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Wick is a Town 104 miles north of Inverness, 17
south of John O Groats, in the area of
Caithness in the far northeast of Scotland.
Wick is popular for its Heritage Museum,
Coastal Walks from the Harbour, Boat Trips,
Outdoor Baths, Old Pulteney Whisky Distillery,
and the ruins of the Castle of Old Wick and
Castle Sinclair.
For Images on Mobile swipe right
Click on Map for area Attractions
Camping & Touring Parks in
area
The image top right is of the Riverside Car
Park in Wick centre from Bridge Street.
The Church by the Car Park is Wick St Fergus
built from 1820 with the remains of an earlier
Church next to it from the 1500s.
This Church closed in December 2024, there
are some Sinclair, Earls of Cathness graves at
the Church.
The second image is from the War Memorial
looking east along Bridge Street, the Main
Street in Wick, with the Town Hall in the
middle, built in 1828 in Neoclassical
style.
A large Effigy of St Fergus may now be at
the Town Hall after being moved around Wick
many times.
The High Street runs off the east end of
Bridge Street towards the Harbour, where you
can find small local shops and pubs.
Walking out from the High Street, past the
north side of the Harbour, is a Coastal Walk
past a Second World War Pill Box, North Side
Open Air Pool, War Memorial for Wars in the
1800s, scenic Cliffs, and a Cave. Google Maps
show this route well.
At the Harbour is the Marina where you can
take Boat Trips to Sea
Stacks, Castles and Wildlife.
Wick Heritage
Centre is by the Harbour on Bank Row, with
a lot of information on Wick when it was the
Largest Herring Fishing Port in the World 1850s
- 1940s. There is also a large display of
Caithness Glass that opened in Wick in
1961.
The Old Pulteney
Whisky Distillery is a short walk west of the
Harbour, up Huddart Street from the Seafarers
Memorial above the Harbour.
The Castle of Old Wick from the 1100s is
about 1 and a half miles south of the Harbour
passing the Seafarers Memorial and large
Bremner Memorial, then follow a single lane
coast road to a Car Park close to the
Castle.
Castle of Old Wick Large Image &
Info.
The Trinkie open Air Pool is next to the
Coastal Road between Wick and the Castle of Old
Wick. Some Touring Vans drive in from the west
to a Car Park right at the Castle.
Castle Sinclair from the 1400s is on the
northeast side of Wick, best found with Satnav
or Google Maps as the roads to it are hard to
follow, about 4 miles driving round about.
Sinclair Castle Large Image &
info.
Reiss Sands Beach is next to Wick Golf Club,
3 miles north of Wick on the main A99 road,
then 1 mile down a single lane road with a Car
Park by the Golf Club and another at the Beach
with a small charge.
Large Image of
Wick Attractions.
Wick History
1100s - the Castle of Old Wick was built for
the half-Norse Earl Harald Maddadson, Earl of
Orkney and Caithness 1 and a half miles
southwest of where Wick Harbour is today.
1200s mid - Gunn's Castle
was built for Clan Gunn 7 miles south of Wick
on the coast, little remains.
1290s - Sir Reginald le Cheyne, Lord of
Duffus, gained control of the Castle of Old
Wick through marriage.
1345 - the marriage of Mary Duffus to
Nicholas Sutherland saw the Castle of Old Wick
pass to the Sutherlands who became vast land
owners south and west of Caithness, as the
Earls of Sutherland.
1455 - Sir William Sinclair became the first
Earl of Caithness to control the area for
Kings.
The Sinclair's held land at Rosslyn 12 miles
south of Edinburgh from the 1200s, with Sir
William Sinclair having built Rosslyn
Chapel.
1470s - Castle Sinclair Girnigoe was built 4
miles northeast of Wick for William Sinclair,
2nd Earl of Caithness.
1497 - the Castle of Old Wick passed to Clan
Oliphant through marriage.
1500s - Ackergill Tower or Castle was built
for Clan Keith about 1 mile north of Castle
Sinclair, with many battles between the Keith's
and Sinclair's over the following
centuries.
1550 - King James V of Scotland began
encouraging Fishermen to fish for Herring.
1570 - the Old Parish Church dedicated to St
Fergus was built with a large Effigy of St
Fergus.
1500s late - Keiss Castle was built 8 miles
north of Wick for George Sinclair, 5th Earl of
Caithness.
1606 - the Sinclair's bought the Castle of
Old Wick from Clan Oliphant.
1612 - the Sinclair's gained control of
Ackergill Tower after a series of battles with
the Keith's, then by buying it.
1651 - Castle Sinclair was taken by the
forces of Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the
Three Kingdoms, then used as Cromwell's base in
the area for 9 years before being returned to
the Sinclair's.
1650s on - the Sinclair's built a number of
Castles around Thurso, 29 miles northwest of
Wick.
1660s - there were said to be Fishing
Stations at the mouth of Wick River, a time the
town would be growing around Fishing and
Farming.
1672 - Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy bought
Castle Sinclair from George Sinclair, 6th Earl
of Caithness, at a time Sinclair was heavily in
debt.
The 6th Earl was married to a Campbell and
had taken loans from them. The Campbell's were
from the Argyll area of Scotland.
1676 - Sir John Campbell gained control of
the Castle of Old Wick after the 6th Earl of
Caithness died, even married his widow, with
this setting off fueds between the Sinclair's
and Campbell's.
1676 - Sir John Campbell also took Ackergill
Tower from the Sinclair's as payment for debt,
with the Campbell's trying to take the Earl of
Caithness title at that time.
1679 - George Sinclair of Keiss, 7th Earl of
Caithness, dammaged Castle Sinclair by
stripping the roofs, then dammaged it more in
1690 with cannon so the Campbell's could not
use it.
1690 - Castle Sinclair
was abandoned, it is now a ruin.
1690s - the Castle of Old Wick was bought by
Clan Dunbar from John Campbell, they also built
Hempriggs
Mansion House 2 miles south of Wick in
1692.
This branch of Clan Dunbar was from the
Moray area, east of Inverness around Elgin and
Forres.
1699 - the Dubar's bought Ackergill Tower
from John Campbell.
1700s - the Castle of Old
Wick was abandoned by Clan Dunbar then fell
into ruin.
1710s - the Clearances began when the
Campbell Dukes of Argyle began clearing small
scale Farners from their land.
1745 - the failed Jacobite Rising led to an
increase in Clearing small scale Farmers in the
Highlands so as to reduce the population, so as
to reduce the risk of more Risings.
1755 - New Keiss
Castle / Mansion was built for Sir William
Sinclair, the 2nd Baronet of Dunbeath, next to
the Old Castle 8 miles north of Wick. This
Castle/Mansion has been sold a number of times
as a private home.
1792 - Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster, 6 miles
south of Wick, brought the first Sheep to his
Caithness estates. Locals removed from their
land to make way for the Sheep, referred to
them as four-footed Clansmen, this was the
start of Clearances in the far north of
Scotland, and a vast increase in Fishing.
Clan Gunn was
severly impacted by the Clearances, with many
emigrating to the Canada areas of Manitoba,
Ontario, and Nova Scotia.
1803 - Thomas Telford built the first
Harbour at Wick as the Fishing industry was
growing fast.
1807 - Elizabeth Duchess of Sutherland began
the Clearances of Farmers from her vast lands
next to Caithness to make way for large scale
Sheep Farming. Although one of the last to take
part in the Clearances, she is probably the
most famous as she was a woman, also said to be
one of the most ruthless. Farmers buildings
would have their roofs removed or burned to
prevent them returning.
1820 - Wick St Fergus Church was built next
to the Old Church, not much of the Old Church
remains.
1860s - Wick had become the largest Herring
Port in the World with over 1,100 Herring Boats
crammed into the Harbour, 3,500 Women Gutting
and Packing the Herring, 650 Men making
Barrels, and over 40 Pubs in Wick to keep them
all merry.
1826 - the Old Pulteney Whisky Distillery
was founded, producing Single Malt from 5 to 50
years old, £40 to £500 per bottle in
2026.
1828 - Wick Town Hall was built to designs
of Robert Reid in Neoclassical style, a time
the Town Centre was being built up with 3 and 4
story high buildings, many with shops on the
ground floor.
1848 August - 37 local fishermen died during
a storm at Wick. Over 100 boats and 100 men
were lost all along the coast between Wick and
Stonehaven.
1870 - Wick Golf Club was founded, oldest in
the Highlands.
1904 - Wick North Baths, Open Air Pool was
opened on the north side of the Harbour.
1920s - The Trinkie Open Air Pool was opened
about one mile southwest of Wick Harbour on the
Walk to the Castle of Old Wick.
1961 - Caithness Glass was
founded in Wick by Robin Sinclair.
1986 - the Dunbar's sold Ackergill Tower
so it could be converted to a Hotel, it may now
be used for Self Catering Holidays.
2017 - the Effigy of St Fergus was returned
to Wick St Fergus Church, the Effigy had been
moved around Wick over the years, being in
Gardens then in the Library, may even have been
in the Jail for a while.
2023 - the Seafarers Memorial was erected
overlooking Wick Harbour to commemorate deaths
from fishing boats in the Wick area.
2024 - Wick St Fergus Church closed in
December. Locals are hoping to use the building
for local events.
2026 - The Effigy of St Fergus is said to be
getting relocated to Wick Town Hall.
See Canisbay Kirk 28 miles north of Wick
for where the 19 Earls of Caithness are
buried.
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