North Highland Tourism (NHT) – headed by HRH The Prince of Wales – has launched a website featuring John Lennon’s childhood summer holidays at Durness in Sutherland, which inspired his song In My Life.

The tourism initiative coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album – which is also being marked by the publication of a novel, called The Next Big Thing, about Lennon’s links with the highlands by former shadow Scottish culture minister Michael Russell.

The North Highland’s Scotland initiative – promoted under the banner Pleasure in the Extreme – aims to promote the area’s heritage, culture, arts and activities and includes accommodation and town/village guides to visitors.

Prince Charles said: “I have always been struck by the riches of the area in terms of, not just its natural beauty, but of the human tradition, of music and culture which are so precious.

“I can only hope they will become more and more recognised as people begin to discover this extraordinary part of the world for themselves.”

Durrant Macleod, company secretary of NHT, said: “As our advert says, ‘here in the extreme north of the Scottish Highlands the lochs are so deep and the air so clear, the seas so wild and the beaches so long that there's space to think about the things that are close to your heart.’ That all clearly impacted on John Lennon.” Details: www.northhighlandsscotland.com