The Hawthorns B&B, Mey

24/05/2026

I know! I am very poor at keeping this social media stuff updated. But we have been busy and we have had so many lovely guests from all over the world too. You might have silly temperatures in the south of the UK but it has been warm but very comfortable here , ideal for our guests travelling with dogs! We have had some lovely dog visitors too and all superbly well behaved. From Herbert the lovely German Dachshund to two glorious golden retrievers recently. The owners were lovely too! Here is what they said about us "
Amazing stay! The views were great and it was a perfect location on the NC500. The hosts were so accommodating and greeted us as soon as we arrived, they showed us around and made a fuss of our dogs (which we love - they are our babies). It was very dog friendly with dog treats, toys for each of our dogs and dog bowls/poo bags all provided, every detail had been thought about. The room was very spacious and again every detail had been thought about in the room, it had everything you could possibly need. It really was a home from home feeling including a communal living area. The breakfast was amazing, 10/10, you actually get the choice of what you would like on your cooked breakfast and you order this the night before, you also get a selection of continental in the morning too including fresh fruit and yoghurts. We highly recommend and hope to return one day!"

When will we see you now!

28/04/2026

Probably the most popular sight for guests is the highland cow. Looking at this gorgeous lady we understand why.

26/03/2026

We haven't managed the Ben Hope walk yet but we did manage a section of the John O'Groats trail , Helmsdale to Berridale. So far this has been one of my favourite sections. A bit more climbing and a few very boggy sections but you also pass a clearance village Badbea and a broch , Ousdale. You can access these from the road too so you don't need a long walk to see them. Finishing at the lovely Riverside Bothy at Berridale for a coffee and soup is a bonus too.

16/03/2026

For any hill walkers visiting , although we have lots of walking opportunities here , you don't need to go too far to walk Scotland's most northerly munro. That is is behind Clova. Or , here we walked up Ben Loyal, officially a corbet, but a lovely walk. A lab is not an essential accessory but she is a great walking companion. She did steal a lovely scotch pie ( my fault really ) and also insisted on carrying another antler home. She loves skulls bones and antlers. Previous guests will have seen the evidence in the B&B's garden.

01/03/2026

Last year I walked a few sections of the John O'Groats trail. Our long distance walking route between Inverness and John O'Groats. The forecast for Saturday was good but with high winds in the mountains. So a low coastal walked sounded good. What a day! It was boiling in the sun with a clear blue sky and no wind. So we , Clova and I, tackled the section from Brora to Helmsdale. If you are thinking of this note that although in many parts you are not far from the A9 or the railway there is no bail out option and it is a long walk , about 12 miles. No shops no pub! In parts pretty poor paths or rocky shore to walk on. But still a lovely walk, especially on a good day. I had enough coffee and soft drinks and food and I was self sufficient. Well in crisps and chocolate and equally important dog treats for Clova. We had a few little burns to cross, water proof hiking boots were definitely a good choice here. A small section with a wee burn had the bridge surrounded by cattle. These cattle were free to roam about the beach and difficult to ignore. They might have calves soon so especially with dogs a slight risk here, but we managed to cross the burn further away on the beach and stayed a distance away from them. For those keen enough you will be lucky to have as good or quiet a day. Miles and miles of nobody. The first person we seen was at a little village where he told me I was the 3rd this year walking, I think he was happy to talk to someone. I will add images as Facebook still doesn't like me attaching them in the post.

14/02/2026

Fyrish Monument. Most of our guests will have seen this monument from the A9 as they drive by. It was a lovely walk up on a chilly day but the walk kept me warm. Amazing views at the top and not too difficult although you need to be reasonably agile and fit , especially on an icy day like today. From the car park we made it up and down in under 2 hours , no rush and included coffee at the top ( you need to carry it up!) and a bit of dawdling time. A bit surprised how busy , I have been told this is something to do with Traitors? ( I have no idea and never seen this though?) It is worth reading up on the history about this monument, google is your friend here ? Once again I seem to struggle to add images? It seems the change to windows 11 has not helped. I might add in comments as before.... I hate computers!

03/02/2026

We have a new boat tour starting up this season. Hopefully we will get an opportunity to try it out too.

We’re Stroma Wildlife Cruises.

This spring, we’ll begin offering small, carefully run boat trips around Stroma — an island shaped by tide, weather, wildlife, and history.

Our aim is simple: to share this remarkable place quietly and respectfully, whether from the water or, later in the season, on the island itself.

Follow along as we prepare for our first season.

Take a look at our website for more details: https://stromawildlifecruises.com

Photography by Karen Munro

20/01/2026

After a lovely day in the hills , my legs may not agree today?, a very pleasant evening surprise. Probably the best northern lights display yet! These images are basic phone images but for once reds , purples were all visible with no camera trickery. You just had to look out the window. The image with the green streak was the view to the south, never seen the display as widespread either. I am sure if you search some of our local photographers will have some stunning images and time lapse images. We are so lucky here.

19/01/2026

Taking advantage in the quite season and a weather window. Some great walking with the dog, she is never far from the rucksack ( it has food in it!) We headed up the west end by Ben Loyal, great views over to Ben Hope. Ben Hope is a more popular walk ( well on many trips I've seen 2 people heading up) But I think Ben Loyal provides better options. We know some of our guests sent us pictures from Ben Hope last summer. I might send them some more wintery views. We always enjoy follow up contact from guests. But note even Ben Loyal is a fairly serious undertaking and there was a lot of snow about , hence the ice axe on the bag today. Even if you don't want to venture up its a great area to explore and easily reached for a day trip.

18/01/2026

It has been one of those days, an emergency visit to the vet with Molly. ( She will hopefully be back to normal in a week or so) Later on Molly was left with Eilean while Clova and I had a local walk. Perhaps not the long walk we had planned but lots of deer out and about today. A few foxes judging by the characteristic odour and Clova's reaction on the route too. Nothing calms things back down like a bit of wildlife, we are lucky to have more than most and unusually when i have a camera!