Nigg Bay

Nigg Bay lies on the north-east coast of the Cromarty Firth in the Highland council area. The large sandy bay has wide mudflats, saltmarsh and wet grassland that stretch along the shore. Thomas Telford built Balintraid pier here in 1821, and wartime gun emplacements stand along the road to North Sutor. The bay starts at Balintraid pier and ends where the firth opens into the Moray Firth. A ferry links Cromarty on the Black Isle with Nigg Ferry near the bay’s mouth. The bay is recognised for its birdlife. Between October and March thousands of wading birds and wildfowl gather on the mudflats, including bar-tailed godwits, knots, pink-footed geese and wigeon. Up to ten thousand pink-footed geese may be seen feeding during their return migration. The RSPB reserve has a wheelchair-accessible hide and pushchair-friendly paths. In summer breeding birds nest in the wet grassland and saltmarsh, and new wet grassland is being created to attract lapwings and redshanks. Villages border the bay on both shores. On the south-east coast lie Nigg village and Pitcalnie, while Milton, Barbaraville and Balintraid sit on the north-west side. The former oil platform yard at the south-east corner has been renamed Nigg Energy Park and now works in renewable energy and rig refurbishment. An oil depot operated by Talisman Energy stores crude piped from the Beatrice field in the Moray Firth. The old pier built by Telford still stands but is listed as a building at risk.