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View more information on Thurso, including a detailed street map. Click for services within this area. By the north side of the A838 road, a few miles east of Melvich, stands a cloven stone, 'the split stane'. This marks the old boundary between Sutherland and Caithness. Peat moorlands margin the way to the village of Reay, where the landscape evolves into cultivated Caithness fields. Stop at Forss Bridge to view the waterfall, spectacular after heavy rain. At the mouth of the river is the 12th century chapel of St Mary's, one of Scotland's oldest places of worship. Lookout for Primula scotica, a rare purple primrose that grows here. Nearby, at Brims Ness, lookout also for surfboard aficionados - northern wave power is awesome. From the 9th century Caithness was settled and 'owned' for several hundred years by Viking earls. Their influence is evident today in Caithness place-names: those ending in -ster and -bster derive from old Norse words for 'farm'. The county town of Caithness, Wick, derives its name from the Norse word vik, meaning 'bay'. A stone was found St Peter's Church in Thurso containing Norse runic inscriptions. There are splendid cliff walks from Thurso, west from Holburn Head and Scrabster. They give breath-catching vistas across the broken waters of the Pentland Firth to the island of Hoy in Orkney. Thurso is a town for all seasons, bright and busy, always welcoming, offering something to keep every member of the family happily amused and content. Hotels Police Stations Post Offices Visitor Attractions |
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