Things you didn't know about... Ross-shire

Ross-shire, master of reinvention
While many people still refer to Ross-shire or The County of Ross, the county technically ceased to exist with the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 which combined Ross-shire with Cromartyshire to create Ross and Cromarty. To confuse matters further, Ross and Cromarty was dismantled in 1975, with the mainland portion becoming part of the Highland region and the Hebridean part becoming part of The Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan Siar).

The Vikings were here
Ross-shire's historic capital Dingwall owes its name to the Vikings. Situated at the head of the Cromarty Firth, Dingwall was of great strategic importance and became a hub of Viking activity in northern Scotland.

The name Dingwall is thought to derive from the Old Norse Thingvollr, meaning "field of the thing" (in Norse a "thing" is a local assembly). Similar place names can be found beyond Ross-shire—across Scotland, The Shetlands, the Isle of Man and Iceland.

Macbeth hailed from Ross-shire
Macbeth, the Scots king immortalised by William Shakespeare, is thought to have been born in a castle (long since destroyed) on the outskirts of Dingwall, Ross-shire.

Dolphins head for Ross-shire
Chanonry Point, on Ross-shire's Moray coast, is reputedly the best place in the UK to view bottle-nosed dolphins—particularly in summer, when the animals hunt the wild salmon that are returning to the rivers Ness and Beauly to spawn. Porpoises and grey seals can also regularly be spotted off Ross-shire.

The Black Isle: it's not black and it's not an island
Not far from where the dolphins play is the beautiful but confusingly named Black Isle. Despite its name, Ross-shire's Black Isle is actually a peninsula rather than an island: the name derives from Gaelic which uses the same word, "eilean", for both island and peninsula.

The area is also popular with connoisseurs of beer and whisky. Glen Ord single malt whisky is distilled here and local microbrewery, the Black Isle Brewery, produces a variety of organic beers including Yellowhammer and Red Kite Ale.

Ross-shire is the home of Glenmorangie whisky
Whisky has been distilled at the Glenmorangie distillery since 1843.

Ullapool: gateway to the Hebrides
For hundreds of years, the fishing and ferry port of Ullapool has been a key link between the Highlands of the Scottish mainland and the islands of the Outer Hebrides. Today, there are an average of two return ferry crossings a day between Ullapool and Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, with sailings taking 2 hours 45 minutes.

You can find palm trees in Inverewe
Palm trees and Australian eucalyptus grow in the gardens of Inverewe, despite the fact that Inverewe is actually at the same latitude as Hudson Bay in Canada. The spectacular 50-acre garden is open to the public throughout the year.