Please Help Me with a Place Name

[Quillen]

I visited Caithness in 1969 with my grandad. He took us to a place he lived as a child there was an entrance from a coast road (I believe to be A9 but not positive). It had a long driveway that headed to the ocean and it was framed at the entrance with large Whale bone's. There were a couple abandoned croft homes atop a bank from the beach. It was a nice long white sand beach and it still had the dragons teeth on the shore. I was too young to remember a lot of my trip and now years after his death I am involved in tracing our families roots. My problem is I have them at Freswick and at Dunnet so my only clue to narrow it down is the Whale bone gate entry. Which I imagine may not be there at all anymore but any clue would surely be appreciated if this sounds familiar to anyone I would love to know.

[raymac]

Are these the bones you are on about.http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-photo/sueandjulie/1/1311713643/sue-admiring-whale-bones.jpg/tpod.html

Dunbeath is the name of the village.

[Beat Bug]

There is a whalebone entrance down the road from us. It's on the A9, on the south side of Latheronwheel.

[quality]

DUNBEATH
A village sitting at the mouth of the Dunbeath Water reaching its end after flowing through a broad strath to arrive at Portormin Harbour. The cliffs on the south side are overlooked by the stunning Dunbeath Castle perched right on the edge and said to have underground tunnels. The castle dates from the 14th century. A fishing village whose importance declined as small fishing boats became less profitable. Small boats still use the harbour mainly for creel fishing. The village is also the birth place of Neil Gunn (1891 – 1973) the famous writer and novelist from the county. Just outside Dunbeath a 19th century whalebone arch still stands but this is thought to be from a stranded whale rather than evidence of whaling. The Dunbeath Broch is reckoned to be about 2000 years old.
Dunbeath harbour itself was built about 1800 and in 1814 had 155 boats. At one time ice was cut in the river in winter and stored in the ice house at the harbour.

[Rheghead]

If you have a look on Google Earth then there is a street view of the whalebone arch that is south of Latheronwheel but it just leads to a field but it might have been a track in your days there.

[Quillen]

Are these the bones you are on about.http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-photo/sueandjulie/1/1311713643/sue-admiring-whale-bones.jpg/tpod.html

Dunbeath is the name of the village.Thank you those are the bones I was looking for. My aged Mothers memory isn't what it used to be and I was just 8 at the time, she's not so positive now on whether the whale bone arch was an entrance to the actual property. She says it may have been along side the road on our way to the beach we visited. I thought the Whale bone arch was my solid clue to the beach on further thought not so much, if I could possibly bend your ears one more time with another question. We had left Helmsdale that day and headed off to catch the ferry to Stromness, Orkney. I'm not sure were we got the boat but the beach with the concrete jacks, dragons teeth, was on our way. One fact I know for sure is within this trip we followed the coast from Wick area to John O'Groats and around to Thurso. Can anyone tell me other than Freswick Bay what other beaches on that route that I might be looking for that had those concrete things on the beach? I'm in California so I am clue less to the area I'm thinking there can't be too many? Thank you everyone for you gracious help.

[raymac]

Keiss beach north of wick, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/4d71fc938786560f75018e95/keiss-beach-defence-barriers/en
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=58.522888,-3.128904&spn=0.003434,0.007864&t=h&z=17&vpsrc=6
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&vpsrc=6&ll=58.526646,-3.131618&spn=0.000045,0.031457&z=15&layer=c&cbll=58.526545,-3.131354&panoid=i1OqcfNL_W1fDk8R5wkj9g&cbp=12,146.58,,2,1.51
hope this helps

[davem]

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/48/68/486879_20d1c422.jpg

I would guess Dunnett Bay

[oldmarine]

I visited Caithness in 1969 with my grandad. He took us to a place he lived as a child there was an entrance from a coast road (I believe to be A9 but not positive). It had a long driveway that headed to the ocean and it was framed at the entrance with large Whale bone's. There were a couple abandoned croft homes atop a bank from the beach. It was a nice long white sand beach and it still had the dragons teeth on the shore. I was too young to remember a lot of my trip and now years after his death I am involved in tracing our families roots. My problem is I have them at Freswick and at Dunnet so my only clue to narrow it down is the Whale bone gate entry. Which I imagine may not be there at all anymore but any clue would surely be appreciated if this sounds familiar to anyone I would love to know.
Quil: It's enjoyable to trace ones family roots. I traced mine all the way back to Germany when my first ancester left the Stolzeneau Mountain area north of Frankfurt and arrived in what is now the USA in 1738. I wish you the best as you trace your roots.

[Quillen]

Kiess is looking very good for a possible. In the satellite view it evens looks like there are sill some crofts walls maybe? We had people at Kiess at some point but also at Freswick and Dunnet too. I will have to do some more extensive virtual touring of Caithness thank you all for the tips, hope to see it's beauty again one day.

[Betty]

Perhaps this is too late but I found a photo of the whale bone arch, along the main road into Wick. It was taken in 1976, closer to the time you would have been in the area.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i102/Betty-33/Old%20Photos%20of%20Wick/scan0012.jpg

[Quillen]

You guys have been a tremendous help. Thank you Betty and Raymac for the lovely photo of the Whale Bone Arch that is the arch. It gives me one more thing to look into though. I wanted to let you know I hit the jack pot. Here they are on the old grazing http://www.laird.org.uk/images/Laird/Freswick_Grazings.JPG
My mother was able to identify the dovecote and the Freswick house one of the crofts is just beside it in this pic 10874

[Quillen]

I didn't mean to send last post with out a BIG THANK YOU

[spurtle]

There are whale bones set into the wall at a house at Ackergill