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Thurso places to visit in the Scottish Highlands

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Last Updated on Saturday, 05 May 2012 17:33

Thurso (Highland) is a busy resort in summer it is astride the river of the same name, overlooks Thurso Bay. The town makes a good centre for visiting the north coast from Durness to Duncansby Head and even for a trip to the Orkneys. 

from Thurso to Durness is 74 miles  along the north coast through moorland scenery giving way to the coastal scenery beyond, composed of an ever changing pattern of sandy bays lochs, and headlands, here you can still find Flagstone fencing.

Scrabster a terminal port for the car ferry to Stromness in the Orkneys.

Dounreay - The Dounreay Exhibition Area comprises a picnic area and an explanatory exhibition. Tours to the Prototype Fast Reactor leave from the exhibition area. The Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR) with its large pale green globe, operated from 1959 to 1977 when it was de-commissioned. Alongside is the Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) an experimental station for the development of future commercial fast reactors. The reactor uses a fuel mixture of uranium and plutonium with liquid sodium metal as a medium to transfer heat from the reactor core. Melvich Bay. - From the War Memorial behind the hotel in the crofting community of Melvich there is a splendid view over Melvich Bay with the sand bar. The island of Hoy is visible in the distance. Cross the River Strathy which opens into another sandy estuary, Strathy Bay a 15 min walk from the car park to the point. There are excellent views along the coast to the east of Strathy Bay in the foreground, with further out Dounreay and Hay in the distance. The landscape then becomes scoured and hummocky with the stately outline of the granite peaks of Ben loyal (12 504ft-764m) ahead, rising above the plateau surface.

Bettyhill- is one of the crofting communities which originated at the time of the clearances when crofters were evicted, in this case from Strathnaver, to make way for sheep. Many emigrated while others tried to eke out an existence in seashore communities. The story of the clearances is the subject of an exhibition in Farr Church. The road then follows the sandy estuary of Torrisdale Bay crosses the river, then climbs out of Strathnaver to ascend to the scoured plateau surface dotted with reed choked lochs. Go round Cnoc an Fhreiceadain and just before reaching Coldbackie there are excellent views of the great sea loch, the Kyle of Tongue is a Small village on the shores of the sea loch, with Rabbit Islands in the middle.

The Kyle of Tongue is bridged by a causeway which offers a new view inland towards Ben Loyal and ahead the ruined Mackay stronghold perched on an eminence. The more regular outline of Ben Hope appears on the horizon. Peat banks are visible from time to time. On the descent there are glimpses of Loch Hope stretching away to the left. From the west side of Loch Hope there are fine views of the loch stretching away to Ben Hope
(3 040ft-927m) in the background. Only slightly further on a magnificent view unfolds of Loch Eriboll. another deeply penetrating sea loch.
Sangobeg has a lovely sandy beach.
Smoo Cave An outcrop of well jointed limestone's in the Durness vicinity accounts for the presence of this cave and the sandy beaches. The waters of the Allt Smoo plunge down a sink hole to reappear at sea level at the mouth of the outer cave. The two inner caves are accessible only to equipped potholers.