Sutherland Guide

The two areas of Caithness and Sutherland form Scotland's northern wilderness. Their scenery varies from wild cliffs and tiny islands to lonely moorland and remote sandy beaches with superb panoramic mountain views, plus tree-lined twisting roads and foaming rivers. Here you'll find dozens of ruined castles and ancient monuments, particularly in the east. There are also lots of golf courses and places where you can fish for salmon and trout.

Here are some facts about Sutherland:

• Sutherland has only five inhabitants per sq km, compared to an average of 116 in the rest of Europe, making Sutherland one of the least densely populated areas in Europe. Also with only around 2% of the total land area under cultivation, Sutherland is the least farmed county in Scotland.

• The small town of Brora in Sutherland once supplied stone to the whole nation. Both Liverpool Cathedral and London Bridge, the one famously transplanted to an Arizona desert were built from stone mined in Sutherland.

• Sutherland may seem a bit out of the way, but it is no stranger to the world of celebrities. Madonna and Guy Ritchie got married in the beautiful, and exclusive Skibo castle in Sutherland, and chose Dornoch Cathedral, the spiritual heart of Sutherland, as the venue for baby Rocco's christening.

• During World War II, Sutherland's Carbisdale Castle (the last castle built in Scotland) was the host to the Norwegian royal family, who were exiled to Britain following Hitler's invasion.

• The Flows National Nature Reserve in Sutherland is the largest blanket bog in the world. At 11,353 hectares the area is home to some of the rarest bird and animal life throughout Scotland. 73% of the total area has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

• Sutherland was the site of the last execution for witchcraft in Scotland. In 1727 an old woman was burnt to death in the Sutherland town of Dornoch, suspected of turning her daughter into a pony and engaging contact with Satan. She was suffering (from what we would recognise today as) senile dementia. Nine years later the witchcraft laws were repealed.

Here are just some places to visit in and around Sutherland: