Black Isle, This peninsula on the eastern seaboard of the Highlands faces the Moray Firth and rather belies its name, which is derived from St Duthac whose missionary work, around AD 1000, earned him a place in Highland memory here and elsewhere.

The Black Isle enjoys a temperate climate and a high degree of fertility, which is exploited by agriculture and forestry. The area, with other parts of Easter Ross, leads Scotland in the production of virus ­free seed potatoes. Its communities lie along the coast and include Fortrose and Cromarty.

Avoch is a thriving fishing village whose people are said to have descended from survivors of a wreck from the Spanish Armada - both the surnames and local dialect are quite distinctive.