Caithness Seascapes and Royalty Itinerary

Wick Away-Days

It’s true – you really can get a taste of what Wick and Caithness have to offer in a day:

9:30am – Fly Aberdeen to Wick John O’Groats Airport
10:10am – Arrival at Wick John O’Groats Airport
AM – A full morning of exciting activities! What will you choose?
Lunch – A tasty treat or a full-blown banquet spread, the choice is yours.
PM – A full afternoon of adventure or relaxation, or both!
5:50pm – Fly Wick John O’Groats Airport to Aberdeen
6:30pm – Arrive at Aberdeen Airport – time now to go enjoy dinner and your evening out!

Your day

Instead of picking up a hire car, this time let the locals take the strain. They’ll allow you to tap into their vast insight and knowledge on the way.

Above and Beyond Tours will collect you from the airport and whisk you north in comfort to the most north-easterly point on mainland Scotland, Duncansby Head. The Stevenson-designed lighthouse, nearly 100 years old, still warns ships of the treacherous rocks of the nearby Pentland Skerries.

From the lighthouse it’s a short but dramatic clifftop walk to the Duncansby Stacks, passing Thirtle Door on the way. Bring your binoculars, this is a great site for spotting local wildlife, such as puffins in spring, and passing Orca.

You can’t come to this part of the world without having your photograph taken at the famous finger-post sign at John O’Groats. Erroneously thought by many to be the most northerly point on the British mainland, that credit actually goes to nearby Dunnet Head, but John O’Groats is the country’s most northerly mainland village.

Explore the on-site craft village, pop into the (tiny!) John O’Groats Brewery and enjoy lunch at the Seaview Hotel or a local café, because this afternoon you have an appointment with royalty.

Castle of Mey is next on your itinerary with Above and Beyond Tours. They’ll drive you past Gill’s Bay, where you’ll catch a glimpse of Caithness’s only island, the now uninhabited Stroma, to the beloved Highland residence of Elizabeth, Queen Mother. Now home at certain times of the year to Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the castle and extensive, beautiful, grounds are open to the public in summer months. There’s a tremendous café here if you’ve time and appetite for tea and scones.

Enjoy the afternoon seeing how the other half live, before being driven the few miles back to the airport in time for your 5.50pm return flight to Aberdeen.

And all in a single day. What will you do next time you visit?