Lybster Harbour Lighthouse
Loch Eriboll and Ard Neakie Peninsula Golspie
Dunrobin Castle of haggis at the Royal Marine Hotel , where I was to spend three comfortable nights . I ‘ retired ’ to the hotel ’ s James Braid room after dinner and took a trip down memory lane with the famous Scottish golf architect ’ s memorabilia . It seemed appropriate since the next two courses are Braid ’ s creations .
Braid designed both Golspie and Brora , the last ‘ big ’ courses on the route . Golspie Golf Club [ www . golspiegolfclub . co . uk ] blends links with heathland , promising some sparkling fun above the beach and over holes with swathes of heather-strewn rough . The course is watched over by the 100 foot statue of the Earl of Sutherland , atop Ben Bhraggie . The Earl was responsible for the reviled Highland Clearances in the 18th and 19th centuries , so his statue still stirs mixed emotions .
I dropped into the Earl ’ s ancestral home , Dunrobin Castle [ www . dunrobincastle . co . uk ], on the way out of Golspie village . The castle resembles a French château and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the region , right above the beach .
I played Brora Golf Club [ www . broragolf . co . uk ] the next day with two locals . It ’ s almost an essential ingredient as the links ducks and weaves over flowing dunes , with no fairway markers whatsoever . Knowing where to aim is half the battle and the greens here are as perfect as any I have ever putted on . If Royal Dornoch is magical , then Brora is mystical . Quite unalike they are equally brilliant .
The general perception of the NC500 is that the scenery on the east coast is less dramatic than the north and west . This is good news for golfers who want to focus on this wonderful stretch of golf courses … but it is all relative . The seascapes and headlands are still dramatic , the beaches long and golden , and the mountains and valleys are only a side-road away .
After leaving Brora , there are fewer courses to the north
10