Wick

A Royal Burgh

When you visit the Royal Burgh of Wick you will understand why Robert Louis Stevenson, who spent at least some of his childhood here, grew up to be an imaginative and compelling writer. It is a scenic, old, north eastern herring port which enjoys clean air and vividly lit views across the North Sea. You can travel to Wick by train or fly into Scotland’s most northerly airport which is just outside the town. Wick has a distillery which produces some very famous brands and a Tourist Information Centre where you can get assistance with planning your holiday. You will find excellent hotels and guest houses and a range of shops to suit all tastes.

Wick is a base from which you can explore the shoreline and surrounding countryside with a view to observing bird life, taking photographs and creating lasting memories of a special place. It is also a great place for fishing enthusiasts. The smallest street in the world, as recorded by the Guinness Book of Records, is found at 1 Ebenezer Place. It measures 6 feet 9 inches in length and dates back to 1883. Nowadays it is home to a high class Bistro where you can enjoy a sumptuous meal and a special glass of wine.

Wick is a busy town that effortlessly retains its lovely country image, yet it quietly provides pipe welding services for the North Sea Oil industry. Before oil was struck in the North Sea Wick was no stranger to industry. It was home to two woollen mills where wool was taken by farmers and crofters to be made into yarn. There was Harrow Wool Mill in town and John Blacks of Stirkoke Mills. It was also the factory headquarters for the famous Caithness Glass Company.

The ancient ruined Castle of Sinclair Girnigoe is sited 3 miles north of Wick. http://sinclairgirnigoe.org/resources-links.html  The Castle sits on the cliff edges of Noss Head which protrude out into the North Sea on the southern edge of Sinclair Bay. Curently under the subject of a preservation and conservation programme but can be viewed from the path.

One and a half miles south, just off the A99 are the remains of the 14th century buildings; Castle of Old Wick and Castle Oliphant. Sadly both of these are in ruins. A little further south is a natural arch called “Brig O’Trams.” The arch was formed by the work of the sea and another stack will have been created through time as this one’s roof eventually collapses.

Three miles south of Wick are the Chambered Cairns of the “Yarrow Archaeological Tombs and Burial Grounds” and pairs of standing stones. Nearby, at Mid Clyth is “the Hill of Many Stanes” which is made up of 22 fan shaped rows running north to south. In total about 200 stones remain but it is thought there may originally have been over 600. Each stone is 3ft 3inches in height (less than 1metre) and most are only a few inches wide. They are set on a south-facing slope and it is thought they may have had an astronomical function by means of which observations of the moon were plotted.

The site is thought to have been set up in about 1900BC. However, in local tradition, “the Hill of Many Stanes” marks the site of a battle between two rival clans; the Keiths and the Gunns. Legend has it that the Gunns won the battle and set up a memorial to the day by burying the dead of both clans in rows, marking each dead warrior with a stone.

Local History

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 who 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.

Wick Heritage Centre.

Wick’s heritage is graphically documented in –‘an Award-winning Museum- a beautifully restored 19th century fishing boat-the unique ‘Johnston Collection’ revealing 112 years of social history captured by a family of local history-and much, much more!

The Wick Society invites you to discover this rich heritage and to be actively involved with them in preserving, developing and presenting the enthralling story of Wick and generations of people.