Summer walks: timings, start points and guides will be posted here weekly

Walk 6

Date: Thursday, 14th August
Time: 2pm
Footwear: walking shoes / walking sandals depending on
weather
Meeting point: Last car park before Littleferry pier
With: Tracey Aldridge-Russell and Ann Creed: Beach and Sand dunes, Golspie

Reasonably flat walk. There are varying lengths of walk, 2 of which begin & end in the car park 1) approx 45 min duration, about 1.5 miles 2) approx 1.30 hours, about 3 miles. There is also the option of following the coastal path back to Golspie village, which is 3 miles from the car park, if folk chose to do this I’m sure we could arrange lifts back to the car park. All 3 walks begin with a walk along the area known locally as palm beach, however due to rising sea levels these are no longer visible. Dogs welcome!

Walk 5

Date: Wednesday, 6th August
Time: 2pm
Footwear: trainers or boots
Meeting Point: Keeper’s Cottage, Amat, Ardgay, IV24 3BS
Afternoon Tea: at Sarah’s!
With: Gladys McCulloch: Amat

Start At Keeper’s Cottage, walking through woods toward the Lodge, along Lover’s Walk, then down to the River Carron. We follow the river to a pool called Belle MacKay, very close to Glencalvie Bridge (there is a sign to it), then we return to Amat Lodge for afternoon tea. Walkers will return using a different route crossing the garden bridge over the Carron, walking down the river until we come to the Blue Bridge crossing which brings us back to Keeper’s Cottage.

Walk 4

Date: Tuesday, 29th July
Time: 2pm
Footwear: walking boots, trainers.
Meeting point: The parking spaces are after turning in at
Spinningdale (where the garage used to be), go along the
single track road known as Kylogue, for about 500m and on
the left is an area for parking and also just around the
corner. There are also a few spaces opposite the entrance
to the walk.
With: Irene Chisholm: Loch Migdale

Walk down the forestry track and when you reach the end of the loch it becomes a very relaxing walk to the Bonar end. The walk should take a good half an hour and we will have a cup of tea etc at the Bonar end of the loch before returning back along the loch side.

Walk 3

Date: Tuesday, 22nd July
Time: 2- 4pm at leisurely speed
Footwear: walking boots or trainers with good soles
Meeting point: Old Station, on Station Road, Dornoch.
Parking available
With: Pat Murray: Magical Woods and Sea Views

Follow pavement going out of Dornoch, cross the road and proceed up through the wood (short gentle climb). Continue through the wood to view historical objects with storyboards and the magical children’s fairyland. Continue out of the wood and along the unsurfaced road above the golf course. Turn down to the sea at the 18th hole and have a rest at the beach. Return by almost the same route.

Walk 2

Date: Thursday 17th July
Time: 2- 4/4.30pm at leisurely speed
Footwear: walking boots or trainers with good soles
Meeting point: turn off the Tain-Edderton road at the Bogrow sign, continue up the hill to the upper entrance gate to the walks, (and also the lower gate if there are a lot ofcars, those drivers then walking up the road to the top gate)
With: Patricia Hannah: Edderton Hill – crofting history and good views.

Walking along grassy woodland tracks, with gentle incline, to the tin house, time to stop, look at the exhibits displayed and have a drink. Those that don’t wish to climb any further can return the same way. Others continue up the hill, a long but not too steep climb, past another old croft, to the viewpoint, (seats there, so another refreshment break) then more steeply downhill back to the cars. The tracks are mainly grassy, with some tree roots to watch out for on the upper section.

Walk 1

Date: Tuesday 8th July
Time: 2pm
Meeting point: Kincardine Church Hall
With: Christine Mackay: Gledfield & Dounie Estates

The walk starts and finishes at Kincardine Church Hall and goes along the River Carron, through Gledfield and Dounie Estates. There are a few options to choose from as the route is 6.km. If any people have difficulties walking on rough terrain, there is the choice to walk up the road to Dounie and meet us at the river for refreshments. Christine will have her car parked by the river to offer a lift back to the church hall if anyone has need.

The Dornoch Firth Parish Newsletter is ready @ £1.50 on Sunday 25^th May.

This is a bumper edition with articles on The Chosen, Holy Week thoughts, Tent for Lent Guild, Tower opening and update from groups, Care Homes, VE Day Celebrations and Dates for diary in June & July.

On the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, Dornoch will host a wreath-laying ceremony at the War Memorial at 9am on the morning of Thursday 8th May. Later that evening, the town’s bells will be rung at 6:30pm from the Cathedral, St Finnbarr’s and the primary school.

Lily Casson and Robert Blackmore with a projection of their great grandparents, Sylvia and David Maxwell Fyfe

In February, some of us began watching ‘The Chosen’, a new multi-season drama about the life of Jesus, some at home but most together in the West Church Hall.

We begun with Season 1, Episode 1, I have called you by name. And we worked out that if we watched the second episode, Season 1, Episode 2, Shabbat, and keep watching each week through Lent, we will have watched the entire first season. This means making The Chosen our Lent discipline, meeting mostly on Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings (there may be one exception to allow hall bookings already taking place to happen smoothly but this will be confirmed).

If you haven’t made the showing of the first two episodes, you can watch on your preferred device either by searching the App Store for ‘The Chosen’ or going to your preferred search engine and typing in ‘thechosentv’.

We’ll watch the second episode this coming Wednesday (26th) in the West Church Hall at 6.30pm. Teas will be available from 6pm. There will be a second showing for those who prefer mornings on Thursday morning at 11am. Teas will be available from 10.30am.

When we get to Lent, we’ll change the timings at little as follows:
Wednesday nights from 5th March:
Film begins at 6.30pm, Refreshments and Discussion from 7pm

Thursday mornings from 6th March
Film begins at 11am, Refreshments and Discussion from 12noon

Please feel free to be flexible in how you engage with the series. If you prefer to watch at home and come for the discussion please do. If you want to watch the film and go that’s okay too. And obviously, if you’re an ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ kind of person, come for the whole shebang!

Carol Anne Porter (Rev)

Image © The Chosen

Notice is hereby given that the congregation of Dornoch Firth Church of Scotland has elected Reverend Carol Anne Porter to be our new minister and a Call to the said Reverend Carol Anne Porter has been prepared. This Call will lie in Dornoch Cathedral (in the Crossing) between the hours of 10am and 4pm or whenever the Cathedral is open.

Also:

• In Ardgay Village Hall on Sunday 19th day of January 2025 between the hours of 10.30am and 12 noon.
• In Creich Church on Sunday 26th day of January 2025 between the hours of 2pm and 4pm
• In the West Church Hall, Dornoch on Sundays 19th and 26th January from 10.30am until 12 noon

During that time any person whose name is on the Electoral Register of the congregation may sign the Call in person or by means of a mandate. If a mandate is to be used, the relevant form may be obtained from one of the Session Clerks. A paper of Concurrence will also be available for signature by any person who is connected with the congregation but whose name is not on the Electoral Register of the congregation.
Children are also welcome to add their names to this paper.

Alistair Drummond

Reverend Alistair Drummond
Interim Moderator