little in between, so plan ahead. Try fresh seafood, smoked salmon or a fish supper, and a dram of the local whisky, once the riding is done.