Dunrobin Castle, which stands a mile beyond the Golspie Burn to the northeast of the village, is surrounded by deciduous woodland through which runs a network of public paths.
Today we walked in the area to the west of the castle, crossing the drive that leads up to its front entrance from the A9. The castle is closed to the public at this time of year but in the season this carpark is busy with cars and coaches. As well as being a stately home it also has a well-regarded museum containing much of the history of the Sutherland dynasty and some fine exhibits, such as Pictish standing stones collected from the local area.
The woods are silent at this time of year with remarkably little bird and animal life but there's plenty to see. This moss-encrusted log was host to a startlingly bright red fungus, possibly
Sarcoscypha austriaca, the scarlet elfcup.
From this pile of feathers it was evident that a wood pigeon had been murdered recently, which is a good sign as we have seen worryingly few raptors since we came here. Today's brief sighting of a buzzard is only our second raptor, the first being of a small, unidentified one down by the golf course. These feathers suggest there is something like a peregrine in the area.
A few hundred yards beyond the castle is a small private cemetery with what looked like a recently dug grave covered in flowers. The late Countess of Sutherland, the 24th holder of a peerage created in 1235, died in London on 9 December, 2019 at the age of 98. While her funeral was at Dornoch cathedral it isn't clear whether she was buried there or here at the castle.
The woodland walks end at this style from where we descended to the sea to join....
....the old coast road which runs back to Golspie, passing close beneath the castle. A statue of the first Duke of Sutherland, who was so involved in the clearances on Sutherland lands in the early 19th century, dominates the summit of Ben Bhraggie.
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