Rogart is a beautiful crofting community and the perfect place for your ’get away from it all’ holiday.
It’s only four miles from the NC500: the A839 runs through its main village, Pittentrail, on its way from the A9 at The Mound right through to Lairg.
Once there, you’ll find plentiful accommodation from B&Bs to self-catering chalets, from traditional sporting lodges to modern chic and sumptuous holiday cottages. You can even sleep in railway carriages!
There’s a local shop and post office providing a wide range of supplies for all your walks and excursions, plus a filling station on the main road.
Rogart is a stunning area to explore on foot and you’ll have open, traffic-free roads for cycling. There’s archaeology, history and abundant wildlife.
If you come for a few days or decide to stay a little longer you’ll find a warm welcome in Rogart.
Walking
Pittentrail is a good base to explore the parish of Rogart by foot, with various footpaths setting off from there – look for the map next to the parking area and picnic bench on the left as you head down to the railway station.
One of the things which makes walking in the area so enjoyable is the rich mosaic of different habitats and features which make up the landscape. At the lower levels, there’s unusually fertile farmland for Sutherland, with this separated by the meandering River Fleet and its alder-clad banks. Then as the land rises on each side of the strath, the habitat changes to meadows grazed by sheep and Highland Cattle, with pockets of native woodland – full of bird life and carpeted in bluebells in the late spring. Higher up the slopes still and especially on the northern side of the parish, the landscape is dominated by hill crofts as grassland is replaced by heather moorland.
Wildlife and Bird-watching
Buzzards just before they fledged, Muie.. If you look closely you can see, below the front chick, a mole. Photo courtesy of C. Cougan.
The area has a huge range of wildlife – from shaggy wild goats to the soaring Ospreys of Strath Fleet.
Birds spotted in the area include Goshawk, Sea Eagle, Black Grouse, Sparrowhawk, Red Kite and the Mutant Melanistic Pheasant. Once a tidal estuary, an area called The Alders is now a thickly wooded marsh where Ospreys nest.
Larger mammals such as the famous wild goats are often seen by Morvich, whilst Roe and Red Deer can be spotted at dusk and dawn. Some of our smaller mammals are Pine Marten, Stoat and Weasel. Rogart also hosts such beauties as the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly, the carnivorous plant the Bog Violet and a host of different kinds of orchid.
Fishing
Unusually for the Highlands, day permits can be purchased for salmon and sea trout fishing on the River Fleet. The river also offers good brown trout fishing, and permits can also be purchased for trout fishing at a few of the hill lochs in the parish. For more information and to buy permits or go to the Post Office in the Spar Shop in Pittentrail village.
History and Heritage
Today Rogart is a scattered crofting community but it was once a thriving, heavily populated district until the Highland Clearances in the 1800s.
Evidence of Rogart’s earlier past lie in the numerous remains of hut circles, tumuli, stone cists, a hill fort at Kinnauld, the mysterious Lettie’s Grave and stone cairns.
Bronze blades were found, in 1845, by men who opened up a tumulus whilst erecting a fence whilst the construction of the Duke of Sutherland’s railway in 1868 resulted in a notable archaeological find. A large Pictish hoard was unearthed, including three silver-gilt penannular brooches. Of these the famous Rogart Brooch can be seen at Dunrobin Castle Museum.
We have a vibrant Heritage Society that holds a wealth of knowledge about the community’s history, local characters and musical traditions. Unfortunately we don’t have a permanent museum but our archives are gradually being put online on our new website www.rogartheritage.co.uk