Thurso 

An Important Norse Port

If you want to experience an extraordinary clarity of light and cleanliness of air, come to Thurso- the most northerly town on mainland Scotland. Thurso maintains its position as an important port which dates back to its time as a Norse Settlement. (The name Thurso comes from the Norse word Thorsa meaning Thor’s River.) As with the whole of the North Highlands, there is a six week midsummer period during which darkness hardly falls.

You can travel all the way to Thurso by train. In fact Thurso has the most northerly railway station in Britain. This route north surely qualifies as one of the great railway journeys of the world, yet it remains a well kept secret. The layout of the town itself is the same today as it was first planned to be in the 19th century. Nowadays there is a range of excellent hotels and guest houses. Those who enjoy an outdoor lifestyle can book into the caravan site or play a round of golf on one of several golf courses.

From Thurso, each road offers a new adventure of panoramic views across the North Sea or a gateway to inland lochs and forests. Walkers and bird watchers will find the surrounding countryside offers rich rewards. There are ruined castles to explore and many fine examples of old churches including St Peter’s Church. Thurso is also famous as the birth place of Sir William Smith who founded the Boy’s Brigade. (He was born at Meadow Well, Pennyland Farm.) For days when you wish to do things indoors, you will have a choice of excellent shopping centres and leisure centres. There is also a gallery, a museum and a college.

The powerful waves which roll in from the Atlantic have been compared to those of Hawaii- although the temperature is, of course, decidedly cooler as you would expect at Scotland’s prime surfing venue. Thurso East is a fast point/reef break which is the venue for many international competitions. The Thurso East wave was first surfed by famous Scottish surfer, Malcolm Findlay after he returned from a four year stint with the French Foreign Legion in 1974. Findlay was known to have surfed waves of up to 50 feet here. In more recent times surfers from Fraserburgh on the east coast of Scotland have come to dominate this quality reef break; Masso, Stracho and Burner Bill being some of the most notable.

Daily reports on the 23rd to 30th April Highland Open event on http://timesonline.typepad.com/surf_nation/2008/04/sunny-garcia-in.html

	THURSO EAST SURF "The worlds' best waves."
	The village of Scrabster which adjoins Thurso is a main ferry port and has a busy harbour. Fishing boats bring in their catch and commercial vessels come into port alongside boats concerned with tourism. .Scrabster has become a popular stop for Cruise ships. The trade and commerce which centres around the harbour helps maintain a healthy economy throughout the area.  Fishing boats bring in their catch and commercial vessels come into port alongside boats concerned with tourism. .Scrabster has become a popular stop for Cruise ships. The trade and commerce which centres around the harbour helps maintain a healthy economy throughout the area. Thurso remained under Norse control until 1266. It continued to be a significant centre for European trade right up until the 19th century. Old St Peter’s Kirk has ruins dating back to the middle of the 13th	Well maybe it's about time! Thurso East is well known to surfers all over the world and regularly appears in magazines internationally. The location is a SIX STAR competition venue on the world qualifying circuit with the annual O'Neil Highland Open. It is our most important modern sporting and tourism asset. The high quality waves are used every day (when the waves are there) by locals and visitors. On this group we aim to bring you images and film from this brilliant surfing location.	URL http://www.bebo.com/THURSOEASTSURF Profile Created November 2007 Profile Views 103 times

.century. The original church was built by the Bishop of Caithness. Harald’s Tower just outside the town is the 18th century burial place of the Sinclair family of Ulbster. Just to the west, in a most picturesque spot, is Forss Old Mill which sits by a winding river. Further to the west is the Dounreay Visitor Centre. (See Dounreay).

Thurso sits in a land of rolling hills and offers endless opportunity for activity or the perfect setting to sit back and enjoy a well earned rest in a place which is characterised by wild beauty and stunning ancient monuments.