Tradespeople in Cromarty, Highland

Cromarty is a small town at the tip of the Black Isle peninsula, facing the narrow entrance to the Cromarty Firth known as the Sutors, about 23 miles north-east of Inverness.

It is one of the best-preserved 18th-century towns in Scotland, with a remarkable collection of vernacular architecture including merchants' houses, fishermen's cottages and the thatched birthplace of Hugh Miller, the stonemason, geologist and writer.

The town has a strong community life with a courthouse museum, a brewery, a few shops and cafes and a reputation for arts and conservation. Bottlenose dolphins are frequently seen from the harbour and shore, as the Moray Firth population feeds in the surrounding waters.

Cromarty is reached by a single road from the south or by the small seasonal vehicle ferry across the firth from Nigg. Its relative remoteness has helped preserve its character, making it one of the most distinctive small towns in the Highlands.

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Highland is the largest council area in Scotland by land mass, covering more than 25,000 square kilometres from the Cairngorms in the east to the Atlantic coast in the west and from the Moray Firth northward to the tip of mainland Britain at Dunnet Head.

The region takes in an extraordinary range of landscapes - the Great Glen, Ben Nevis, Loch Ness, the Cairngorm plateau, the Flow Country peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland and hundreds of miles of rugged coastline dotted with fishing villages and sea lochs.

Inverness is the regional capital and the largest settlement, serving as the administrative, commercial and transport hub for the entire north of Scotland. Beyond Inverness, the population is spread across market towns and remote communities - Fort William beneath Ben Nevis, Aviemore in the Cairngorms, Thurso and Wick on the north coast, Nairn on the Moray Firth, Dingwall in Easter Ross and dozens of smaller settlements connected by single-track roads and ferry services.

Despite its remoteness, Highland has a diverse economy built on tourism, whisky distilling, renewable energy, forestry, aquaculture and a growing digital sector enabled by improving broadband connectivity. The region's cultural identity is deeply rooted in Gaelic language and tradition, clan history and a strong sense of place that draws visitors and new residents alike.

Transport links converge on Inverness, with the A9 running south to Perth, the A96 east to Aberdeen, rail services to Edinburgh, Glasgow and London and an airport at Dalcross. The more remote communities depend on trunk roads, the scenic rail lines to Kyle of Lochalsh, Wick and Thurso and the ferry services that connect the west coast to the islands.