Day 5 was a very early start with us up at 6am ready to get on the road by 7. We packed up, had some cereal bars and fruit and were on the road to Cromarty.

In Cromarty we were doing a boat trip for wildlife watching to hopefully see birds, seals and dolphins. We didnt know what parking was like in the little town so we headed out early to make sure we had time to find a spot for the motorhome. It turns out there was a small spot down by the harbour where a few motorhomes had already parked – presumably for overnight wild camping.

After parking up we donned our waterproof trousers, jackets and boots and headed out for a walk round the town before joining our group for the trip. We were headed out for 2 hours on a RIB boat (rigid inflatable boat) that looks like this:

We were going out with a company called Ecoventures and we somehow managed to score the front four seats of the boat!

The seats on the boat are a little odd, you have to kind of straddle them like a horse and there is a bar in front of you to hold on to. Which was making us wonder quite how bumpy the ride was going to be.

Our tour guide explained that we had lovely conditions and that the sea was really calm so we should have no issue spotting anything poking out of the water. As the RIB boat headed out of the harbour onto the open sea the boat started bouncing around on the waves and we were having a great time feeling the sudden drops after every bounce…well…3 of us did…Danielle not so much.

Our tour guide took us around the cliff edges and explained the various bird species to us and what the different buildings perched within the cliffs were (mostly old war buildings). Then we headed out into Moray Firth where dolphins are most likely to be seen. Our tour guide told us to keep and eye out and shout if we see anything breaking the water. After a while Danielle and I both shouted as we spotted something rise from the water and jump back down again. The boat slowed and we all bobbed there for a minute staring at nothing whilst Danielle and I earnestly assured everyone there had been something! Then after a little bit of waiting a cute little seal popped his head back up again and we saw him bob in and out of the water as we sailed on by. We saw another seal a short while later as we were turning around in the Firth to head back to harbour. By this point we had all resigned ourselves to the fact that we had an enjoyable boat ride seeing seals and birds but we wouldnt be seeing any dolphins.

But then…with perfect dramatic timing Liam called out that he saw something in the distance and I had spotted something out of the corner of my eye too. Once again we slowed down the boat and waited with baited breath only for them to rise again and confirm we had a sighting!

Our tour guide very slowly cruised the boat over to the dolphins general area and we observed them from a few metres away but they then swam over to the boat and treated us to a bit of a show! They were swimming alongside the boat and diving in and out of the water around us. Our tour guide advised us we were observing two parents and a calf and that the calfs tend to swim up to the boat. No sooner had she said that, the little one was swimming right up to the edge of our boat and we could see it through the water before it popped up again. We were in awe and felt very privelaged to spend some time with them in their natural environment.

They were tricky to snap photos of and I couldnt be trusted with the camera near water so I just enjoyed the moment and pinched everyone elses photos!

Right, thats enough dolphin talk but if you cant tell I highly recommend the trip. It was £32 each for 2 hours and totally worth it!

After our high of seeing the dolphins we were starving! So we headed to the cafe recommended by one of the lovely ecoventures ladies to grab ourselves some take away brunch. I went for the “Scottie Dog” which was a massive beef, pork and haggis hot dog with crispy onions! We sat and ate it by the harbour reliving our amazing experience!

Next on our list was Dunrobin Castle! I was really looking forward to this place as the pictures I had seen of it were beautiful. The castle was owned by the Duke of Sutherland and was used as a family residence and holiday/hunting home. The ticket gets you entrance to some rooms inside the castle and the stunning grounds.

Some of the rooms arent open at the moment due to COVID and so we spent alot of time in the gardens primarily but we really enjoyed looking at the rooms we did see, particularly the portraits. We spent some time in the library with one of the attendants discussing the history of the house.

She mentioned there are parts of the castle that she doesnt like working in due to their spooky nature and told us this sad story. Many years ago one of the earls captured a young girl and was keeping her captive, forcing her to marry him. When she realised there was no escape she threw herself out of the top window to her death. It is said her ghost can be seen on that floor and she can be heard weeping. The lady we were speaking to said she didnt like working on that floor as it was always very cold and unsettling.

We really enjoyed our time at Dunrobin Castle and spent alot of time in the gardens in the beautiful sunshine before heading off to our spot for the night. This was our first night wild camping!

Our first night wild camping was on Helmsdale Harbour where they have 8 designated Motorhome/Campervan spots. It is free to park at so long as you make a donation to the RNLI. It was a lovely little spot and we sat outside drinking and enjoying the evening sunshine before heading to the local pub for the best dinner. After a few ciders and our bellies full we headed back to the motorhome and collapsed into bed!