A beautiful riverside town is considered one of the best places to visit in the Scottish Highlands.
Thurso is a town on the north coast of the Highlands in the county of Caithness. It is the northernmost town on the island of Great Britain.
It was named by VisitScotland as one of the best places to stay in the Highlands, alongside Nairn, Kungussie, Dornoch and Wick.
The town functioned as an important Norse port, and later traded with ports throughout northern Europe until the 19th century. A thriving fishing centre, Thurso also had a reputation for its linen cloth and tanning activities.
Now, it is a hive of traditional shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. Other great ‘must-sees’ are the circular wellhouse of Meadow Well, a fine public library and the impressive Janet Street overlooking the River Thurso.
The 34-mile river, reputable for its salmon fishing, flows through the town and into Thurso Bay and the Pentland Firth. The estuary serves as a small harbour and beach.
Thurso is a great base for exploring the surrounding countryside with nearby RSPB Dunnet Head Nature Reserve with sea cliffs and coastal grasslands which are home to puffins, razorbills, guillemots, fulmars, kittiwakes, shags, and cormorants.
It is also a major surfing area and even hosts the annual Scottish National Surfing Championships. Visitors can have a go at surfing the waves with North Coast Watersports.
There is the Castlehill Heritage Centre, where you can walk round the Flagstone Heritage Trail which celebrates the memory of the flagstone industry in this part of Caithness.
Further east is the Castle of Mey, the Caithness home of the Queen Mother. Perched only 400 yards from the coast, it boasts incredible views across the Pentland Firth and Orkney.
Those wanting to learn about Scotland’s whisky and gin history can head to Dunnet Bay Distillery and Wolfburn Distillery for tours and tastings.
It lies at the junction of the A9 and the A836, connected to Bridge of Forss and Castletown. There is also Thurso railway station, the most northern station in the United Kingdom.
The nearby port of Scrabster provides ferry services to the Orkney Islands; the NorthLink ferry operates between Scrabster and Stromness.