Forsinard - has a railway station that is on the Far North Line

Look at a map of inland Caithness and you’ll see a patchwork of pools and lochans spanning hundreds of thousands of hectares. This is ‘The Flow Country’ – Europe’s largest blanket bog. If you’re thinking mud and puddles, think again – the Flow Country is teeming with wildlife both large and small, and is one of Scotland’s best tools in fighting climate change. At its centre is Forsinard, an otherwise unremarkable Highland village that is now the focus point of this unique landscape.

Some say that the best way to travel here is by train – passing by dramatic coastline and then peaty rivers that meander through the Flow Country, you can really take in the landscape without the distractions of driving. This is arguably one of Britain’s most spectacular rail journeys.

As you arrive at Forsinard, you step off the train and almost right into the visitor centre! Here you can learn about why this is such a special landscape and what is being done to protect it. Perhaps the bogs most valuable service is capturing thousands of tonnes of carbon from the air, locking it away in layers of peat and thereby offsetting the effects of climate change. This was, until very recently, underestimated and the bog was cut and drained to allow forestry plantations. Now that its value has been recognised, a national effort is underway to restore and protect this landscape.

As you wander along wooden walkways you can spot rare plants, animals and birds including black-throated divers, golden plovers, short-eared owls and golden eagles. Keep an eye out for the ‘jewelled’ marsh saxifrage growing at your feet.
Evidence of people making the Flow Country their home over thousands of years is evident, and perhaps the most impressive of these remains is a standing stone circle – an unusual design of an incomplete oval – at Achavanich.

Forsinard and the Flow Country might not be high on the list of places to visit of many coming to the Caithness for its famous cliffs and seabirds, but as the recognition of this truly special landscape grows, as do the visitors. This is an exciting time to visit as this large scale restoration project begins.