The Cairngorms National Park isn’t the only breathtaking view in Scotland.
If you’re partial to a road trip then may we suggest you venture just over three hours up north to a distant and stunning place called The Flow Country.
As of July 26, this lesser-known area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means it’s classed as ‘a designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity’.
The Flow Country is the most intact and extensive blanket bog system in the world, stretching across Caithness and Sutherland and tourists have branded it a place of ‘stark beauty’.
While it may sound like you’d get a bit wet if you visited, boarded walkways and paths ensure for a very dry and clean tourist experience.
Packed full with awe-inspiring views, native wildlife and scientific significance – it’ll be a day out you won’t soon forget.
So, here’s your guide to Scotland’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site…
About The Flow Country
This stunning area of natural beauty covers a blinding 200,000 hectares – for reference, just one hectare is the size of about two and a half football pitches.
If you’re a Scotland native, The Flow Country is more than twice the size of Orkney.
This blanket bog is the largest of its kind in Europe, with environments like this only forming in cooler places with frequent rain.
This particular bog has been forming for 10,000 years, ever since the glaciers melted at the end of the last Ice Age.
Peat, formed from the decades of plants that have tried to grow and have rotted away, here measures 10 metres deep – equivalent to a three-storey building.
All this means that The Flow Country is the first and only peatland World Heritage Site on the planet.
What is there to see in The Flow Country?
For some of you, just the views alone will be reason to visit this stunning North Scotland landscape.
But for those of you who are wondering what else it offers, you won’t be disappointed.
We’ll start with the iconic Scottish wildlife. There are two species of deer that live amongst these wetlands – the red deer and roe deer.
The red deer roam The Flow Country in large herds and there’s a strong chance you’ll spot them, while the roe deer favour sheltered woodland, rather than the open plains.
Foxes and weasels are a couple of other common inhabitants, but you may be more interested in the adorable little carnivores that love a swim: the otters.
If you have an abundance of patience when it comes to wildlife spotting, you may want to seek out the water voles and field voles, as well as the water shrew.
For the avid birdwatcher there are plenty of bird species too. Greenshanks, black-throated divers, golden plovers and dunlins can all be found here.
Fishing is another pastime you can enjoy, because the water quality is so high, meaning salmon and trout thrive here in the rivers.
For an even more informative visit, you can enter The Flow Country via Lairg and discover the touring exhibit.
The exhibition is free and can be found throughout the exhibition space in the centre. The Ferrycroft Centre is open Thursday – Monday 10am till 4pm, until the end of October.
You will find a small shop, café and toilet facilities too, so no going in the bushes next to the poor deer.
How to explore The Flow Country
It’s likely that, if you’re this far north, you may have opted to drive. The good news is there are plenty of winding roads with stunning views to explore by car.
If you’re more of the active type, walking and hiking is also an option. You can opt for the Dubh-lochain trail to the Flows Lookout Tower, or walk the longer Forsinain trail.
For Dubh-lochain, a short but stunning walk, you’ll cross the bog on a wooden walkway before reaching an older trail of placed flagstones to visit more of the Dubh Lochan pools.
The walk starts at the Forsinard Peatlands centre at the railway station.
For the Forsinain trail you’ll want to park on the west side of the A897 opposite the barns of Forsinain Farm. Then the walking route will take you across peat bogs in the heart of Flow Country.
Wear appropriate shoes though, because the trail can get pretty wet.
Rail is a great way to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site too, with the Far North Line that runs from Inverness to Wick and Thurso.
You’ll see stunning coastlines, rivers and stations that serve barely a couple of homes.
How to get to The Flow Country
The easiest option is to drive, if you’re thinking of exploring this gorgeous landscape, this way you can explore it by foot and by road.
As mentioned, the Far North Line will take you there. The southernmost station is Inverness, so to get there you can get a direct train from Aberdeen for as little as £11.20.
Alternatively, if you’re travelling from London, you can get a direct train to Inverness from Kings Cross, which will take you around eight to 10 hours, with prices starting at about £50.
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Once you’re at Inverness you can get the Far North line to Forsinard.
Europe’s newly appointed UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The Flow Country wasn’t the only European destination to make the cut as a new World Heritage Site this July.
There was also Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands, in France. These are islands in the French Polynesia with sharp ridgets and jagged cliffs rising above the sea.
It’s home to rare and diverse flora, marine life and one of the most diverse seabird populations in the South Pacific.
There’s also Via Appia in Italy – one of the most famous paved roads of ancient Rome. Originally, the road ran all the way to Brundisium, present-day Brindisi in the heel of Italy.
The paved stone road is also known as ‘regina viarium’; queen of the roads. It’s lined with green cypresses and many ruins along the way.
Germany also made the list for the Schwerin Residence Ensemble. The property has 38 elements, including the Grand Duke’s Residence Palace and manor houses, cultural and sacred buildings, and the Pfaffenteich ornamental lake.
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