📌 Dolphin spotting site in Fortrose, Highland
★★★★★
Jutting out from the Black Isle, rows of wildlife photographers usually line the shores of Chanonry Point almost throughout daylight hours. This is the best place in the UK – and one of the best in the world – to spot bottlenose dolphins from land. Once you’ve successfully jostled for a space on the increasingly popular shingle spit, there are good odds of cetacean success – in several visits over the years, we’ve never been disappointed. Nothing is guaranteed, but to maximise your chances, visit during the summer months and on an incoming tide; calm waters during periods of light wind also help distinguish dorsal fins from breaking waves. As the tide rises, the headland acts as a funnel into the Moray Firth, bringing in fish with hungry dolphins waiting to intercept them; harbour porpoises and seals are also fairly frequent visitors. The seabed drops away sharply beyond the headland, allowing some viewings at surprisingly close quarters (as some of our own amateur photographs hopefully confirm).
🌍 Location
📌 By minor road end 1 mi southeast of Fortrose
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NH 751557
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.574159,-4.090861
🚌 Ross Crescent, Fortrose (1 mi)
🚗 Car park (charge, gets busy) – further parking in or around Fortrose village, a pleasant 30-min walk (each way) along the coast
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
