Cromartyshire is unique in having no single body. It is a scattered shire, built from various estates belonging to George Mackenzie, Earl of Cromarty, in 1685 and 1698, on the East Coast, the West Coast and inland within Ross; twenty-three separated portions in all.
The town of Cromarty itself is a royal burgh on the north of the Black Isle on the east coast. On the west coast, on Little Loch Broom, Cromartyshire includes the mountainous district of Coigach, including the port of Ullapool and other, smaller districts. Various parcels of land in between belong to Cromartyshire including the greater part of the Fannichs, a distinctive group on mountains whose highest peak, Sgùrr Mòr, is Cromartyshire’s county top.
Geographically it is easier, and usual, to treat Cromartyshire together with Ross-shire, in which all of its parts are locally situate. The largest settlement in the county is Ullapool, a scenic nineteenth-century fishing town on the west coast and Loch Broom.
County Facts
County Town: Cromarty
Main Towns: Ardmair, Cromarty, Kildery, Portmahomack, Ullapool.
Main Rivers: Ullapool, Canaird.
Highlights: Ben Wyvis; Loch Broom; Hugh Miller’s Cottage, Cromarty.
Highest Point: Sgurr Mor, 3,642 feet.
Area: 370 sq miles
Flower: Spring Cinquefoil
