Contin Island

Contin (Gaelic: Cunndainn) is a Ross-shire village, and a civil parish and community council area between Strathpeffer and Garve in the Highland council area of Scotland. The parish has a population of 675.The church in Contin is dedicated to St Maelrubha or Máel Ruba and is on Contin Island which lies in the Black Water (Conon) and is reached from the rest of the village by two bridges, one foot and the other road. The present building dates back to the 18th century but there has probably been a church on this site since the 7th or 8th century. According to a booklet "Parish of Contin 690 to 1990", based on research by Rev. A.C. Maclean FSA, JP Minister from 1906 to 1937, published by the Church of Contin "Between 1485 and 1487 the Macdonalds and some of their allies (about 1,000 men) meeting at Contin, at the appropriately named (Scottish Gaelic: Blar' na'n Ceann) or the field of heads on their way to a punitive raid against the Mackenzies of Kinellan, discovered the church was filled with the aged men, women and children trusting to its sanctuary. Alexander Macdonald ordered the door to be shut and the building to be surrounded so that none could escape. He gave orders to set the church on fire, and everyone within - several hundreds - were burnt to death. Vengeance from the Mackenzies and Macreas was swift. After the battle at Pairc, one or two hundred out of 1,800 to 2,000 Macdonalds and their followers, who had eventually gathered at Contin, were left to escape as they might."

The Battle of Blar na Pairce (Scottish Gaelic: Blàr na Pàirce "Battle of the Park") was a Scottish clan battle that took place just outside Strathpeffer some time between 1485 and 1491. It was fought between men of the Clan Donald or MacDonald and the Clan Mackenzie (led by Kenneth Mackenzie).The chief of Clan Donald, Lord of the Isles, had resigned the title of Earl of Ross to the king in 1477. After this the province of Ross was constantly invaded by the MacDonald islanders. As a result, a battle was fought between the Clan Donald islanders, led by Gillespick MacDonald against the Clan MacKenzie. The MacDonald islanders were defeated with many men being drowned in the River Conon.

Jamestown (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Sheumais) is a village in Strathpeffer (and formerly of 'Ross-shire'), Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.

The Black Water (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Alltan Dubh) is a river in the Highlands of Scotland. It begins at the confluence of the Glascarnoch River with the Abhainn Srath a' Bhàthaich, near where it is crossed by the Black Bridge, carrying the A835 road. It flows in a south-easterly direction past the village of Garve, then passing through Loch Garve and Loch na Cròic, and around Eilean nan Daraich. It flows over Rogie Falls, then past Contin, around Contin Island, before flowing into the River Conon near Moy Bridge.

Rogie Falls (Gaelic: Eas Rothagaidh) are a series of waterfalls on the Black Water, a river in Ross-shire in the Highlands of Scotland. The falls are about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the village of Contin, next to the A835 road. They are a popular tourist attraction, with several forest walks. The bridge will support a maximum of five persons, with a narrow and sharp set of steps at its end. Access to the bridge requires limited ability with footpaths being well kept, however not wheelchair accessible by any stretch. Photography from the bridge is possible although best either at evening time when fewer people are around and using the bridge or in sunnier conditions when shorter exposure times are possible, due to the high degree of wobble.

Loch Achonachie is a freshwater loch in Ross-Shire, Scotland, 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) south-west of Contin. Situated on the River Conon, the loch is a manmade reservoir formed from the construction of the Torr Achilty hydroelectric dam in 1955. The dam acted as the control station for the entire Conon Valley Scheme, one of the major post-war infrastructure projects spearheaded by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board (NoSHEB).From the Ordinance Survey's website, a possible etymology for "Achonachie" may be the Gàidhlig elements ach (abbreviated from achadh) + aonach, meaning "Loch of the Hill Field".Fairburn wind farm overlooks Loch Achonachie from the slopes of Beinn an Rubha Riabhaich, a hill on its south shore. The wind farm is privately owned by SSE.Loch Achonachie is a popular location for local anglers due to its large trout and salmon populations. Fishing in the loch is controlled by the Loch Achonachie Angling Club, which contains over 300 members. The loch's salmon population has been the subject of several scientific studies, the most recent being in 2018. Alongside Loch Meig and Loch Garve, a combined SEPA/University of Glasgow study was conducted in Loch Achonachie on the behaviour and movement of salmon smolts through impounded lakes

Fairburn Tower is a recently restored Scottish castle near Inverness and Muir of Ord in the parish of Urray. The tower house on a hill above the River Orrin is believed to have been built in 1545 for Murdo Mackenzie.

Strathpeffer (Scottish Gaelic: Srath Pheofhair) is a village and spa town in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland, with a population of 1,469.

Falls of Orrin is a waterfall on the River Orrin, in the Highlands of Scotland.

Loch Achilty is a large deep picturesque lowland freshwater loch set within a sloping birch and oakwood forest, located near Contin in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands of Scotland. Loch Achilty is notable for having no outflow. It has been assumed that the loch discharges its surplus water via an underground tunnel into the River Rosay (now known as the Black Water) that eventually flows into the larger River Conon.

Marybank is a small village in Ross-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The village of Muir of Ord lies 3 miles (4.8 km) south east of Marybank, along the A832 road. The village of Contin lies less than 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Marybank.

Strathpeffer Spa Pavilion (grid reference NH485583) was commissioned by the Countess of Cromartie in the late 19th century, to serve as a social and entertainment centre for Strathpeffer's many visitors. Formerly just a collection of farms in a Scottish Highland Strath, the village of Strathpeffer developed and became a popular health resort (then the most northerly spa in Europe) in the Victorian era, when local spring waters were discovered to have health-giving properties. Opened by the Countess of Cromartie in 1881, the Pavilion provided entertainment in the form of dances, concerts, lectures etc. Famous speakers included suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and explorer Ernest Shackleton. During the First World War (1914–18), many of the large houses and hotels in Strathpeffer were requisitioned by the armed forces and the Pavilion was taken over by the US Navy and used as a hospital. After the War, the popularity of the spa declined and the Pavilion was used only as an occasional venue for events, until it was acquired by Harry McGhee's Highland Lass Estates and was completely restored and refurbished, re-opening in 1960 as a licensed dance hall and concert venue, becoming hugely popular, with people coming to the dances from all over the Highlands. The venue was even visited by the Beatles in January 1963 but, contrary to popular lore, they never actually performed at the Pavilion.Thereafter, the building was acquired by a large hotel group and was allowed to fall into disrepair, being used only occasionally for concerts and other events. Eventually, it was acquired by The Highland Council, who passed it on to the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT). SHBT then masterminded a huge fund-raising and restoration project, with a view to restoring the much-altered building to its original Victorian splendour, with the addition of requisite modern facilities. The restoration was carried out in 2003-2004 by architects LDN and the Pavilion re-opened in autumn 2004. It was then a multi-purpose venue for the performing arts, dances, conferences, weddings and a variety of exhibitions, festivals and other events. The Pavilion returned to community ownership in 2019.