Each CRP adapts to local needs and priorities. The Far North Line CRP covers the northern part of the Far North Line in Sutherland and Caithness. North of Tain the line detours around the Dornoch firth whereas, since 1991, the A9 trunk road bridges the firth reducing the distance travelling north by 16 miles. This means the railway faces stiff road competition. Therefore the main focus on the northern part of the line is on tourism traffic. The scenery as the line hugs the coast and then traverses the high ground of the Flow country – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is indeed both varied and spectacular.
So the major role of this CRP is to promote initiatives that will encourage visitors to slow down, visit attractions and patronise local businesses creating economic opportunities for local communities as well as moving people away from the tourism ‘honeypots’.
In the far north, as in many parts of the Highlands, tourism and car dependency are closely linked. Visitors often perceive driving as the only realistic way to explore rural areas, particularly where distances are long and transport services are infrequent. In the far north this attitude has been stimulated by the great success of the North Coast 500 promotion.
Yet increased traffic brings consequences: road damage, safety concerns, noise and emissions, and pressure on single track roads not designed for camper vans and high traffic volumes. Car-free tourism helps reduce these impacts while supporting national ambitions around climate change, public transport use and modal shift. Encouraging alternative travel choices also helps reshape expectations, signalling that rural destinations can be experienced responsibly and without reliance on private vehicles.
Rail plays a central role in enabling car-free tourism across the Highlands. Routes such as the Far North Line provide access to remote destinations while offering a significantly lower-carbon alternative to long-distance car journeys. Our long term aspiration is to promote, as successfully as the North Coast 500 ‘'The Ultimate Road Trip’' (to quote the strap line of the scenic road road around the north of Scotland), the alternative: Relax and be taken to the Far North ‘'The Ultimate Rail & Bus Journey’'.
Far North Line Community Rail Partnership