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Wick places to visit in the Scottish Highlands

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Last Updated on Saturday, 05 May 2012 17:33

Wick, standing on the river of the same name, is called after the Norse term Vik meaning bay. A small fishing fleet dealing mainly in white fish operates out of the harbour and is a reminder of greater things in the past.
The "silver darlings", - Wick was one of the first towns to develop the herring fishery on a large scale and by the early 19C was the largest herring fishing port. In its heyday over 1000 boats operated out of the harbour and the neighbouring port of Pulteneytown on the south bank. The British Fisheries Society commissioned Telford to draw up the plans for this new fishing settlement. In those days it was a common sight to see the harbours a jumble of undecked boats and mass of masts, and the Quays and all available dockside space spilling over with the paraphernalia of the curing industry. Curing, to be done imperatively within 24 hours, entailed gutting, packing in barrels and salting, and involved large squads of itinerant workers, mostly women. Wick Heritage Centre. - A series of tableaux reconstitute the town's history and heritage: a model of 20C Wick when it was one of the premier herring ports, cooper's shop, a fish kiln, working lighthouse and interiors. Prehistoric and 20C Caithness is about 30 miles to the south by the A9. This run takes the visitor through flat, moorland countryside to two prehistoric sites and a 20C crofting museum. The Caithness factory was founded in 1960. The glassware is known for its high quality workmanship, subtle colours, fine design and engraving. Visitors are welcome to the factory where the glass making process can be followed The Hill O MANY STONES -This site with its 22 rows of small stones is a Bronze Age monument (c1850 BC). The purpose of this fan shaped arrangement may have been astronomical.

Other settings exist in the north but the most famous examples are those of Carnac in Brittany (see the Michelin Green Guide Brittany). Grey Cairns of Camster. This is typical crofting country - a bleak expanse of moorland dotted with small cultivated areas and crofts, The first of the two cairns is the Round Cairn with its 20ft long entrance passage (to be negotiated on hands and knees) and chamber, The much larger second one, the Long Caim** is 200ft long by 65ft wide. This longhorned structure incorporates two earlier beehive cairns. The main chamber is tripartite, subdivided by large slabs, The chambered cairns of the area date from the Neolithic period (4400-2000 BC). laidhay Croft Museum. - Long white washed crofts like this one are typical of the Caithness area. Under one roof there are the living quarters subdivided by box beds, into kitchen, parlour and sleeping area, with the byre and stables at either end. Furnished as it would have been in the 1930s this museum gives a real insight into life at the time. The barn, beside the car park, is an interesting example of cruck construction using drift wood in an area where timber was scarce. *Duncansby Head, - his excursion takes you to the north-eastern tip of the Scottish mainland and is notable for its magnificent coastal scenery, Sheltered coves and sandy bays alternate with giddily steep cliffs and such associated features as rock stacks, natural arches and bridges, and narrow inlets known locally as goes.

The rock ledges are the home of guillemots, shags, fulmars, kittiwakes and a variety of gulls and other species. Leave Wick to the north by the road signposted Noss Head, Leave the car in the car park then take the path through the fields,' 15 minute walk. Girnigoe and Sinclair Castles_ - Ruins in a dangerous condition. The jagged ruins of two adjacent castles are dramatically set on a peninsula, overlooking the great sandy sweep of Sinclair's Bay on one side and a typical geo on the other. Nearest to the point of the peninsula is the late 15C Castle Girnigoe with its evil dungeon, The part known as Castle Sinclair, an early 17C addition, stands to the left beyond a ditch. Both were the seat of the Sinclair Earls of Caithness. Return to the outskirts of Wick to take the John o'Grosts road, the A9, Pass on the way the tall ruined form of Keiss Castle and standing nearby the white form of its successor. John Nicolson Museum, - Auckengill.

The artefacts on display were found by John Nicolson during a lifetime of excavating local brochs. Caithness has over 100 of these Iron Age brochs. The road climbs and once over the rise the southern most isle of the Orkney Islands can be seen in the distance. John 0' Groats. - 876 miles from Land's End, this scattered community takes its name from a Dutchman, Jan de Groat who started a regular ferry service to the Orkney Islands in the 16C, The octagonal tower of the hotel recalls the story of the ferryman. who to settle problems amongst his seven descendants, built an eight sided house with eight doors and an octagonal table. A passenger boat service still operates from the harbour to Burwick on South Ronaldsay. Take the road to the east to Duncansby Head 2 miles away. Duncansby Head. - From around the lighthouse, which commands this north-eastern headland of mainland Scotland, there is a good view across the Pentlands Firth, a seven mile wide channel notorious for its treacherous tides. A path leads to another cliff top viewpoint overlooking the Stacks of Duncansby Standing offshore these pointed sea-stacks rise to a spectacular height of 21Oft-64 m.