Scotland
Dornoch
A medieval cathedral town where the last witch burning in Scotland left scorch marks on history.
The last person executed for witchcraft in Scotland was burned in Dornoch in 1727 — a fact the town carries with neither pride nor evasion. Today Dornoch is a quiet cathedral town on the Sutherland coast where world-class golf and medieval history sit within a five-minute walk of each other.
Dornoch's 13th-century cathedral was built for the Bishops of Caithness, its warm sandstone glowing in the northern light. The town served as the county town of Sutherland for centuries, and its compact centre preserves the layout of a medieval burgh. Royal Dornoch Golf Club, founded in 1877, regularly ranks among the world's top courses — with green fees significantly lower than St Andrews. The Dornoch Firth's sandbanks host the largest overwintering seal colony on Scotland's east coast, and the Embo sand dunes to the north provide a coastal walk that rarely sees crowds.
Couple
Golf at Royal Dornoch, a walk through the cathedral, and dinner in one of the town's restaurants — Dornoch delivers a refined Highland weekend without pretension.
Family
The cathedral's manageable scale, Embo beach's safe sand, and the seal colony at the firth create a family day that mixes history, wildlife, and paddling.
- The last person executed for witchcraft in Scotland was burned here in 1727.
- The Royal Dornoch golf links regularly ranks among the world's top ten — with green fees a fraction of St Andrews.
- A 13th-century cathedral stands in a town of barely a thousand people.
- The Dornoch Firth's sandbanks host the largest overwintering seal colony on the east coast.
The Dornoch Castle Hotel: local venison and seafood in a converted 15th-century bishop's palace.
Luigi's at the Carnegie Courthouse: Italian-Scottish fusion in a former jail — pasta and local langoustines.
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