Links & Information

                Wick Pipe Band Shows
From mid July to September each Wednesday night the Band puts on its series of Summer Shows.
Wick Pipe Band Web Site

Local Caithness Galas
A range of traditional local events often to raise money for local charities whilst having a lot of fun.  They range from one day to eight days in Wick.  The events include parades of floats with various themes often comical or poking fun at people or events in the past year.  there are shows and dances, Highland dancing, pipers, contests  - in fact almost anything that the local committees decide on for their annual gala.  The largest is held in Wick which runs from Saturday to Saturday with an opening day parade in the evening and finishing with a fireworks display and barbecue at the riverside.  These are all low key affairs put on in the traditional way organised by local people.  Many people return from all over the world to visit families and friends during these gala days and weeks.
Caithness folk wherever they have gone know they can expect to meet many old friends in the "gala week"

Halkirk Highland Games
The biggest games out of four annually in the county.
The games have all the traditional Highland Games events for heavy athletes, track and field events, cycling , piping competitions, Highland Dancing and much more.  In recent years there has been an upsurge in attendance at Halkirk.  Clan gatherings for Sinclairs and Gunns and their many septs also happen at the games.   A traditional Scottish Day - Sport and meeting your friends - and they now come from all around the world those sons and daughters of Caithness.  Every one is welcome ..........................We hope you can make it.
Total prize money on offer is one of the highest in Scotland.  Halkirk Games Web Site

Wick Heritage Centre
A jewel of museums is Wick Heritage Centre run by local volunteers but who are passionate about their county and its history.  They have won prizes for their exhibits and the collection is vast.  But this is no place with a few little trinkets it includes boats, furniture, whole rooms to walk round, many items from past work shops especially concerned with the fishing industry but many other trades are included especially coopering and fish curing with a whole smoke house still in its original place with soot still showing.
But to say nothing is too much for determined volunteers is an understatement.  The group a few years ago dismantled the whole of the top of a light house and reconstructed the whole thing inside the museum.   Check out the whole list of small visitors centres Museums and Visitor Centres

Check the What'On

Site Map

The Castles and Pre-history of Caithness
Caithness has a huge wealth of undiscovered and little know historic places known to locals but mainly never seen by visitors.
Over the years they have been little publicised despite the fact that Caithness has over 4000 prehistoric sites ranging through every age of man.  Caithness has been described as Broch Central alluding to its huge number of these ancient structures.  With perhaps about 150 Broch sites and a few very clear such as at Yarrows near Thrumster or Ousdale.  Walking to the sites in much of the unspoilt countryside is an experience deserted as Caithness is of new buildings in these areas.
But some of the most spectacular sites are the Castles of Caithness.  Many stand on cliff-top sites and are crumbling or have almost disappeared.  Those that are left are indeed worthy of a look.  Care must be taken in approaching any of the sites and few are well sign posted or have had any work to set up safety fences etc.  But most can be viewed without going onto the actual site from the surrounding coastal paths or fields.
For much more information and pictures check our
Caithness Castles section.  More Prehistoric Sites