Highland Pictish Trail to uncover history of enigmatic people of the north

A new tourist trail will help piece together the enigmas of Pictish life in the far north this summer.
Rosemarkie Man - the reconstructed face of a high-status Pict whose remains were found in a cave on the Black Isle. The site is likely to be included the Highland Pictish Trail which will launch later this summer. PIC: Dundee University.Rosemarkie Man - the reconstructed face of a high-status Pict whose remains were found in a cave on the Black Isle. The site is likely to be included the Highland Pictish Trail which will launch later this summer. PIC: Dundee University.
Rosemarkie Man - the reconstructed face of a high-status Pict whose remains were found in a cave on the Black Isle. The site is likely to be included the Highland Pictish Trail which will launch later this summer. PIC: Dundee University.

The Highland Pictish Trail is due to launch early next month and will bring together the most important Pictish sites.

Together, they will help trace the lives and culture of the Picts, who lived in the north and north east of Scotland from around the 3rd Century but who disappeared after around 500 years.

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Full details of the trail are yet to be revealed but key sites are likely to include the Rosemarkie Caves on the Black Isle, where the remains of a high-status Pictish-era man were found, and a large-scale Pictish cemetery near Muir of Ord.

A stone carved by Picts 1,200 years ago, a rare example of a complete Pictish cross slab which is now on show at Dingwall Museum, may also feature. The Nigg Stone in Easter Ross is another fine example of the craftsmanship of the time.

The Tarbat Discovery Centre at Portmahomack, once home to a Pictish-era monastic settlement, is another key site that tells the story of the period with the Eagle Stone at Strathpeffer another place of interest.

The Highland Pictish Trail is being devised by Highland Council and High Life Highland.

A statement said: “Enigmatic carved stones, lovely Highland scenery, fresh air and the chance to immerse yourself in a time very different from today – what better way to escape from the hassle of daily life this summer?”

The trail will be supported by a mobile phone app that will guide visitors through the period.

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