Tuši's blog: 16520

Scotland: Day 7 - Càrn Liath, The Wolf Stone, Kildonan Gold Rush, Badbea, Forse Castle, Lybster Harbour, Grey Cairns of Camster, Hill o' Many Stanes, Whaligoe steps, Ebenezer Place, Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, Duncansby Head, John o' Groat's and Dunnet Head

The Scottish Highlands are one of the most breathtaking regions in Scotland, known for their rugged mountains, deep lochs, and dramatic coastlines. This historic area is rich in culture, with ancient castles, traditional Highland villages, and a strong Gaelic heritage and today we saw many of those things.

Our journey took us across some of the Highlands' most fascinating historic and scenic spots, each with its own story to tell. From ancient burial cairns and mysterious standing stones to windswept castle ruins and dramatic cliffside harbours, the day was filled with a mix of history, legend, and stunning natural beauty. Every stop offered a glimpse into the lives of those who once called these remote places home, and the ever-changing Highland landscape made the experience even more unforgettable.

Previous days of our trip to Scotland: Day 6 - 16519, Day 5 - 16518, Day 4 - 16517, Day 3 - 16516, Day 2 - 16515, Day 1 - 16514.

Càrn Liath (English: Grey Cairn) is an Iron Age broch on the eastern shore of the Scottish Highlands, near Golspie, Sutherland.

The broch wall is particularly thick. The entrance passage is on the east side and is over 4 metres long. The entrance has elaborate door checks and a bar-hole to control access to the interior.

The broch has an external diameter of around 19 metres and an internal diameter of around 10 metres.

The broch was first excavated in the 19th century by the Duke of Sutherland, and was initially thought to be a burial cairn.

The site was excavated again in 1986. This showed that the site was occupied in the Bronze Age, before the broch was built. A Bronze Age cist burial with a food vessel was discovered.

Bronco The Explorer and Tuši.

Nestled along the Highland roads north of Brora stands the Wolf Stone, a modest granite marker commemorating where, according to legend, the last wolf in Sutherland fell circa 1700. Rewilding wolves has been a growing debate in recent years.

Cockpit.

The River Helmsdale winds its way through the Strath of Kildonan.

Strath of Kildonan is closely tied to sheep farming.

The River Helmsdale is one of Scotland's most famous salmon fishing rivers.

Our ride, Karla (Toyota Corolla) was doing a great job.

Meri meets family.

Sheep grazing among the heather is a common sight in the Highlands. Heather ale has been made in Scotland for thousands of years - archaeologists have even found traces of an alcoholic drink made from heather on pottery shards dating back more than 3000 years.

It's difficult to imagine today, but in 1869 parts of Strath Kildonan were home to Scotland's very own gold rush. The story starts in 1818 when a nugget of gold large enough to produce a ring was found in the Helmsdale River. The ring remains in the family of the Duke of Sutherland. Fifty years later, in 1868, Robert Gilchrist, a local man who had worked in the Australian goldfields, was given permission by the Duke of Sutherland to prospect for gold in the River Helmsdale and its tributaries. Gilchrist found significant quantities of gold in two tributaries of the Helmsdale River, the Kildonan Burn and the Suisgill Burn. Word reached the newspapers and by Spring 1869 some 600 prospectors had found their way to Strath Kildonan. Two temporary settlements were established. One was a hutted shanty town on the edge of the Kildonan Burn at Baile an Or: Gaelic for Town of Gold. The other was Carn na Buth, or Hill of the Tents on the edge of the Suisgill Burn. Numbers diminished to a hard core of some 200 prospectors after the Duke of Sutherland started charging £1 per month for prospecting licenses, plus a royalty of 10% on all (declared) gold found. But the falling price of gold, partly because of the success of the Strath Kildonan prospectors, plus diminishing levels of finds in the best areas and the alternative employment offered by the onset of the herring season in August, led numbers to fall to nearer 50 by Autumn. The real problems arose, however, because of conflict between the interests of the prospectors, who wanted permission to extend the area being exploited, and those engaged in shooting, fishing or grazing sheep in Strath Kildonan. When the Duke of Sutherland found he was losing more potential income from these other users of his land than he was gaining from the prospectors he announced that all exploration for gold would cease with effect from 1 January 1870. The Strath Kildonan gold rush was at an end. Source: Click.

And Meri was happy.

As of the latest estimates (around 2023–2024), Scotland has roughly 6 to 7 million sheep.

The River Helmsdale flows through varied geology, including ancient metamorphic rocks of the Moine Supergroup, shaping the rugged landscapes of Strath Kildonan and surrounding hills.

The River Helmsdale runs approximately 32 km from Loch Badanloch through the Strath of Kildonan down to the North Sea at the village of Helmsdale.

Like many Highland rivers, the Helmsdale's course has shifted over time due to natural processes such as flooding and erosion, shaping the landscape and affecting local settlements and agriculture. Despite these changes, the river’s pure waters - along with those from its surrounding burns - remain a vital resource, contributing to the high-quality spring water used by nearby whisky distilleries, subtly influencing the unique flavor profiles of the region’s renowned spirits.

We continued to Badbea, a former clearance village perched on the steep slopes above the cliff tops of Berriedale on the east coast of Caithness.

One for the passport. Maybe two.

Nada and Tuši.

Situated around 8 km north of Helmsdale, the village was settled in the 18th and 19th centuries by families evicted from their homes when the straths of Langwell, Ousdale and Berriedale were cleared for the establishment of sheep farms. The last resident left the village in 1911 and a monument was erected by the son of former inhabitant.

When the families arrived they were given small plots to farm, but had to clear the land, hack out the plots from the steep slopes, and build their own houses from the stones they found. In 1814 the estate was sold to James Home, by which time there were 80 inhabitants.

The last inhabitant left the village in 1911, and in that year David Sutherland, the son of the New Zealand emigrant, Alexander Robert Sutherland, erected a monument, built from the stones of John Sutherland's home, in memory of his father and the people of Badbea.

The village sat on a steep, windswept cliff high above the North Sea. The wind was so strong that villagers often tethered their children and animals to prevent them from being blown over the cliffs.

We moved towards North, keeping the road that runs along the North Sea.

Another short walk took us to ruins of Forse Castle.

View to the inland.

The castle stands on a peninsula about 50 metres above sea level. It is surrounded on all sides by steep rocks and is cut off from the mainland by a natural ditch at the neck of the peninsula

Her highness Nada just woke up.

Time to fly away to another spot. Well, we drove.

Lybster Harbour was one of Scotland’s busiest fishing ports. Why not stop here for lunch.

By 1859, Lybster Harbour was Scotland's third-busiest fishing port, but then the herring industry declined by the early 20th century and now it is primarily used for lobster, crab, and recreational fishing.

Lunch time.

One last peek to the harbor and then we headed towards new adventures.

After a few kilometers we found The Grey Cairns of Camster.

Tucked away on the wind‑whipped peat moorlands of the Caithness Flow Country, these haunting monuments are among the oldest stone structures in Scotland, dating back to around 3000–3500 BC.

They consist of two structures standing 180 m apart, known as Camster Round and Camster Long, seen on the photo. The Camster Long Cairn is a dramatic, elongated monument stretching nearly 60 metres and rising up to 4.6 metres, with distinctive "horns" or forecourts at each end - the northern one even featuring stepped platforms in a strikingly formal layout. Archaeologists believe this cairn originally consisted of two separate round cairns that were later joined together into a single long structure, though the exact reason for this transformation remains a mystery. Inside, the cairn houses two burial chambers connected by narrow stone passages, while modern restorations have added discreet fiberglass domes with skylights, allowing daylight to filter into these ancient interiors.

The Round Cairn in the back is a near‑perfect circle, measuring about 18 metres across and standing 3.7 metres tall. A low, narrow passage leads to a three‑chambered burial space, carefully crafted from upright slabs and corbelled stonework. Excavations revealed burnt human remains, pottery shards, and flint tools — traces of ritual practices and a community deeply connected to their dead. Stepping inside today, you’re enveloped by a stillness that feels almost sacred.

Exploring the cairns, that were excavated in 1865.

Our visit to the cairns ended with the visit of the third structure.

Our next stop, The Hill o' Many Stanes, that has about 200 upright stones, none more than a metre high, set out in rows running approximately north and south with the incline.

The rows are not parallel, however, and they create a fan-shaped pattern. This arrangement is believed to be a relic of Bronze Age times.

After the walk around the monument we were ready for another highlight of Scotland.

Bronco, be careful and don't escape.

Moving on to the next stop, Whaligoe steps.

The Whaligoe Steps is a man-made stairway of 365 steps that descend to what was a naturally formed harbour between two sea cliffs - once a landing place for fishing boats.

They date originally from the mid-18th century and were once used by fisherwomen to haul up the creels of herring landed at the harbour beneath.

Today, the Whaligoe Steps are a popular tourist spot for walkers and photographers due to their dramatic views of the North Sea and rugged Scottish cliffs.

Nearby waterfall without a name.

Nearby cliffs above the bay.

1 step for 1 day in a year.

Endless clifs.

We visited the Ebenezer Place, in Wick, Caithness, that is credited by the Guinness Book of Records as being the world's shortest street at 2.06 m. The street has only one address: the entrance to No. 1 Bistro, which is part of Mackays Hotel. The street was officially recorded in town records in 1887.

We drove further North to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe.

This coastal fortress comprises the ruins of two distinct castles: the 15th-century Castle Girnigoe and the early 17th-century Castle Sinclair.

One more selfie before we start exploring the ruins.

Castle Girnigoe was build around 1470 by William Sinclair, the 2nd Earl of Caithness, Castle Girnigoe was a formidable stronghold constructed atop a narrow rocky peninsula. Its strategic location provided natural defenses, with steep cliffs on three sides and a deep sea inlet on the fourth. The castle featured a five-story L-plan tower house, designed to be impregnable by traditional siege methods.

In 1606, George Sinclair, the 5th Earl of Caithness, initiated the construction of Castle Sinclair, adding Renaissance-style buildings and fortifications to the existing Girnigoe structure. This expansion included a gatehouse, curtain walls, and additional buildings such as a chapel and hall, transforming the site into a more elaborate fortress.

Our car still had coordinates set to North.

Locals along the way to Duncansby Head. Duncansby Head, located on the northeastern tip of mainland Scotland near John O'Groats, is renowned for its dramatic coastal scenery and rich wildlife.

The Stacks of Duncansby are some of the finest in the British Isles. The Great Stack towers at 60m high.

Tourists at work.

In 1953, the UK's Atomic Weapons Establishment considered detonating a nuclear device on the Duncansby Stacks. The plan was abandoned due to the area's wet weather, which threatened the test's electronics.

Smelling our way back.

The coastal scenery at Duncansby Head is shaped by continuous marine erosion and weathering, forming striking features such as deep geos, sea caves, and blowholes.

Bronco was a little nervous because of the tourists, dogs sand sheep.

Well deserved beer in a pub in John o' Groats.

The settlement takes its name from Jan de Groot, a 15th-century Dutchman who once plied a ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, which had recently been acquired from Norway by King James IV. Local legend has that the "o' Groats" refers to John's charge of one groat for use of his ferry, but it actually derives from the Dutch de groot, meaning "the large". People from John o' Groats are known as "Groaters".

Finishing our day. We set our tent at Dunnet Head. A little bit of rain and wind was still OK for us.

View from our tent to the South. At this point we were almost at 60° N, 58°39.417′ N to be exact or better said 1810 km from home (using Vincenty formula).