Forsinard Cabin Camping

A vast expanse of preserved blanket bog, Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve (10 minutes’ drive) is criss-crossed with numerous nature trails and guided walks – on your journey, keep any eye out for the dippers, plovers and hen harriers that make the area so popular with birdwatchers. Keen anglers can combine a bracing walk with fishing for brown trout in Loch Saird (an hour's walk, permits must be bought), or fish for salmon on the namesake river at Helmsdale (50 minutes). If you’d rather forego the walking altogether, why not head for Bettyhill Viewpoint (half an hour’s drive) for far-reaching views over moorland to the peaks of Sutherland including Ben Hope and Ben Loyal? At John O’Groats (an hour), taste local craft beers at John O’Groats Brewery and Visitor Experience, and try to spot dolphins and minke whales off the coastline. On an adventure across the seas? Stay overnight at Forsinard before taking the ferry from Scrabster (35 minutes) to Stromness on Orkney to dive over World War I wrecks in Scapa Flow, explore the World War II camp at Ness Battery or discover the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in the UK at Skara Brae Prehistoric Village.