CROSSKIRK AND REAY

Crosskirk is home to a ruined chapel called St Mary's, whose architectural style owes more to the incoming Norsemen of yore than to traditional Scottish styles. It was built around 1100 AD, making it one of the oldest churches in Caithness. The church is roofless, and stands in a walled burial ground affording delightful views of Crosskirk Bay. There are signs of even earlier human activity in the vicinity in the form of an 8th century broch, while to the south of the church is a healing well dedicated to St Mary.

The village of Reay is just to the south of Sandside Bay, whose dunes encroach on the village to the extent that its church was buried in sand for over a century. The church was rebuilt in the 18th century and now stands proud with an attractive whitewash tower. The Reay Stone, set in the wall of the chapel, has a relief carving of a cross and ornamental knot-work and probably dates from the 10th century. There were Pictish and Viking settlements in the bay which also succumbed to the dunes. Nestling among the backdrop to the bay is the Reay Golf Club. Scanning the skyline around here it is impossible to ignore the huge steel sphere of Dounreay nuclear power station. The station, which is being decommissioned, has caused environmental concerns about nuclear fuel particles which have escaped into the bay, so much so that the beach is regularly monitored for particles.

Map of the area.

Reay Golfcourse - geograph.org.uk - 10296. Photo by Dorcas Sinclair, via Wikimedia Commons.

THURSO

Thurso can seem like a city compared to the little villages that make up most of the settlements in this part of Scotland. It even emulates Edinburgh with a Princes Street. In fact, Thurso is mainland Britain's most northerly town, complete with the most northerly railway station. From its Norse beginnings - the name derives from the Old Norse for Bull's River - the town has grown to its present size largely as a result of the proximity of the Dounreay nuclear power station, now being decommissioned. The town's attractive seafront includes the restored fishing quarter of Fisherbiggins and a promenade offering views to Orkney. The bay is popular with windsurfers, and is used for international surfing competitions. Last year there was a suggestion that the bay would be the perfect laboratory for studying Scotland's seas. The nearby port of Scrabster serves as the main ferry departure point for the Orkneys.

Thurso Castle started off as a 12th century earthwork, but it went through two subsequent transformations: in the 17th century George, Earl of Caithness built a stone tower house on the site, then in the 19th century the tower was incorporated into a Scottish baronial mansion by Sir Tollemache Sinclair. The castle is now ruined, and closed to the public. Thurso's St Peters Church stands on the oldest church site in Caithness, dating originally from the first half of the 13th century. 

For a list of events in Thurso, follow this link.

Map of the area.

Thurso Bay. Photo by Michael Garlick, via Wikimedia Commons.

CASTLETOWN

The streets of Glasgow may not be paved with gold, but what they are paved with is stone from the quarry at Castletown, as are the streets of Edinburgh. In fact the stone made it all the way to Melbourne, among other far-flung places, shipped out of the tiny harbour of Castlehill. At its height, there were 500 men working at the quarry, but sadly it closed in the 1920s due to competition from concrete, but the memory of the trade lives on in the form of the Flagstone Trail, which starts west of the harbour near the Heritage Centre. The Centre occupies a site which was formerly part of a farmstead on the Castlehill Estate, and its displays cover not only the flagstone industry, but other local activities and traditions. One of the locally grown crops, corn, used to be processed in the Castletown Mill, built in 1818. This is now disused and in a state of ruin, and is one of the sights along the Trail, along with the remains of the quarry, a dam, a water-wheel and a cutting yard. The village itself has a history dating back to the Iron Age, as evidenced by the presence of a broch nearby. One of its most imposing buildings is the Drill Hall, now used as a community centre.

Map of the area.

The Harbour Castletown - geograph.org.uk - 1817371. Photo by Glyn Baker, via Wikimedia Commons.

DUNNET HEAD

John O'Groats may be most people's idea of the end of the road for those heading northwards through Scotland, but in fact Dunnet Head is the most northerly point on Britain's mainland, with the nearest point of the Orkneys less than 7 miles away. The lighthouse at Dunnet Head was visited by the Queen Mother on one of her many visits to the area, and she was given a guided tour and had tea with the lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse was automated in 1989, and as a sign of the times is now remotely monitored from Edinburgh. The RSPB reserve here is home to a variety of seabirds, including puffins and razorbills. Spring is a particularly fascinating time to visit, as the birds set about their courtship rituals and their nestbuilding. Out at sea, killer whales are often sighted. There are also wartime relics here in the form of disused lookouts which were used during World War II to defend Scapa Flow. The village of Dunnet stands between St John's Loch to the north, and Dunnet Bay with its long sandy beach to the south. Half a mile from the village is the Seadrift Visitor Centre with displays explaining the nature of the area. Recently there was much consternation on the part of local people at the news that there was a proposal to build a wind turbine on Dunnet Head. One despairs at the thought of yet another beautiful place being desecrated by these wretched things.

Map of the area.

Dunnet Head Lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 902815. Photo by Jonathan Billinger, via Wikimedia Commons.

MEY

When one thinks of royal Scottish boltholes one's thoughts automatically veer towards Balmoral. However, there is a castle near the remote village of Mey in the far north of Scotland which in 1952 captured the imagination of the recently bereaved Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Hearing that Barrogill Castle, as it was then called, was destined for abandonment, she decided to save it, and it became her summer residence. Nowadays, the Castle and Gardens of Mey are open to visitors from the beginning of May to the end of September. The castle dates back to the 16th century, having been built by George, the 4th Earl of Caithness.

The Merry Men of Mey are not a group of whisky-sodden local males, but a treacherous coastal feature in the Pentland Firth, the stretch of water separating the Orkneys from the Scottish mainland. A tidal race which forms off the rocks known as the Men of Mey, the Merry Men at their most violent consist of large waves forming suddenly and coming from various directions, making this stretch of water very dangerous to negotiate.

Map of the area.

Castle of Mey 2. Photo by Thomas Froese, via Wikimedia Commons.

FOULA

Foula is the most remote inhabited island in the British Isles, but is visible from miles around standing proud from the sea. The island has five peaks: Da Noup, Hamnafield, Da Sneug, Da Kame, and Soberlie. Foula has been inhabited since Neolithic times, and the present day inhabitants cling to a coastal strip around the island's eastern edge in a scattering of settlements. The island is rich in sea bird colonies, and for this reason plus the blanket bog which forms part of the terrain it has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Foula is reachable by air, as it has its own airstrip, and there are also sea connections. What with depopulation over the years, there are only around 30 people left on the island now, and there has been talk of evacuation of the remaining populace, along the lines of what happened with St Kilda, but for now the inhabitants continue to eke out a living from their farming and from birdwatching tourism, making use of a special green renewable energy system for their electricity supply.

Map of Foula.

Foula IMG 6581 (14737896534). Photo by Ronnie Robertson, via Wikimedia Commons.

FETLAR

Fetlar is known as the Garden of Shetland due to its exceptionally green appearance. The Vikings were so impressed with the island's fertility that the name they bestowed on it was the Viking version of "fat land", from which the present name derives. Only around 70 people share the island with the birds and animals which include the much sought-after red-necked phalarope whose "modern marriage" style of living has the male looking after the chicks while the female goes off and does her own thing, including playing the field! Other birds include arctic skuas and storm petrels, and there are otters and seals around the island, while if you're really lucky you could spot killer whales out at sea.. A seminal moment in the island's ornithological history came in 1967 when a pair of snowy owls started breeding there, an event which led to a large part of the island being declared an RSPB reserve. Sadly, there are no longer any owls resident on Fetlar. The main settlement on the island is Houbie, where the Fetlar Interpretive Centre has exhibitions on the history, heritage and archaeology of the island.

Map of the island.

Houlls geo, Fetlar - geograph.org.uk - 335137. Photo by Tom Pennington, via Wikimedia Commons.