West Halladale and Stones of Stenness

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. West Halladale

   Forsinard is the name of a railway halt, but the country around it is what people come for. The Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland is the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe, a vast, treeless plain of peat, pools and sedge that rolls out to the horizon under a huge sky. It was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2024 for its importance as a carbon store and a wildlife habitat. West Halladale lies in this country, in the strath, or valley, of the Halladale river, which runs north to the sea at Melvich.

   Read the complete West Halladale write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   West Halladale is where the day begins. Next is East Halladale.

2. 2. East Halladale

   Strath Halladale is one of the emptiest valleys in mainland Britain, and East Halladale is a scatter of crofts and sheep fields along it. The A897 runs up the strath from Helmsdale on the east coast to Melvich on the north coast, following the Halladale River for much of the way, and for long stretches you will see more deer than cars. It is single track with passing places, so the rules are simple: pull in to let faster traffic by, wave, and never park in a passing place.

   Read the complete East Halladale write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   East Halladale comes up about 29 km into the recorded legs. Next is Munsary & Shielton.

3. 3. Munsary & Shielton

   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.

   Read the complete Munsary & Shielton write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 59 km into the recorded legs you reach Munsary & Shielton. Next is Stones of Stenness.

4. 4. Stones of Stenness

   At the southern end of the narrow neck of land between Loch Harray and Loch Stenness, four tall stones stand against the sky. They are all that is left of a circle that may have had twelve, laid out around 3000 BC, which makes it among the oldest stone circles in Britain. The tallest stone is over five metres, thin as a blade, cut from the local flagstone that splits into slabs, and the whole group has the stern, upright look of something that has stood a long time in the wind. Inside the circle are traces of a central hearth, and archaeologists have found bones of cattle from feasts.

   Read the complete Stones of Stenness write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Stones of Stenness, about halfway. Next is back through Munsary & Shielton.

5. 5. back through Munsary & Shielton

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Munsary & Shielton write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Munsary & Shielton sits at 199 km, about halfway. Next is back through East Halladale.

6. 6. back through East Halladale

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete East Halladale write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through East Halladale comes up about 269 km into the recorded legs. Next is West Halladale.

7. 7. West Halladale

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete West Halladale write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   West Halladale closes the day.