Geology

For years, I admired the mountains and lochs of the north west Highlands without understanding what made them distinctive. Six days with the Geopark’s geologist changed how I looked at a landscape I thought I knew.

Why is the east coast filled with farms, castles and communities while much of the northwest remains almost empty? The answer lies beneath your feet. On the North Coast 500, geology does not simply shape the scenery. It helps decide where human life is possible.

From southern latitudes to Scotland’s far north, the ground beneath your holiday has made a journey of thousands of miles.

At Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, the line between castle and cliff blurs, revealing a story nearly 400 million years in the making.