Wick Scotland

Wick is the principal town in the far north of the mainland. Wick was originally a Viking settlement, and holds the claim to fame of once being the busiest herring port in Europe - in the mid-19th century. The town's story is told in the excellent Wick Heritage Centre in Bank Row, Pultneytown (Wick is actually two towns - Wick proper, and Pultneytown, immediately south across the river), which contains a fascinating array of artefacts from the old fishing days.

Welcome to Wick Scotland

The dramatic 15th to 17th-century ruins of Sinclair and Girnigoe castles rise steeply from a needle-thin promontory three miles north of Wick. There's a good clifftop walk to the castles via Noss Head lighthouse from the tiny fishing village of Staxigoe. You'll encounter seabirds, including puffins, and come across the beautiful Sinclair Bay beach, popular for windsurfing and sand-yachting.

Little is known of the early history of this Northern Scottish town but there is ample evidence in the surrounding countryside of Neolithic/Bronze Age settlement and the shelters and defences of succeeding Ages. However, it was the Vikings that gave Wick its name (from the old Norse vik = bay).

Although King James the VI of Scotland made Wick a Royal Burgh in 1589 it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the town began to realise its potential. By 1860 it had grown to be Europe's premier herring fishing port. The town's development around the fickle fortunes of fishing is a remarkable story of vision, good planning, investment, courage, hardship and industry.

Accommodation in and around Wick

Price Guide - per person based on sharing room: under $40 - $41 - 70 - more than $70

Hotels and Guesthouses below - Self catering cottages click here