The Black Isle - Past and Present
The Black Isle is neither black nor an island but both residents and visitors feel they are somewhere special. The area has its own unique atmosphere
and until the advent of the Kessock and Cromarty Bridges, it had a definite insular feel.
It is, in fact, a peninsula, jutting out
eastwards towards the North Sea and joined to the rest of the Highlands at its western edge. To the north lies the Cromarty Firth and the hills Easter Ross (see picture).To the south and east lie Inverness and the Moray and
Beauly Firths. But why call it 'black' when it is so obviously green and fertile? Well there is more than one theory for its name. Some say it is because when the snow falls the surrounding hills are
covered in white, while the low-lying Black Isle remains dark in comparison. Others say that the Gaelic 'Eilean Dubh' (Black Isle) is a corrupted form of 'Duthuc's Isle' (named after St Duthuc)
and has nothing to do with the colour black. A third theory is derived from the nature of the central ridge (Mulbuie Ridge), a vast moorland tract which is dark or bleak in character.
Whichever theory is correct, this fertile productive farming area, with its green fields, woods, coastal beaches and dry climate, is one of Highland Region's gems.
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