Even before WWI, the Naval Fleet was a familiar sight. Cycle hire records show that crews regularly came ashore to Fortrose. This pre-war picture shows the pier at Fortrose. The admiralty considered but then rejected using it during the war, due to its poor state of repair.

This photo from before the war shows Chanonry Point, from where the ferry went to Ardersier and Fort George. The building in the foreground is the Black Isle Combination Poorhouse which was used to billet soldiers, marines and sailors in WWI.