Bonar-Bridge

On the Kyle of Sutherland

This gateway to the beautiful interior of Sutherland sits on the banks of the Kyle of Sutherland on the east coast. For many years Bonar had a thriving salmon netting industry giving good employment to locals until it was shut to preserve river stocks.

Since the building of the Dornoch Bridge, and the opening of the west coast routes through Ullapool, main stream traffic misses Bonar, making it enticingly quiet, surrounded by fertile crofting ground and rolling hills.

 The drive east towards Spinningdale with its Fairy Glen taking you to Clashmore and Dornoch can be enchantingly beautiful. Directly north from the village there is a golf course on the road that splits into two picturesque journeys, one by Loch Migdale to Spinningdale with the Kyloag Chambered Cairn enroute, the other, along “the back road” through to the Mound near Golspie, is also well worth the trip.

The magical drive to Carbisdale Castle takes you westward through Ardgay on the south bank of the Kyle, and further on up the Strath to Glencalvie and Croick Church and the hauntingly sad scene of the cruel clearances, with the evicted family names and messages scratched on the windows of the Croick Kirk as a poignant record of their suffering.

In 1845, of the 400 to 500 inhabitants cleared, 90 or so had nowhere to go and took shelter in the Churchyard. Their story was reported in the Times, and as a last testimony to their plight, they scratched messages on the windows of the church. Many who visit “feel” there is more than just a few scratched messages left behind. Some of the 90 turned up later in Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand, but many just disappeared - a sad episode in Scotland’s varied history.

The north bank of the Kyle takes you westwards by Invershin, once an important railway stop with its Iron Railway bridge across the Kyle – which a Spitfire fighter aircraft is reputed to have flown under during the war – and on to Lairg and the villages of north west Sutherland, or to Lochinver on the west coast, via Rosehall and Oykel Bridge.

A blend of heath and moorland nine-hole golf course at Bonar Bridge is generally considered one of the most beautiful courses in the Highlands. The narrow tree-lined fairways require straight driving, whilst the small, hard-to-read greens will confuse even the most gifted of players.

The surrounding heather-laden terrain provides a wonderful backdrop to this easy-walking course. The par three third is the signature hole. Although not at all difficult, it has to be one of the most enjoyable par threes in the Highlands, the views down to Loch Migdale, with the hills in the background, being unforgettable.