Getting Here

Caithness and Sutherland may be at the very top of the Scottish mainland but getting here has never been easier. Whether you plan to travel by rail, car, bus, ferry or flight, we will be waiting to welcome you to the Highlands when you arrive.

Flights to Caithness & Sutherland

Wick John O’Groats Airport is situated on the outskirts of Wick, has regular Eastern Airways and Flybe flights to the hub airports of Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Domestic and international flights to the UK are also available at Inverness Airport.

Wick John O’Groats Airport now has a Europcar vehicle hire station.

Use the SkyScanner widget below to find flight dates, times and prices:

Rail

The Scotrail train network from Inverness serves Wick and Thurso with passenger rail travel and a freight service primed for significant growth.

Visit Scotland have an excellent Inverness to Thurso & Wick by Train itinerary with suggestions on where to stop, what to see and how to make the most of your trip.

Image: Scotrail train passes by with farmland behind and a stretch of water in the foreground.

View the timetable for the Far North Line from May 2021.

Road

The A9 trunk road connects Caithness with the central belt of Scotland. As well as the wider area, the road serves as a route to EMEC and terminates at Scrabster, the ferry terminal for travel to Orkney.

As you travel around Caithness and Sutherland you will encounter many different types of road with one of the most spoken about being our infamous single track roads. Police Scotland have some excellent advice for those looking to travel on the roads this summer and particularly for those looking to explore on single track routes.

By Sea

Caithness is well connected by ferry to Orkney and Shetland. There are two ferry routes with scheduled sailings throughout the year for both passengers and freight traffic.

Northlink Ferries from Scrabster to Stromness in Orkney with at least three sailings a day all year round.

Pentland Ferries operate the purpose-built catamaran car ferry, Pentalina ferry from Gills, Caithness to St Margaret’s Hope in Orkney at least three times a day.

A summer only passenger ferry service is operated by John O’Groat’s Ferries from John O’Groats to Burwick, Orkney with onward bus connections to Kirkwall

Public Transport Finder

Use the below widget to plan your route to Caithness and Sutherland using public transport links:

Use Trainline to help plan your train journey to Caithness and Sutherland.

Photos on this page by Fiona Jack.