Sports & Activities

Red deer stags resting together on a grassy hillside at Kildonan.

'Red Deer Stalking' in the North Highlands

Highland deer stalking is not about seeing how far a rifle can fire. The real sport lies in crossing miles of bog and heather, reading the wind and crawling close enough to make one clean shot. What follows afterwards can be considerably harder to watch.

Close-up of an angler holding a fly rod and reel while drawing out the fishing line.

Salmon fishing on the Naver and Helmsdale

On the River Naver and River Helmsdale, anglers pay for private water, an experienced ghillie and the chance to encounter a wild Atlantic salmon. Catching one is never guaranteed, and taking it home is generally not part of the bargain, unless you believe the 'wooden salmon' story!

Coastal fairways at Durness overlooking a sandy bay and dunes beneath a partly cloudy sky

I don’t play golf, but I’d choose Durness

Durness brings wind and a shot across the sea. At Brora, grazing livestock have ideas about the grass. There's more to golf than just Royal Dornoch in the North Highlands