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Strathpeffer

Strathpeffer - Victorian spa village

Strathpeffer is a village about 15 miles north-west of Inverness and 4 miles due west of Dingwall. It is beautifully located at the head of the River Peffery Valley in the Scottish Highlands, with the wooded Fannich Hills to the west and Ben Wyvis, at 3429 ft, to the north. Just along from the Cromarty Firth is Strathpeffer, which gets busy in the summer with coach parties, but it's a pleasant place and there are some excellent walks in the surrounding hills.

Strathpeffer was a prominent and popular 19th century Spa resort, the most northerly of any three such resorts in Scotland. The area boasted both sulphur and chalybeate waters, renowned for their therapeutic qualities, and even more renowned latterly for their distinctive taste and smell! Apart from losing the main pump room, Strathpeffer remains largely intact. The hotels and villas are still here as is the Spa Pavilion, which has just been restored to it's former glory and is once more a main feature of the village after years in a sorry state of dilapidation.

Strathpeffer also has a great deal of historical interest, not least Castle Leod. Castle Leod is one of the few castles inhabited by the same family for the past few hundred years. Today it is really a family house and home to the Earl of Cromartie - the Chief of the Clan Mackenzie. As we shall see Eagle Stone (Clach an Tiompain), Strathpeffer’s unique character owes its origin to its development in the Victorian era.

The Strathpeffer and District Pipe Band and local Highland dancers perform in the square every Saturday from end May to September, and this is a popular gathering for both visitors and residents. Nearby is Castle Leod, seat of the Earl of Cromartie, Chief of the Clan Mackenzie, which is now open to the public several times a year. The annual Strathpeffer Highland Gathering, one of the longest-established Highland Games in Scotland, takes place in the grounds of Castle Leod every August.

Victorian spa village - Strathpeffer is the perfect base from which to visit the west coast - Ullapool is less than an hour away, while the NHS gardens at Inverewe and the Isle of Skye are both within easy reach for day trips. Other super journies can easily be made to Dunrobin Castle or John o Groats in the North or the Cairngorm National Park to the south.

You may also be interested in -

  • The Victorian Railway Station

    The station has been restored to provide a number of small craft shops, a tea room and the Museum of Childhood. A five minute walk from the Square will take you to the Victorian Railway Station.

  • Strathpeffer Spa Pump Room - Tourist Information Centre

    The Spa contains a superb range of interpretive displays, including video and life size models which reveal the history behind the development of the Spa and how it became one of Europe's most popular health resorts between 1870 and 1939. Discover what made High Society flock to Strathpeffer for "the season".

  • The Eagle Stone (Clach an Tiompain) Strathpeffer

    Strathpeffer has some of the finest Victorian houses built in the Highlands. From the grandeur of the village's three magnificent churches, to the Eagle Stone monument featured in the Brahan Seer's predictions, you won't be short of local landmarks.

  • Strathpeffer Youth Hostel

    From Strathpeffer village drive through the village main road until you will the main A834 opposite a fine white building which was once the Youth Hostel on the left hand side on the outskirts of the village. It was originally built by Dr Morrison of Elsick, Aberdeenshire, who settled in the village when he discovered that the Strathpeffer spring waters alleviated his arthritis.

  • Strathpeffer Churches

    The Scottish Episcopal Church
    The Scottish Episcopal Church In Victorian spa village - Strathpeffer
    St Anne's
    Strathpeffer
    Part of the world wide Anglican Communion

  • Strathpeffer Spa Golf Course

    The Strathpeffer area around the town offers many scenic walks and a wide variety of golf courses. The local course, as well as offering some spectacular views of the nearby hills and down to the Black Isle, has the claim to fame that its first hole has the biggest drop from tea to pin of any in Scotland.

  • Highland Museum Of Childhood, Strathpeffer Museum

    Based in the picturesque old Station at Strathpeffer, the museum tells the story of childhood in the Highlands for the hard working crofters and townsfolk. You can expect oral testimony, displays, photographs, dress-up for children and much more. You will also find many unusual items as well as famous collections.