The Carlisle independent., 1909-10-14
ML5 OF ROcZE 2s

untrue. Inverness is the cen 0 ter. and, in many respects. the best and most beautiful portion of the highlands is to be found farther north" The population in the far north is sparse and there are
 no manufacturing towns to assist in the prosperity of railway company. It is not possible, therefore. to have
 daily service of express trains to the north; but the Highland company has adopted the system so common in the great tourist countries on the con- tinent and offers express train ser vice on certain days of the week.
 Time tables should be examined, as changes may be made from time to time, so that the very latest informa- tion as to train service may be ob- tained and passengers will do much for their own comfort and conven- fence if they will try to arrange their journeys on the days on which special provision Is made for them. The Farther North" express, on Fridays only, was most successful and prob ably an improvement even on the run ming of this splendid train will be made In the future. All the way from Inverness to Helmsdale Q01 miles) the scenery is simply magnificent As the train winds round the three great f1rths of Beauty, Cromarty and Dor noch. with the great hills towering
 above on the opposite side of the line.
 the scenery seems to grow ever more
 and more entrancing.
 Through the woods of Beaufort
 castle. across the Beauty river and
 over the neck of land that separates
 the Beauty and the Cromarty firths, the train goes all too quickly for the
 eye and reaches Dingwall, the capital
 of Ross-shire, within half an hour of
 leaving Inverness. On its way it
 passes, at Muir of Ord, the junction of
 the Black Isle line and the main line. The Black isle, which is really a pc ninsula and not an island at all, con- tains some of the best agricultural land in the highlands and is famous for the crops it grows as well as for the cattle 1t rears. There are some interesting historical spots we'll worth visiting in this part of Ross-shire; but the chief attraction for the summer
 visitor is the town of Fortrose and it's suburb, Rosemarkie, where a fine
 sandy beach affords excellent facili- ties for bathing Excellent hotel and
 other accommodation is available and Fortrose is worthy of a visit, if it is
 only for day, for the purpose of see ing the ruins of the cathedral, which are we'll preserved
 The difficulty of deciding on the
 most beautiful scene in the highlands
 Is no small one, but certainly the pass
 of Killiecrankie has good claims to
 first place and it is doubtful if there
 be a stretch of railway line three
 miles in length in any part of the
 British islands that can hold it's own
 with the three miles between Pit
 lochry and the tunnel at Killiecrankie.
 To see the pass as it ought to be seen,
 one should walk through it; but
 magnificent view of it may be ob-
 tained by sitting with ones back to
 the engine as the train runs north and
 looking out towards the river. Unfor-
 tunately, immediately after reaching
 the spot where the most beautiful
 view is obtained, the train runs into
 tunnel and the passenger finds him.
 self in darkness. Perhaps the almost
 dramatic contrast may, however, en-
 able him to even more greatly appre-
 ciate the beauty of the scene thus
 ruthlessly cut off by nature and the
 inartistic though practical mind of the
 railway engineer
 At Blair-Atholl visitors will find ex-
 cellent hotel accommodation and those
 who are interested in highland history
 will be delighted with visit to Blair
 castle, the seat of the Duke of Atholl.
 to whioaasthey are admitted between