Things to do
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Castle of Mey
Restored by the late Queen Mother, who spent her summers here, this turreted castle above the Pentland Firth keeps her furniture, paintings and everyday belongings. Guided tours run through the house, and the walled garden and animal centre fill the rest of a visit. It opens from spring to autumn but closes for a short spell each summer during a royal stay.
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Castle Sinclair Girnigoe
Clifftop ruins of the Sinclair earls' stronghold perch on a rock spur above the sea near Noss Head, north of Wick. A path from the lighthouse car park reaches the site in about 20 minutes, and boards explain the conservation work. Edges are sheer and unfenced in places, and the ground is muddy after rain.
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Duncansby Stacks
Two pointed sea stacks rise off the cliffs south of Duncansby Head lighthouse, reached by a grassy clifftop walk of about 30 minutes from the lighthouse car park. Seabirds nest on the walls of deep clefts in the sandstone in early summer. A single-track road leads to the lighthouse from John o' Groats, and the clifftop is unfenced.
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Dunnet Bay
Backed by dunes and the pines of Dunnet Forest, a 3 km curve of sand runs along the bay south of Dunnet Head. Northerly swell makes it a surfing beach, and the forest behind has woodland paths and a pond. A car park sits beside the A836 at the dunes, a short drive east of Thurso.
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Dunnet Head
Sandstone cliffs at the mainland's northern tip carry a lighthouse and a car park, with views across the Pentland Firth to Hoy in Orkney. Puffins nest on the cliff ledges from late spring to midsummer, seen from the paths near the lighthouse wall. The road in from Brough is single-track, and the clifftops are unfenced in places.
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John o' Groats
A cluster of houses and a small harbour at the north-east corner of the mainland, John o' Groats marks the traditional end of the road from Land's End. The white signpost by the harbour is the photograph to take, and in summer a passenger ferry crosses to Orkney for day trips. Duncansby Head and its stacks lie a short drive east.
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Old St Peter's Kirk
Roofless walls of a medieval church stand near the river mouth in central Thurso, among old gravestones within a walled yard. The gable windows and the burial enclosures inside are the details to look for. It sits a few minutes' walk from the harbour, near the old town lanes.
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Strathnaver Museum
Housed in a former church at Bettyhill, the museum tells the story of the Strathnaver Clearances through objects, letters and a room on Clan Mackay. A carved Pictish cross slab, the Farr Stone, stands in the churchyard outside. The museum keeps seasonal hours, and Bettyhill is about 50 minutes west of Thurso on the A836.
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Whaligoe Steps
Hundreds of stone steps zigzag down a sheer cliff to a tiny natural harbour south of Wick, where herring boats once landed their catch. The climb back up is steep, and the lower flights are slippery when wet. Parking at the top is limited, down a short lane off the A99.
