Whaligoe

Whaligoe, (whale geo or inlet of whales) is a small port was prospected by Thomas Telford in 1786 during his tour of the Northern Fishing Harbours for the British Fishing Society - his judgement of the place was that it was a "terrible spot"! However undaunted, Captain David Brodie expended the princely sum of £8 to cut the famous 330 steps; his confidence was rewarded in 1814 with the harbour supporting 14 herring boats.

Whaligoe steps

Just south of the town of Wick in Caithness on Scotland's most northeasterly coast lies a most spectacular creation. 'Whaligoe Steps' are a man made stairway with 365 steps—one for each day of the year—that descend to what was more than a hundred years ago a landing place for fishing boats. The steps date from the 19th century and were once used by fisherwomen to haul up the creels of herring landed at the harbour beneath. The fish comprising of Herring, Cod, Haddock or Ling would be gutted by crews of women, some in their late sixties to early seventies, and carried up the steps in baskets to be taken on foot to be sold in Wick, some 7 to 8 miles away. Barrels made in the cooperage at the top of the cliffs were taken down for salt Herring to be stored in then taken away by schooner. Though a popular attraction today, they are notoriously difficult to find as the steps are not signposted on the main road so you'll have to do your research beforehand for directions on how to locate them. (Here's a hint: they are located near the village of Ulbster just off the A99.) The journey to find them however is well worth the effort as at the bottom of the steps is a naturally formed harbour between set between two spectacular sea cliffs. Sea birds such as oyster catchers and terns nest in the cliffsides and circle on the wind down to the water. On a clear day, it would be the perfect spot for a picnic, and there is also a sea cave that is a treat to explore

Probably the strangest harbour in Caithness - built in a tiny, narrow creek at the foot of the cliff, it required a flight of flagstone steps - some 365 of them - to reach the bottom, from the fish curing station at the top.The steps are originally mid-18th century, repaired early 19th century and again very recently.The late Etta Juhle cleared about 30 tons of rubble by herself in 1975 after a landslip and David Nicolson of Whaligoe has worked continuously on the steps with local historian, Iain Sutherland [http://www.caithnessfhs.org.uk/webpages/photos/isutherland/iain_sutherland.htm] and many other volunteers since 1998, repairing the barking kettles, quarrying and manually carrying stone up or down the cliffs and grass-cutting about every three weeks during the summer season. They have also achieved the distinction of winning the Shell Best of Britain award twice, which is a rare distinction. In 1808, seven boats worked Whaligoe; by 1826 their number had risen to twenty four, but thereafter it declined rapidly.