Local Knowledge

[Tugmistress]

I have set myself a challenge to photograph all the castles / remains of castles that are easily accessible in the area.

I can find heap loads of information of castles on my OS maps, but hardly any have names and this is where the local knowledge of you people could help if you don't mind :)

I know the ruin on scrabster beach is Bishops palace (i think anyway), then Thurso castle is obvious and i know which one is freswick etc, but if any one could help on the more obscure ruins i would be grateful.

[Niall Fernie]

have you looked here:

http://www.caithness.org/caithness/castles/index.htm

Should give you a few to get started with. We'd love to have info of any more that you find.

[Tugmistress]

cheers Niall :)
that's going to keep me going a while and i'll let you know of anything else i get info on :)

[Naefearjustbeer]

Try these 2 sites both are by the same guy. He ran out of web space with the first site so is in the process of transferring everything over to the second one. There is a section with arial photos of lots of castles. Very impressive

http://www.alanmoar.flyer.co.uk/

http://www.scotland-aerial-photos.co.uk/

[Rheghead]

You have the right to look around Dounreay castle if you wish to do so, you just have to give notice to UKAEA security when you want to make your visit. If you do then let me know when you are going as I would like to tag along.:)

[golach]

I have set myself a challenge to photograph all the castles / remains of castles that are easily accessible in the area.

I can find heap loads of information of castles on my OS maps, but hardly any have names and this is where the local knowledge of you people could help if you don't mind :)

I know the ruin on scrabster beach is Bishops palace (i think anyway), then Thurso castle is obvious and i know which one is freswick etc, but if any one could help on the more obscure ruins i would be grateful.
Tuggs, I always led to believe that the Bishops palace was between the Rocket Shed and Burnside. I could be wrong though

[Tugmistress]

Tuggs, I always led to believe that the Bishops palace was between the Rocket Shed and Burnside. I could be wrong though

ok i know burnside but what or where is rocket shed?

[golach]

ok i know burnside but what or where is rocket shed?
Maybe its not there any more, the Rocket shed was a Lifeboat shed or maybe Coastguard I'm not sure, but it was where the "Maroons" i.e. Signal Rockets calling out the lifeboat crew were fired from, before the days of pagers :confused

[Tugmistress]

ah, if you mean the coastguard building then yes i know where that is, and yes i am on about the same ruin :)
ok so maybe i don't know where scrabster stops and thurso starts along the beach but at least i know where i mean lol.

[golach]

ah, if you mean the coastguard building then yes i know where that is, and yes i am on about the same ruin :)
ok so maybe i don't know where scrabster stops and thurso starts along the beach but at least i know where i mean lol.
Sorry if you think I infered you did not know the area that was never my intention, it is many years since I have been in that area myself, and was narrowing down where I thought it was:(

[Tugmistress]

Sorry if you think I infered you did not know the area that was never my intention, it is many years since I have been in that area myself, and was narrowing down where I thought it was:(

don't be daft you silly old dingbat :D i never took it that way at all, i took it that you were telling me where it was as my description was vague at best lol and i didn't have a clue where or what the 'rocket shed' was.

[Sporran]

Tugmistress, here's a paragraph from Donald Grant's 'Old Thurso', published in 1966 :

At Burnside, perched on an isolated lump of rock at the burn mouth, stood the Castle of Scrabster, one of the residences of the Bishops of Caithness and known locally as the Bishop's Palace. It was an oblong range of buildings surrounding a courtyard, but today only the last vestiges of its walls remain. The Bishops frequently resided in it, one reason being the cheapness of provisions in this quarter of the diocese, and, when it was occupied, the people of Thurso could count seventeen smoking chimneys as the Christmas dinner was being prepared. Small landslides on the seaward side have uncovered evidence to suggest that an earlier civilization had occupied the site before the castle was built.

[Tugmistress]

wow, thanks for that sporran :) can't imagine what it looked like as most of it is gone now, but i bet it was an awesome sight.