The latest in a series of guides to historic sites and monuments in Scotland, providing comprehensive narrative, gazateers and maps. The district of Ross and Cromarty stretches across northern Scotland, from the rugged Atlantic coastline to the shores of the Moray Firth. The landscape is one of great contrasts, with majestic ancient mountains to the west and pastoral countryside to the east. Ross and Cromarty was the frontier zone between the emerging kingdom of Scotland and the Viking strongholds of Orkney and Caithness. The guide explores the history of the area from the appearance of the first human inhabitants over 8000 years ago and its later position as a centre of Pictish power, through its popularity as a place of religious worship and study in medieval times, to the coming of the industrial age. A number of sites are highlighted as Essential Viewing, and there is an introduction to the literature, music and art of the district.