Caithness

Scotland > Highland Counties > Caithness

The most northerly of mainland Scottish Counties making up the fertile triangle of land at the top right hand side of maps of Scotland.

John O'Groats is probably better known that the County in which it resides and well meaning people are always setting out on trips to Land's End, Cornwall (the most southerly point in the UK) in various forms of transport for charitable purposes , a trip of 873 miles. Apart from that, there is not much of note about John O'Groats except the passenger ferry to Orkney and you will probably be more impressed by the sight of the awesome power of the sea at nearby Duncansby Head. On a clear day, and there are a few of them every year, you can make out the Old Man of Hoy an isolated spire or rock lying off the Orkneys.

The main towns in Caithness are Wick and Thurso. Wick is the 'county town' although the county itself has been swallowed up by the Highland Council in Inverness. Both towns were important fishing ports but no now although some inshore fishing still remains.

West of Thurso, which has the quarries for the famous Caithness flagstone which is used for building purposes all around the county, is Dounreay the location of the UK's first experimental nuclear power station , obviously built there as you can't get much further from London can you?

The power station is open to the public and it is well worth visiting. Nearby, Scrabster, also once a busy fishing port, is also the main ferry terminal for the Orkneys. To the east is a lovely drive around Dunnet Bay past the Castle of Mey the late Queen Mother's favourite retreat. The castle is now open to the public. I would recommend it to you.

Wick is a Royal Burgh and once a very busy fishing port. There are some spectacular seascapes here with the cliffs and sea combining with the abundant seabirds to form an ever present scene of power and motion. This remains the case all the way down the coast through the small fishing villages of Lybster, Latheron and Dunbeath and north from Wick around Sinclair's Bay to Duncansby Head.

For fishermen, Loch Watten is a popular loch for brown trout fishing. It is also quite shallow but be sure to hire a boat with an outboard as the wind gets up very quickly and rowing may look fun but against the wind it can be torture.

The interior of Caithness is very barren and boggy , it is known as the 'Flow Country' of immense ecological value , it is not just any ordinary bog!

Historically, Caithness was subjected to several invasions by Vikings who have left evidence of their early occupation by way of the many Norse place names such as Forse, Keiss, Reiss, Ulbster, Thrumster, Lybster and many more. There are also a number of Pictish remains in the Latheron valley between Dunbeath and Lybster.

Getting to Caithness is not so difficult. You can fly to Wick or drive up the A9 from Perth (237 miles to Thurso) and Inverness (122 miles). You can also travel by rail from Inverness to both Wick and Thurso.