There’s much to see in Caithness. It really is a magnificent part of Scotland which you need time to explore.
Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head is the most northerly point on the Scottish mainland. There is a car park and a pathway down to a viewpoint for looking at the cliffs.
This is a safe viewing point which also has a seat if you want to relax and take in the seascape. A display board provides information of the sea birds you can see from there but take a pair of binoculars if you want to appreciate them.
There’s the Stevenson Lighthouse:
Up at the World War structures there are panoramic views across to Stroma and Orkney in the distance.
And of Caithness too, of course.
There is parking up at this point for disabled car users and more excellent display boards.
John O’Groats
There are several facilities at John O’Groats – cafes, toilets, visitor information, wildlife trips and boats to Orkney.
And public art.
Both Dunnet Head and John O’Groats are very popular with visitors but there are plenty of places in Caithness – perhaps a bit more difficult to visit – and if you can, take the chance to explore them.
St Mary’s Chapel, Crosskirk
St Mary’s Chapel is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.
St Mary’s Chapel was probably built in the 1100s, though the religious significance of the site may date back further. Two long-cist burials were found on its grounds during excavation, and a Pictish symbol-stone is said to have been found nearby.
There is a car park but you will have a short and tricky walk from there. The path is marked with tall poles and it is steep in places.
There are scenes of peace and tranquility.
St Mary’s was a dependant chapel of the church at Reay. It has a plain, rectangular design, sharing a lot in common with contemporary Norse churches of Orkney. HES
Much the oldest surviving ecclesiastical structure in Caithness, the chapel consists of nave and reconstructed chancel, an anachronistically early feature occurring in the form of sloping door jambs more suited to an Irish-type chapel than to an orthodox medieval structure. Canmore
You can find out more about St Mary’s Chapel here: Canmore
Caithness has so much to offer to visitors whatever their interests are.
Reporter: Fiona Grahame
Categories: Uncategorized
