Dingwall

The Viking Capital of Scotland

Dingwall is a bustling market town at the head of the Cromarty Firth, 12 miles from Inverness. It was made a Royal Borough in 1226 and continues to provide a compelling central point for the people who live in Ross-shire and those who come to visit. It is full of interesting shops of all types, with a museum, beautiful Churches, a Carnegie Library, a leisure centre and swimming pool. It is also the home ground of Ross County football club.

You can travel to Dingwall by train and find yourself virtually in the centre of the town when you walk out of the railway station. There are also bus links to all points of the compass. The available accommodation suits all pockets. There is a camping and caravan site, a choice of Bed and Breakfasts and a number of hotels. Similarly you will find a wide range of restaurants and food outlets to suit all tastes so you can flavour your visit with memorable dishes. There are also beautiful picnic spots where one may peacefully enjoy the clean air and unspoiled countryside and watch wild life.

Dingwall is a centre for several rewarding walks. You can stroll along the side of the canal, the Dingwall designer ignored Thomas Telford’s advice not to run the River Peffery into the canal as it would silt the canal up. The inevitable happened and the canal ceased to be functional in 1840.

Another pleasant walk is to go up by Kinnardie Brae to Tulloch Castle. There is also a path westwards to Knockfarrel and Fodderty which has a well known landmark - the ‘Cats Back’- so named because it looks like a cat curled up sleeping.

The surrounding areas of mountains and Straths make Dingwall an excellent base from which to visit other very interesting places. To the south is the village of Conon with its famous salmon river which flows from beautiful and peaceful Strath Conon. (Strath Conon was the subject of a recent television series.) After Conon you reach Muir of Ord. Next is Beauly which has an old priory. All these villages are steeped in Highland history and surrounded by breathtaking, distinctive scenery which is different from other parts of the north highlands.

Westward from Dingwall is the famous Spa village of Strathpeffer with its Spa Pump room and the Pavilion function room, and going northeast there are the seal colonies of Ardullie on the A9. By following the route carved out by the A9 you will discover Alness- a picturesque village which has won both the Scotland in Bloom and Britain in Bloom Awards. From there you will reach Invergordon and Tain.

There are 4 memorials in Dingwall; the War Memorial, the South African Memorial, the Seaforth Memorial and also the Macdonald Memorial, which stands looking down on the town from the Cemetery on Mitchell Hill. All of these offer clues to the town’s past as does the museum which is housed in the original toll booth.

The Mercat Cross, which marks where the old Market was at the top of Castle Street, is thought to be about 500 years old. The Store Tower of the Town House was built in 1733. Even the positioning of the Parish Church has a story to it. It was rebuilt in 1801 after the original building had been destroyed by fire but the builders and the Kirk Session became embroiled in a dispute so the building was erected back to front by way of revenge!

At the front of the church is a cross slate tombstone which is dated 1531 and there is a Class 1 Pictish Symbol stone by the date. Further testimony to a town with a rich history is found across the road in the car park where you can see a replica of the Cromarty Memorial, and the Canal, which was built to secure Dingwall’s future as a port, is, in fact, the most northerly canal in Britain.

Delve even deeper into the past and you find the name Dingwall came from the Norse language and means ‘meeting place’. The town was a centre of Viking administration and decision making, and was on the frontier between the Norse held Northern Scotland and the Kingdom of the Scots, and fought over by both sides. It is thought Macbeth was born here in 1005.The layout of the older parts of the town is noticeably medieval with narrow streets or courtyards.

Dingwall became a town proper in 1050, created by Norse earl Thorfin the Mighty.

Control of Dingwall was regained by the Scots Kings about 1200, and King Alexander 11 made Dingwall a Royal Burgh in 1226, giving it trading rights through Scotland and overseas. Fortress Dingwall, or Dingwall Castle, became one of 30 Royal Castles of the Scottish Kingdom.

It was garrisoned by English Solders during the War of Independence and was captured by William, Earl of Ross on behalf of Robert Bruce.The Earl led men from Ross to take part in the Battle of Bannockburn and King Robert granted the Castle and Lands of Dingwall to the Earl of Ross in 1321 by way of reward. In 1438 Alexander, Lord of the Isles was recognised as Earl of Ross and ruled the whole of Scotland north of the River Tay. His son Earl John lost the Earldom in 1475 and the Castle and Dingwall became Royal Possessions again, but gradually the power slipped away and the Crown abandoned the Castle in 1600, and it gradually fell into ruin.

If you like historical monuments, scenic beauty and modern amenities side by side then Dingwall will easily earn your appreciation and bring you to understand why the Vikings chose to name it as they did.