Caithness
The flat, agricultural north-east tip of the Scottish mainland — Wick, Thurso, John o' Groats, Duncansby Head and its sea stacks, Castle Sinclair Girnigoe.
Plan your visit
Old Norse rather than Gaelic in heritage, with a coastline of cliffs and stack-fields, the Orkney ferry from Scrabster, and the eastern terminus of the NC500's north arc.
Caithness (Gallaibh) is geologically and culturally distinct from the rest of the Highlands. The land is flat — the Old Red Sandstone flagstone floors much of the county and creates the trademark dry-stane field walls — and the heritage is Old Norse rather than Gaelic, a legacy of three centuries of Viking and then Norwegian rule that ended only in 1469. Place-names ending in -ster (Lybster, Thrumster) come straight from Old Norse; Gaelic was never the local language here.
Getting there
By car on the NC500, typically near the end of the loop after Sutherland and the north coast, with John o' Groats or Wick as the overnight before the run south to Inverness on the A9. By rail: the Far North Line from Inverness terminates at Thurso (4.5 hours) and Wick (4 hours). By ferry from Orkney: NorthLink runs Stromness–Scrabster (1.5 hours) and Pentland Ferries runs Gills Bay–St Margaret's Hope (1 hour).
When to go
Year-round, with the same caveats as Sutherland on small-business winter closures. Caithness is weather-exposed — the wind is the dominant factor for cyclists, and prevailing south-westerlies make the run east from Thurso to Wick to Helmsdale a fast day with the wind and a slow one against. Summer puffin season at Duncansby Head runs May to mid-August.
Plan your trip
Take the printed map with you.
Full-colour, OS-grade fold-out maps cover Scotland region by region — free where you travel, the same ones you've found at ferry ports and visitor centres for over 20 years.
Wick is the larger of the two main towns, a former herring-fishing capital whose Pulteneytown distillery (Old Pulteney) is still operating. Thurso is smaller but has the surfing community, the rail terminus from Inverness, and the Scrabster ferry to Stromness on Orkney — the standard summer day trip from anywhere on the NC500 north arc.
The cliffs and stack-fields are Caithness’s distinctive coastal feature. Duncansby Stacks at the north-east corner are the most-visited; Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, on a knife-edge promontory south of Wick, is the most photographed castle in the county; the Whaligoe Steps near Lybster are a cult favourite for the 365-step descent to a fishermen’s cleaning-station harbour cut into the cliff. John o’ Groats itself has been transformed by the redevelopment of the harbour buildings (Natural Retreats, 2013) and the famous signpost — the original is in a Wick museum; the on-site post is a modern replica that visitors pose with for the End-to-End photograph.
Good to know
- Caithness heritage is Old Norse rather than Gaelic — Norwegian rule ended only in 1469.
- The Whaligoe Steps are a 365-step descent to a natural harbour cut into the cliff.
- The John o' Groats signpost on site is a modern replica; the original is in a Wick museum.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Orkney from Caithness?
NorthLink sails Scrabster–Stromness (about 1.5 hours) and Pentland Ferries runs Gills Bay–St Margaret's Hope (about 1 hour). Both take vehicles and foot passengers; the Scrabster route is the standard summer day trip.
What is there to see at John o' Groats?
The famous signpost (a modern replica; the original is in a Wick museum), the redeveloped harbour, and nearby Duncansby Head with its sea stacks and puffins. It marks the traditional end of the Land's End to John o' Groats journey.
Is Caithness part of the NC500?
Yes. Caithness forms the north-east arc of the North Coast 500, usually driven near the end of the loop with Wick or John o' Groats as the last overnight before the run south to Inverness.