Day 1

Arrive in Inverness the beautiful, bustling capital of the Highlands. You could start your exploration of Highland heritage at the Inverness Museum in the heart of this small city. Just up the hill is Inverness Castle, defended for King George I by John the 16th Earl of Sutherland and his men during the 1715 rebellion.
 
The Inverness library has a dedicated genealogy team which can help with your research, though you are advised to contact them in advance.

Day 2

On the outskirts of Inverness you will find the atmospheric battlefield of Culloden where, in April 1746, 'Bonnie' Prince Charlie's Jacobite rebellion was crushed by Government forces.

Now travel to Elgin. North of Elgin you will find Duffus Castle, a fine example of a motte and bailey castle. There were two branches of Clan Sutherland associated with the Sutherland Earls, these were the Sutherlands of Forse and of Duffus, both of which were outside the county of Sutherland itself.

But now we will go to explore Sutherland, so retrace your journey back to Inverness and head north to Dornoch.

To the west of Dornoch you may catch a glimpse of Skibo Castle. The original castle was built by the Bishop of Caithness in 1186. In the mid 16th century, Alexander the 12th Earl of Sutherland was under age when he inherited the earldom. George Earl of Caithness purchased the wardship of the young Alexander and by treachery got possession of Skibo Castle where Alexander lived. George also forced Alexander to marry his own daughter who was twice Alexander's age but on reaching his majority he divorced her.

After a long history, Andrew Carnegie purchased the castle in 1897 and greatly improved and extended the buildings. It is now Scotland's top private residential sporting club and famous for being the location of Madonna's wedding.

Day 3

Dornoch with its pink stone buildings and uneven Scottish slate roofs is an attractive cathedral town and was protected by the powerful Sutherland clan Chiefs in its early history. Historylinks Museum explains the story of Dornoch from pre-historic times. Dornoch is also famous for being the place where the last witch burning took place in Scotland.

Just a few miles north is Skelbo where the ruins of the 13th century castle are found on the shore of Loch Fleet .

Further along the coast is the village of Golspie, which is overlooked by the 100 foot column and statue of the first Duke of Sutherland on top of Beinn a' Bhragaidh. At the beginning of the 1800s the Duke owned over 1.5 million acres of land, the largest private estate in Europe. In the following years, some 15,000 people were cleared from the estate to make way for more lucrative sheep farming. Some of the cleared people found work on the coast processing fish during the herring boom, but many others had to emigrate to find work.

Just north of Golspie is Dunrobin Castle the principal seat of the Sutherland Chiefs. It was first built by Robert the 6th Earl of Sutherland in the late 14th century. It was the 2nd Duke, in the 19th century who transformed the typical Scottish castle into the beautiful French style palace you can visit today. There are also beautiful formal gardens with falconry displays and a museum of souvenirs brought back from hunting trips around the world.

Day 4

Continue along the coastal road to Helmsdale. There was a Sutherland castle here where in 1567 the 11th Earl was poisoned by Isobel Sinclair who wanted her own son, next in succession, to have the earldom. Unfortunately he took the poison too. The castle ruins were removed to make way for the A9 road improvements, so nothing can be seen today. Helmsdale was originally a Viking settlement but was greatly extended as a planned village to accommodate some of the people cleared from their crofts by the Duke of Sutherland. The Timespan Heritage Centre retells the story of the clearances and other historical events which took place in the area, including the 1869 gold rush! Enjoy a break in the peaceful riverside gardens and café.

The village of Forse is a further 20 miles along the coast. This is where the second branch of the Sutherland clan originated. The ruins of Forse Castle are perched on top of precipitous cliffs and date back to the 1200s. Forse became part of the Sutherland estate in the 1400s. The 2nd son of William the 5th Earl married the daughter of the Keith family who owned the land. As a wedding present the daughter was given the land from the castle to as far inland as she could ride in a day. Unfortunately for her, she fell off her horse at Tachar, (near Achavanich on the A9).

It was Captain George Sutherland, the 14th Laird of Forse who contested Elizabeth's succession to the earldom in 1771, together with Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun. The House of Lords decided in favour of Elizabeth who became the Countess of Sutherland.

Day 5

Today your journey takes you up through the northern Highlands towards the historic town of Wick, where the sheltered harbour once played host to the hustle and bustle of hundreds of herring fishing boats. As well as a wealth of exhibits and photographs, The Wick Heritage Museum has restored a fishing boat, the Isabella Fortuna, and it can be seen in the inner harbour.
 
Continuing along the coast you will come to John o'Groats, the most northerly point on the British mainland. From there you can look across the waters of the Pentland Firth to Orkney.
 
The late HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother liked this view so much she spent much of her time at her beloved Castle of Mey. The castle, built between 1566 and 1572 is open to the public and shouldn't be missed.

Day 6

We are heading for the Strathnaver Museum, in Bettyhill. Here the strath, or valley, of the river Naver reaches the dramatic coastline of this wild corner of Scotland. You are in what has been called one of the last great wildernesses in Europe, but you can be sure that the natives are very friendly indeed. However there were feuds for many centuries between the Sutherlands and the Mackays who were neighbours here. These feuds were settled by the time of the Jacobite rising of 1745 when the two clans fought alongside each other.

Using the leaflets and signposts available locally, spend today exploring the Strathnaver Trail which takes you from Bettyhill down the course of the River Naver. You will see evidence of Strathnaver's occupation from Stone Age times to the present. Perhaps the most moving sights will be the deserted, ruined farmsteads dating from the time of the Clearances. As a Sutherland, your ancestors will have farmed these rich lands before being moved off them to make way for more 'modern' agricultural practices.
 
At Altnaharra, journey south back to Inverness. You may want to relax and enjoy the Highland hospitality of Inverness after a busy few days before starting your journey home.

Day 7

If you would like to see some more of Scotland's magnificent scenery and experience some more of its culture and history take an extra day to travel south from Inverness. Near Aviemore is the Cairngorm funicular, the highest and fastest mountain railway in the country and a special way to enjoy the spectacular views.

At Newtonmore and in Kingussie you'll find two fascinating Folk Museums where more than 400 years of Highland history are brought to life in exhibitions and re-enactments which track the everyday experiences of clansman and crofter.

But now return home, taking with you the memories and experiences of your journey through your ancestor's lands, having walked in their footsteps.

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