Start: Forestry Car Park on B9176 Boath Road near Alness.
Distance : 3.75 miles return
Ascent : 292m.
Time taken: 50 minutes- 1hr to the top.(2-2.5 hrs return)
Rating :4 stars
This shortish hike is a great option for anyone doing the North Coast 500 route or just staying in the wider area.It’s in Easter Ross, north of Inverness, popular with families offering a gradual ascent up to a stunning 18th century monument. It’s outline is visible for miles around, perched on the top of a small hill, it’s design a replica of the entrance gates to the Indian port of Negapatam.
A Bit of History…
Fyrish was built in 1783 by Sir Hector Munro, the local laird. Building it was a way to give paid work to the destitute, as poverty levels in the Highlands at that time were considerable. Just giving out money to the poor was thought to make them lazy so work – and hard work at that – it had to be. The walk was recently made famous through The Traitors TV series on BBC1.It certainly gives great views over the Cromarty Firth, the Black Isle and to the mountains of the north and west – Ben Wyvis is the closest seen of the high hills. Well worth the effort involved – plus one of Scotland’s top café/bistros near the end of it!
Getting There
Parking is accessed off the A9 before Alness. Take the fork signposted onto the B9176 and follow it for 6-7mins (at one place signposted to Boath) until the Novar Estate car park.
There is a sign confirming that this is the start of the Fyrish Monument walk which is always confidence boosting! I was aware (and pleased) that the road climbed a bit, as I was feeling lazy plus we hadn’t done a hill walk for some weeks and even that had been very lowly. Fyrish isn’t a hugely high either but is still a minor slog.
The car park can get very busy in summer season and on nice weekends so at those times, I’d arrive early -ish if possible.
Suited and booted, we headed up through the forest on the obvious, wide path which was a bit soggy in places.
Onwards and upwards…
In February 2026, we wore our leather hill-walking boots and were glad of them given how wet it was. But many go up in trainers (though white trainers will not be that colour for very long!) Trail shoes are fine too.
The day felt very damp, albeit it was dry but we could see the mist coming and going through the trees and my fingers were crossed that it would clear.
After around 40mins, we emerged above the treeline and got initial views over a sparkling silver sea, backed by the greens and golds of the Black Isle.
A further 10 mins of steady uphill , found us at the top.
The mist had really come in again so views from the Monument were very hazy. But when clear, the views are extensive over the sea and the rolling, rich farmland and forests of the Black Isle. The latter is not actually an island but a long peninsula which lies north of Inverness. Even without the views, the Monument itself is quite something, surrounded by heather moorland and certainly a nice spot for a well earned lunch.
Normally, we would just return the same way but I had the idea of doing a longer loop shown on the OS map. This would take us down into a different part of the forest before depositing us back on the main route.
My advice about this is option is – don’t!
It began beautifully on a great wide track through the moorland.
Then we reached the forest and the path dwindled becoming overgrown, barely inches wide and part flooded.My instinct was to turn back but Chris felt we should just push on.Mistake! After 20 mins or so of dodging boggy puddles, we hit acre upon acre of fallen trees, huge oaks, beeches and birches brought down by last year’s multiple storms. Really, the path should have had a closure notice!
What then followed was a truly miserable fight, detouring deeper into the dark forest to get round the next cluster of fallen giants and hoping that we’d eventually be able to re-find the path again.
Slightly scary too, if I’m honest and in fact, a tear was shed at one point (by me) out of sheer frustration. By now, we’d already come too far to retrace our steps so it was a case of just pushing through. Anyway, we finally emerged onto the proper route again after 40 mins of ducking and clambering over and through the devastated woodland.
More than I bargained for, this walk! I also managed to lose my brand new glasses which had been hanging on a chain round my neck.Chris was all for going back a bit to retrace our steps but no way did I want to re-visit where we had just emerged from.
A fantastic cafe…
In fact, by now I was ready for some sustenance and a cup of tea in one of Scotland’s best café/bistros – The Storehouse at Evanton https://thestorehouse.scot
The restaurant is only a 10min drive from the car park, back along the A9 heading south. Truly fab food.Chris had an amazing open Steak Sandwich with Creamy Green Peppercorn Sauce while I went for a sweet option – a gorgeous, freshly baked Eve’s Pudding (Warm Sponge and Apple) with cream (custard or Ice cream were options too.) Our moods improved dramatically!
The restaurant is in a lovely location right on the Cromarty Firth and in warmer weather, there are tables out on the lawn right beside the sea.They also sell the finest home – made tablet in the UK. A square of this ultra sweet goodie is served with a cuppa too but small and large bags can be bought in the excellent shop (which also sells local beef/venison and loads of yummy things.)
Despite the fact we must have looked like we’d been dragged through a hedge backwards (or rather, a forest ) and were not quite on full speaking terms, The Storehouse soon revived our spirits and as ever when things go a bit wrong, we began to see the funny side of the return hike. It certainly made this a particularly memorable walk – albeit for the wrong reasons – but Fyrish really is always worth the effort, even on a misty day.
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