View Full Version : wonderful time in caithness...
helenwyler
15-Jul-07, 18:08
Got back last night from a two great days in Caithness - what a wonderful place!
We visited all the villages my ancestors lived in - Forss, Brims, didn't quite find Hamer & Clardon (Post Office) but took piccies from the main road, then Freswick, Skirza and Sarclet. Such amazing scenery driving along the A836 (is that right?), wondering which old croft-type ruin might have been 'home' to them!
Also visted Laidhay Croft...fascinating.
Stayed two nights in the Mackay Hotel in Wick. Great service, friendly people and very good food (we ate sooo much[lol]).
The staff at the Wick heritage Centre were very helpful, and it was a joy to be taken round by a lady so enthused by her great local knowledge - forgot to ask her name before she disappeared, but if she's an orger, THANKYOU AGAIN!!
Didn't have any luck with identifying my old photos but, hey ho!
When we arrived in Wick it was sad to see some lovely old buildings falling into ruin, for example the ones just past The Mackay Hotel opposite the old JOG Printing Office. But on the other hand it was very encouraging to see the regeneration successes such as Telford St, Saltoun St and the Silver Darlings. Hope it continues!
Didn't know about Thomas Telford's projects in Caithness before so that was really interesting. There seems to be a very positive spirit in Wick among many people rightly proud of their heritage!
Took lots of photos, and have transferred them to the comp but am too dull of wit to get them on the photography forum[evil] haha! Any help?
Karia - I have a special one for you of Strathy Point, will get it to you asap!!
Also went to Orkney, but that's for another day!
Karia - I have a special one for you of Strathy Point, will get it to you asap
Hello helen,
Thank you, I am really touched.
I think the word 'spectacular' is not quite up to the task of describing the scenery up there,... but it tries!
So glad you had a great time, knew you would!;)
How's the hair and the holiday promises ?
Now for the post holiday blues,..:~(
...sympathies!
Karia
helenwyler
15-Jul-07, 22:12
Hmm.. you warned me about the hair karia!
Mine's a bit unruly at the best of times but saved from total frizz by straighteners. MrW likes it going a bit wild and curly but I overruled him on that one - memories of nickname 'nest' at primary school still with me[lol]!
Post-holiday blues are kicking in, but off to France in two weeks. I do so wish we were still in Caithness tho!
Hi helen,
Mr karia's a bit odd too, if you recall 'crystal tips & alistair', on the t.v then you will understand what happens to my hair, up there..and he loves it!:roll:
Get your pics on the forum girl!..then tell me how to do it!
France has a lot to live up to now, ....bit jealous me!;)
Karia
lynne duncan
15-Jul-07, 22:54
glad you had a wonderful time, thank you for posting such nice comments about the wick folk.
hope its not long before you find the time tae come back north!
AliceBlue
15-Jul-07, 23:05
Hi Helen:
So glad you enjoyed your visit; I seem to visit Scotland through the eyes of others.
Thank you so much (will reply by e-mail) for taking the time at the WHC to look up my family picture. Somehow, all of this brings me closer to my Dad and I wish I had listened when family were talking about relatives!
As my Dad was born in 1907 I doubt the picture you found dated 1912 was him with his grandmother and brother, but nevermind, the Bains & Omans live on!
Thank you again...you are very, very kind.
Wyn/Aliceblue
ywindythesecond
17-Jul-07, 23:42
Got back last night from a two great days in Caithness - what a wonderful place!
We visited all the villages my ancestors lived in - Forss, Brims, didn't quite find Hamer & Clardon (Post Office) but took piccies from the main road, then Freswick, Skirza and Sarclet. Such amazing scenery driving along the A836 (is that right?), wondering which old croft-type ruin might have been 'home' to them!
Also visted Laidhay Croft...fascinating.
Stayed two nights in the Mackay Hotel in Wick. Great service, friendly people and very good food (we ate sooo much[lol]).
The staff at the Wick heritage Centre were very helpful, and it was a joy to be taken round by a lady so enthused by her great local knowledge - forgot to ask her name before she disappeared, but if she's an orger, THANKYOU AGAIN!!
Didn't have any luck with identifying my old photos but, hey ho!
When we arrived in Wick it was sad to see some lovely old buildings falling into ruin, for example the ones just past The Mackay Hotel opposite the old JOG Printing Office. But on the other hand it was very encouraging to see the regeneration successes such as Telford St, Saltoun St and the Silver Darlings. Hope it continues!
Didn't know about Thomas Telford's projects in Caithness before so that was really interesting. There seems to be a very positive spirit in Wick among many people rightly proud of their heritage!
Took lots of photos, and have transferred them to the comp but am too dull of wit to get them on the photography forum[evil] haha! Any help?
Karia - I have a special one for you of Strathy Point, will get it to you asap!!
Also went to Orkney, but that's for another day!
Glad you enjoyed your visit and the scenery and atmosphere. It may not be here next time you come. Please visit www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk (http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk)
It is not just Caithness which has this problem, it is all of rural Scotland.
For more information please PM me.
ywy2
Its good to see some positive comment about the County. What we have is unique but it can occasionally take some finding. I bet for many visitors Caithness can be a bit of the map that in olden days a 'here be dragons' warning would be attached as there is a lack of focussed promotion for 'touristy' sites.
If fit, hale and hearty and with a sense of adventure lots of excellent places exist for exploration - castles, cliffs, beaches, archaeology - most of which are completely off the tourist trail making any visitor wow at what the County has to offer.
Having recently had friends up (in their 30's and well travelled) taking time to visit abandoned fishing harbours and havens along the east coast, whilst hunting for groaty buckies (European Cowries I think?) on every beach - not just at Groats and then taking in a wee bit of cliff walking and a walk along Dunbeath strath, they couldn't fault the experience and had a far better time than visiting the many wallet emptying attractions elsewhere in the Highlands.
The other bonus was that a variety of small shops, the schoolhouse restaurant and the French restaurant all got trade accross the county rather than being funnelled to a single catch-all tourist attraction.
helenwyler
18-Jul-07, 20:56
Glad you enjoyed your visit and the scenery and atmosphere. It may not be here next time you come. Please visit www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk (http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk)
It is not just Caithness which has this problem, it is all of rural Scotland.
For more information please PM me.
ywy2
hello ywt2, thanks for replying.
I did look at the website and admire your passion for your cause. I'm not apathetic about windfarms, but don't feel a vote from me is justifiable. I don't live anywhere near, and am not well-informed enough to make a well-considered vote on it (but been on lots of demos in my time over various political issues!!). I don't want to vote ignorantly.
By the way, I mentioned recently on another thread that MrW was visiting a project in Westray. Last night I mentioned our visit to Orkney and Caithness to a woman I don't really know at yoga class. Her immediate reaction was "Is your husband in the oil business?" LOL[lol]!!
NO NO NO he is not involved in any leaching of money/resources from Scotland in case that might have crossed any orgers' minds:eek:.
He is involved in community regeneration - the Development Trusts Association www.dta.org.uk (http://www.dta.org.uk) to which DTA Scotland is a member www.dtascot.org.uk (http://www.dtascot.org.uk) . We were thinking Wick would be an ideal place to join. Such potential...
Helen
DarkAngel
18-Jul-07, 21:25
Glad you had a great time up here! It aint all that bad up here!;)
helenwyler
18-Jul-07, 21:38
Glad you had a great time up here! It aint all that bad up here!;)
Thanks DarkAngel - I would say more than that it ain't half bad - I was fascinated not only by the places my ancestors lived, but by the sometimes stark, sometimes incredibly soft and lulling beauty of Caithness.
MrW, no Scottish connections, was equally mesmerised by it. Just a shame we had barely two days to look around but ...We'll be back!
Once it gets under your skin theres no way back.My wife wants to go to Spain next year how can I get out of it ?:confused:
Hi Innes,
Show her the 'cuppa thread',
...Divorce guaranteed.:lol:
Karia
Wont need to,she will be home in 20 mins, log on to the org.I`m off to hide under the quilt.:cry:
ywindythesecond
03-Aug-07, 18:59
hello ywt2, thanks for replying.
I did look at the website and admire your passion for your cause. I'm not apathetic about windfarms, but don't feel a vote from me is justifiable. I don't live anywhere near, and am not well-informed enough to make a well-considered vote on it (but been on lots of demos in my time over various political issues!!). I don't want to vote ignorantly.
Helen
Hi Helenwyler
Today, thanks to MJB, I learned how to post pictures. I haven't learned how to fit them to the page yet so you need to use the slider bar to see the full width.
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/1078/a3stroupsterfromfreswichq3.jpg
This is how Stroupster Windfarm would look from Freswick Castle.
You know when you leave John o'Groats heading south and you come over the top of Warth Hill and the view across Caithness to Morven and the Scarabens takes your breath away? This is how Stroupster windfarm would look like from there.
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/4778/smallwarth123451jg2.jpg
This might go a little way to explaining my passion.
Regards
ywindy2
peter macdonald
03-Aug-07, 19:31
Its good to see some positive comment about the County. What we have is unique but it can occasionally take some finding. I bet for many visitors Caithness can be a bit of the map that in olden days a 'here be dragons' warning would be attached as there is a lack of focussed promotion for 'touristy' sites.
If fit, hale and hearty and with a sense of adventure lots of excellent places exist for exploration - castles, cliffs, beaches, archaeology - most of which are completely off the tourist trail making any visitor wow at what the County has to offer.
Having recently had friends up (in their 30's and well travelled) taking time to visit abandoned fishing harbours and havens along the east coast, whilst hunting for groaty buckies (European Cowries I think?) on every beach - not just at Groats and then taking in a wee bit of cliff walking and a walk along Dunbeath strath, they couldn't fault the experience and had a far better time than visiting the many wallet emptying attractions elsewhere in the Highlands.
The other bonus was that a variety of small shops, the schoolhouse restaurant and the French restaurant all got trade across the county rather than being funnelled to a single catch-all tourist attraction.
What an excellent post SOAC summing up the positives/problems/ineptitude of the tourist industry in Caithness All the raw material but hardly any information about where these abandoned harbours and castles are and what was their historical value
Im so delighted Helen that you enjoyed your visit and that you will come again
You mentioned Sarclet a ruined harbour built by James Bremner the engineer and wreck raiser and at one time the top herring fishing port in North Scotland No notice board to tell anyone about that despite ex Councillor Billy Mowats best efforts to get one sited (There and at Whaligoe) The same at Nybster where the Pentland Firth pilots had their base .. no information again
The sad thing is I could go on and on the whole way round the county pointing this out ... and Im no expert
Again Helen so glad you enjoyed your stay
PM
psyberyeti
03-Aug-07, 19:42
Didn't have any luck with identifying my old photos but, hey ho!
Took lots of photos, and have transferred them to the comp but am too dull of wit to get them on the photography forum[evil] haha! Any help?
If you put your old photos up on the forum someone is bound to be able to identify them for you.
I've just learned about putting up photos on the photo forum. I too am a dull wit but I managed it in the end. Just load your photos into photobucket.com, then copy the http back into the caithness.org 'insert image' icon. With a wee bit of help (from Golach I think) it was easy. It sounds complicated but it all falls into place once you get going.
psyberyeti:cool:
percy toboggan
03-Aug-07, 20:10
I.m not sure if Caithness can be described as 'spectacular' but like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder.
Raw, rugged, wild and functional would be my adjectives of choice. No less appealing for all that.
I'm glad you had a fine time.
I wish I could trace my lineage back to Caithness, spectacular or not.
I.m not sure if Caithness can be described as 'spectacular' but like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder.
Raw, rugged, wild and functional would be my adjectives of choice. No less appealing for all that.
I'm glad you had a fine time.
I wish I could trace my lineage back to Caithness, spectacular or not.
Yes, I can see where you are coming from, so far I haven't seen any shortbread/biscuit tins with Caithnessian scenes on them (if I can use them as a yardstick to aesthetic natural beauty), but I am not looking for them and I suspect there may be one or two locally sourced containers lying around.
I think Caithnessian landscape to be fairly flat and boring, I am a mountain person myself (I want mountains, Gandalf!
:)) and I find them to be pretty and spectacular rather than what Caithness has to offer. I do appreciate that Caithnessians have an emotional attachment to their land though and I do appreciate that their opinion, though biased is still a valid one, nonetheless.
BTW, the cliffs and seascapes make up for it.
Dave Taylor
05-Aug-07, 20:27
Like Helen, I’ve just had a great trip to Orkney, Caithness and a bit of Sutherland — my third trip to Scotland this year.
I had one night in Wick, also staying at MacKays Hotel. The tv reception at the Hotel was not as good as it was on Orkney, but that's my only niggle.
Then I bussed down to Tormore Farm at Dunbeath, and walked from there up the Braemore road, and about a mile beyond the famous red phone box. The weather was not very good, but I did eventually get some good views of Maiden’s Pap.
When I got back to the Farm B&B, and after I got dry and fed, I was sent to the cliff edge to watch the puffins — my first sight of them other than on tv.
George Bethune, at the Dunbeath Heritage Centre took about 2 1/2 hours (!) to answer one of my questions, but it was really interesting. Then he went home, and asked his wife (Nan?) to call me at the Centre, with her answer to another question!
I was told that I must go and look at the door of the house where Neil M Gunn was born. There, I found George’s brother(?) Davie, sat on the wall with a glass of beer. It was refreshing to hear him telling why he doesn’t like Neil Gunn’s books!
This was only my second visit to Caithness, but it won’t be the last. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who I didn't like. And they’re all good at the blether!
Dave Taylor
05-Aug-07, 21:03
Here are a couple of pictures from my walk up Braemore (See earlier posting in this thread).
http://www.frenchay.org/braemorephonebox.jpg
This is the famous phone box at the end of the public road
http://www.frenchay.org/maidenspap2.jpg
This is as far as I got, beyond the phone box.
I had lunch at this spot.
ywindythesecond
05-Aug-07, 23:08
Here are a couple of pictures from my walk up Braemore (See earlier posting in this thread).
http://www.frenchay.org/braemorephonebox.jpg
This is the famous phone box at the end of the public road
http://www.frenchay.org/maidenspap2.jpg
This is as far as I got, beyond the phone box.
I had lunch at this spot.
Dave,
Please see
http://www.wind4energy.co.uk/current_projects_detail.asp?id=12
and visit www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk (http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk)
ywindythesecond
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