The Flow Country

I visited the Flow Country by train in July of 2021, taking the 07:00 ScotRail service from Inverness to Wick. It took 3.5 hours to cover the distance to Forsinard, which is only 100 kilometres or so as the crow flies but the railway twists and turns mostly following the coast with a few long detours inland. There are some great views of the sea on one side and hills on the other along with a brief glimpse of Dunrobin Castle through the trees and barrels upon barrels of whisky stacked high at Glen Morangie to tick off some Scottish stereotypes. A day return ticket from Inverness to Forsinard cost £24.60, which is surprisingly cheap for a train journey of this distance in the UK but this is hardly a busy commuter service. Indeed, most of the Far North Line is single track and many of the stations are stops by request only. However, all trains stop at Forsinard as a rare section of double track here allows trains to pass each other. The step-down from the train to the platform here is the largest I have seen, more of a jump than a step.

What was once the station building is now a free-of-charge visitor centre but, the pandemic being as it is, I did not venture inside. Instead, just south of the station, a boardwalk led out across the peatlands. Following the boards offered a sighting of a couple of lizards basking in the sun along with …

On our trip around the northern coast of Scotland in summer 2019 we crossed also the area of Flow Country. The main argument about this site seems the size of untouched land that is unique in Europe and the amount of CO2 it binds. To me this seems for my taste to jump on the (very necessary) wave of the current climate consciousness.
The trip along the northern coast road is attractive mainly for the rocks and beaches on the seaside. The actual flow country on the landside has a certain wild “Wuthering heights” charm: it is a huge area of rather flat moor with moss in many shades, pools and small hills. This is a very typical Scottish landscape but you can find it in smaller chunks nearly everywhere in Scotland and it is also almost everywhere else more attractive because it contrasts sharply with hills, mountains and lakes.
There is little doubt that this area has an ecological importance and that it should be protected but for a traveller this has not more to offer then a walk (where it is possible) through a very wide, lonely and very wet country. That is less then almost any other landscape of this spectacularly beautiful country can offer.
 
Things to see:
The most interesting thing during this drive is really the contrast between the landside and the seaside with gorgeous bays, cliffs and beaches. Here are a few places interesting sights in the area. They are not relevant to …

Flow country is the name given to a large area of bog in the very northern part of mainland Scotland. We visited that region during our “tour of Scotland” in summer 2015. We drove to Forsinard, where a small visitors center is housed in the train station, surrounded by few houses. I understood that the train line and station were still in operation at that time (unexpected for such a tiny and remote village), so this could be a travel alternative to car for those willing to visit that place.

The visitors center is operated by RSPB (Royal Society for Protection of Birds) and gives helpful information about fauna and flora of the area. Main attraction is the nearby board walkway, leading to the recently built observation tower. The area is wide, quite flat with few “bens” (Scottish mountains) in the background, and extremely quiet and relax (and clearly off beaten tracks). We really enjoyed the landscape, as not comparable to any other in Europe (I remember some bogs in French Massif Central, but there is no way they can compete in terms of extend and landscape), as well as observation of insects, lizards and droseras around the small pools. All activities were free of charge. I would be happy to see this area inscribed one day, and I recommend this place to anyone visiting this area (and by the way, the road to Durness, that we drove on the next day, goes along what is probably one of …