The north and northwest Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 263

Hill o'Many Stanes
East Clyth , two miles north of Lybster, is the stop for a path to the “ Hill o'Many Stanes ”.
Some two hundred boulders are set in 22 rows that run north to south. Why is a
mystery - an ancient observatory is one theory - although archeological studies suggest
they were set around 2000 BC and are just a fraction of the six hundred stones
originally in place.

Whaligoe staircase
On the A99, at the north end of Ulbster
Go ten miles north of Lybster to the north end of the village of Ulbster , then turn
towards the sea opposite a sign to “Cairn o'Get” to find the little-known Whaligoe
staircase . Its 365 uneven steps lead steeply down from beside a car park to a natural
harbour surrounded by high cliffs. It's an atmospheric spot that feels far more remote
than the road suggests, all wheeling seabirds and empty sea. Just be glad you don't have
to haul baskets full of herring back up as the village's fisherwomen once did.

Wick
Since it was founded by Vikings as Vik (meaning “bay”), WICK has lived by the sea. It's
actually two towns: Wick proper and, south across the river, Pultneytown , created by
the British Fisheries Society in 1806 to encourage evicted crofters to take up fishing.
By the mid-nineteenth century, Wick was the busiest herring port in Europe, with a
fleet of more than 1100 boats, exporting tonnes of fish to Russia, Scandinavia and the
West Indian slave plantations. Robert Louis Stevenson described it as “the meanest of
man's towns, situated on the baldest of God's bays”. The demise of its fishing trade has
left Wick down at heel, reduced to a mere transport hub. Yet the huge harbour in
Pultneytown and a walk around the surrounding area - scruffy rows of fishermen's
cottages, derelict net-mending sheds and stores - gives an insight into the scale of the
former fishing trade.

4

Wick Heritage Centre
Bank Row, Pultneytown • Easter-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, last entry 3.45pm • £4 • T 01955 605393, W wickheritage.org
The volunteer-maintained Wick Heritage Centre is the best place to evoke the heyday of
the fishing boom. Larger than it looks, it contains a fascinating array of artefacts from
the old days, including fully rigged boats, boat models and reconstructed period rooms,
plus a superb archive of photographs captured by three generations of a local family
between 1863 and 1975.

Old Pulteney Distillery
Huddart St • Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, May-Sept Sat 10am-4pm; tours at 11am & 2pm or by arrangement (from £6) • T 01955 602371,
W oldpulteney.com
Until city fathers declared Wick dry in the 1920s, fishermen consumed three hundred
gallons of whisky a day. The last distillery in town - and most northerly in Scotland
- distils more refined malts nowadays; most are light or medium-bodied, with a hint of
sea salt. Much is made of maritime character on tours which end, needless to say, with
a dram or full tastings.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE WICK

The train station and bus stops are immediately south and west of the central bridge.

By plane Wick Airport ( T 01955 602215, W wickairport
.com), just north of town, has flights to and from
Edinburgh (Mon, Wed-Fri & Sun 1 daily; 1hr) and
Aberdeen (Mon-Fri 3 daily; 35min) with Flybe and

Eastern Airways respectively.
By train Trains from Inverness (Mon-Sat 4 daily, 2 on Sun;
4hr 15min) make a long but scenic journey via Lairg,
Helmsdale, then the Flow Country inland.