Cromarty Firth

Urgh.

The Cromarty Firth.

Might be a bit tricky to see, I know, but the fyrish monument up there, built by local Laird many centuries ago, has always reminded me of something from Lord of the Rings, like Elvish or from Minas Tirith or something.

Very cool.

Story number three, and you'll know this one as I'm sure your grandad sat you on his knee and told you all about the Ross County match against Elgin that was postponed three times for three different weather conditions.

The game was played on Saturday, January the 9th, 1963, but the rain lashing in off the North Sea up Cromarty Firth flooded the field.

Elgin returned the next day to find the pitch now frozen over and like an ice rink, and then came back on the Monday afternoon to see the snow come down and the pitch unplayable.

Snow joke, Eilidh, the game was never played, and the team were awarded a point each.

And you would get stalkers like Charlie McTavish was a member of that club.

And he used to go shooting ducks down in the mud in the Cromarty Firth and quite a few other keepers, you know.

So you'd be in the company of these guys and they would have a meeting in a hall, in a building at Monlochy.

So you were rubbing shoulders with these guys and we were shooting ducks and geese.

You wanted to find out what it was about.

And, of course, being a young lad running about in motorbikes and cars and, you know, girls and having a lot of fun.

But the other side was at the weekends was, especially in wildfowling times, was ducks and geese and away over the Black Isle, Monlochy Bay, Beauly Firth, Cromarty Firth.

So looking back on it today, it was a freedom that few enjoy today.

Also, thanks very, very much to invite me up.

I'm sitting here in your beautiful, can I add, distillery, looking out over the Cromarty Firth.

We've just had a lovely lunch, a couple of drams there as well.

If you've never tried the 18-year-old Dalmore...