13 Things to Do in Caithness, Scotland

When we visited Caithness last month, I completely fell in love with the place. Which makes it all the more embarrassing for me to have to admit now that I, er, kind of forgot to take photos of every single place we went to. Actually, that’s not quite true: I didn’t forget, exactly –– I was just so focused on taking video for my You Tube channel that I pretty much forgot that I was also planning to write a post on things to do in Caithness, and that I’d need some photos for it, as well as all of that video. Whoops. 

The good news is that I’ll have a very in-depth video to show you just as soon as I get around to editing it. The bad news, however, is that, until then, you’re just going to have to imagine the places I didn’t get any photos of. Sorry about that. By way of apology, here’s me and Max looking windswept and a bit awkward, really, at John O’Groats: 

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Yes, he’s wearing sunglasses. No, there was absolutely no need for that, But anyway! On with the show! Here are some of what I think are the very best things to do in Caithness…

13 Things to Do in Caithness, Scotland

1. John O’Groats

As I’m sure you’ll know, John O’Groats is the most northernly settlement on the British mainland, and is famous for its colourful painted ‘houses’ (Which are actually part of a hotel), and the iconic sign you can see Max and I standing next to in the shot above. 

Although most people come here for the photo op (and no shade to that…), I’d really recommend a visit to The Last House – or the John O’Groats Brewery, as it’s now known –  which is the oldest surviving building there, and was once home to descendants of Jan de Groot, who gave the village its name. It’s now a brewery and small pub, but the history of the building has been well-preserved, and we really enjoyed our time there. Sadly, it was a little to early for a drink in the pub, but there are quite a few other cafes dotted around, along with gift shops, a small bookstore, and even a Christmas shop, so there’s quite a bit to see.

2. Dunnet Head

Although John O’Groats is well known as the most northernly settlement, it’s Dunnet Head which is actually the most northernly point on the British mainland. There’s not a lot to actually see here – the lighthouse which sits at the edge of the cliffs isn’t open to the public – but it’s pretty cool to know you’re standing at the very top of the mainland, so I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it out. 

3. Duncansby Sea Stacks

I’ll be brutally honest here and say that while I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on Dunnet Head, I’d have quite happily bypassed this view of the Duncansby Sea Stacks, because as awe-inspiring as they are, it was so incredibly cold and windy when we were there that I had to cling onto Max in case he was blown away, and, well, this is the best photo I got…

Yes. 

The weather was bad enough that we literally only stayed here long enough to grab this incredibly unflattering photo, but if it had been a bit less wild out, I’d have loved to have stayed for longer, and taken a walk along the cliff to get a better view. If you want to see it for yourself, you’ll find directions here – it’s just a short drive from John O’Groats, so it’s easy enough to do both on the same day. Just remember to take your waterproofs…

4. The Grey Cairns of Camster

The Camster Cairns are one of the places I neglected to take any photos of, unfortunately, so you’re going to just have to take my word for it when I tell you that these are Neolithic burial cairns located about 8 miles outside of Wick, and believed to be around 5,000 years old. Although you can crawl inside some of the cairns, it would take someone significantly braver than me to do it, because the entrance tunnels are incredibly small, and one of my very specific fears is that of being forced to squeeze myself through a very small opening of some kind. Terry did manage to do it, though, so they are accessible to adults; just be aware that it’s obviously very dark inside, so you’ll need the torch app on your phone to be able to see anything. 

5. Whaligoe Steps

The Whaligoe Steps are a man-made stone staircase which descend steeply down a cliff face to a narrow and sheltered inlet known as Whaligoe Haven. There used to be 365 of them – one for every day of the year – but sadly, a few have been lost to vandalism over the years, although fortunately the stairs still remain useable. They were built in the 18th century, when women would haul baskets of fish up them, and then – incredibly – walk with them all the way to Wick, which is almost 10 miles away. This little fact was even more mind-blowing to us once we attempted to climb the stairs ourselves, because while it was fine – if a little precarious – on the way down, the incline is so steep that we had to stop a few times on the way back up to catch our breath. So the thought of having to do that with literally anything on my back at all is just WOW to me. 

As fascinating as the steps themselves are, however, our visit was made all the more interesting by Davy – a local man who was instrumental in restoring the stairs, and who came out to chat to us about them. We ended up back in his house, where Davy regaled us with stories about the place; he was hilarious and informative, and his stories really brought the place to life for us, so if you decide to visit, keep an eye out for him. 

This probably goes without saying, but the steps are old and steep, and the weather in this part of the world is frequently wet and rather wild, so you’ll need a reasonable degree of fitness to make the climb, plus appropriate footwear. We left Max at the top with my parents, who would’ve really struggled with the climb back up:  if you’re planning a visit, please stay safe!

6. Wick Heritage Centre

Wick Heritage Centre is an absolute gem of a place, and I could easily have spent hours there wandering around. From the outside, it looks like a small stone cottage, but once you’re inside, you realize that the museum runs the entire length of the street, as is absolutely packed with exhibits showing the life and history of the town. My favourite part was a series of rooms which were fitted out as a house from a hundred or so years ago, and which was a really fascinating glimpse of how people would’ve lived back then. While you’re there, take a walk along the street and you’ll find…

7. The Black Stairs

Now, OK, this is just a staircase – and not even a particularly impressive one, like the Whaligoe Steps, for instance, either. This particular staircase, however, is notable in that it’s the subject of the L.S. Lowry painting Steps at Wick, so if you’re interested in art at all, it’s definitely worth the short walk from the Heritage Centre.(Or you’ll find directions here.)  Also in Wick you’ll find…

8. The shortest street in the world

No, really: it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records and everything. It’s called Ebenezer Place and it’s just long enough to house one of the entrances to Mackays Hotel. It’ll take you just a few seconds to walk down it, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend making the journey just for that, but if you’re in the town anyway, it would be a shame not to be able to say you’d walked down the shortest street in the entire world…

9. Dinner at the Ulbster Arms

I couldn’t write a post about things to do in Caithness without mentioning our fabulous hotel, The Ulbster Arms. You can read my full review of the hotel itself here, but even if you’re not able to stay there, I’d definitely recommend popping into the restaurant for dinner. The food is great, the staff couldn’t do enough for us, and the bar/restaurant area is everything you could wish for from a cosy Highland lodge. Oh, and the views of the river aren’t too shabby, either…

10. North Coast Visitor Centre, Thurso

The North Coast Visitor centre is a museum and heritage centre which allows you to do a deep-dive into the history of not just Thurso, but Caithness itself. There’s tons to see here, along with a cafe and gift shop, but my favourite part would have to be the  exhibitions covering the nuclear power plant, Douneray, which was built in the 1950s, and completely changed the face of the area, bringing a huge amount of employment and opportunity to Caithness. Douneray is now in the process of being decommissioned, but I found its story fascinating, while Max really enjoyed playing with some of the interactive exhibits they had in this part of the museum. 

11. Shore Street, Thurso

Shore Street is a residential street in Thurso, and, as with the Black Stairs in Wick, the reason I’m recommending it to you is because it, too, is the subject of a painting by L.S. Lowry. Again, this is a recommendation that’s probably only going to be of interest to the art lovers amongst you, but it’s a nice little street, and it’s close to the beach, too, so seeing it could be a good excuse to explore a bit more of the town. 

12. Castletown Beach

This beach, you guys. THIS BEACH. I mean, look at it: 

Honestly, when Terry first suggested we spend some time at a beach in Scotland – in OCTOBER – I was significantly less than enthusiastic, because although I like to LOOK at beaches in all kinds of weather, if I’m going to actually go to one, my main requirements are that it be hot and dry. As it turned out, though, the weather gods were clearly smiling on us that day, and we were treated to glorious sunshine, and temperatures warm enough for Max to paddle in: and this is why my main piece of advice to anyone visiting Scotland is always to come prepared for any and every type of weather imaginable – because that’s what you’ll probably get. 

As for Castletown Beach, meanwhile, it’s located in Dunnet Bay, and it’s beautiful and unspoiled. We had the entire place to ourselves while we were there, and although there are no amenities here other than a small car park, its remoteness is all part of its charm, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit: Max particularly!

13. Catch the ferry to Orkney 

Finally, far be it for me to suggest that one of the best things to do in Caithness is to leave it and go somewhere else, but it would be remiss of me to end this post without a reminder that this is one of the spots from which you catch the ferry to the Orkney Islands. I’ve already written a post on our day on Orkney, so all I’ll add here is that it was one of our favourite parts of this trip, and if you have the time, I’d definitely recommend it. 

And those were our favourite things to do in Caithness. This list, however, is obviously not exhaustive; there’s so much to see here that we just didn’t have time for it all, sadly. What we did see, however, was more than enough to make me want to come back again soon, so if it’s somewhere you’ve been, please feel free to give me some of your recommendations. That way we’ll just HAVE to go back, won’t we? 

Click here for more of our Scottish adventures!