Bid to save 'Darlings' cottages

The cottages at Berriedale are currently derelict

A charity is trying to raise £600,000 to restore a row of cottages built for crofters moved to the Caithness coast during the Highland Clearances.

The Landmark Trust said The Shore Cottages at Berriedale were built on the instructions of Sir John Sinclair in 1800.

The trust said the families' fortunes resembled those in Highland writer Neil M Gunn's book, The Silver Darlings.

From working the land, the people had to learn to make a living from the sea.

Once restored the cottages will be let for self-catering holidays, one cottage sleeping two and another sleeping six.

The rental income generated will fund the buildings' ongoing maintenance so that they never again fall into disrepair, the trust said.

Gunn, who died in 1973, also wrote The Grey Coast.