Venture North: Tourist Information for Caithness & Sutherland
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  • Plan your stay
    • Accommodation
      • Harrow Cottages
      • Melvich Hotel
      • Highland Glen Lodges
      • Ardgay Glamping Pods
      • Eddrachilles Hotel
      • Apartment 65B, Thurso
      • Munro House / Croft 148 3 Bed Caravan / Campervan Parking
      • Langhills House
      • Oldshoremore Retreats Self-Catering
      • Dornoch Castle
      • Ulbster Arms
      • Bannockburn Inn
      • Ferry View Campsite
      • The Sheiling B&B / NC 500
      • Newton Lodge
      • John O Groats Caravan and Camping Site
      • Ceol Mor Highland Lodges
      • Culgower House
      • Northern Sands Hotel
      • Forse of Nature
      • Inver Lodge
      • Tongue Hotel
      • Dunnet Head Lighthouse
      • The Hawthorns B&B
      • Castletown Hotel
      • Kylesku Hotel
      • Smoo Lodge
      • Mackays Hotel
      • The Norseman Hotel
      • Seaview Hotel
      • Royal Marine Hotel
      • Thurso Bay Caravan & Camping Park
      • Royal Golf Hotel
      • Thurso Bay Holidays
      • Caithness View Luxury Farm Lodges
      • Ben Loyal Hotel and Glamping Pods
      • Thrumster House
      • Invercassley Cottage Annex
      • Seaview Cottage
      • North Highland Holidays
      • The Halladale & North Coast Touring Park
      • Links House
      • Dunnet Bay Accommodation
      • Sharvedda
      • Lazybed Accommodation
      • Greenland House
    • Food & Drink
      • The Blue Door Coffee Shop Diner, Thurso Bay
      • No. 1 Bistro
      • Mr C's Bar
      • Crannag Bistro
      • The River Bothy
      • Bydand Licensed Restaurant
    • Activities & Experiences
      • Assynt Fly Fishing
      • Richard's Garage (Car Hire and Repairs)
      • Ulbster Alpaca Trekking
      • RobbieMac Tours & Ancestry Services
      • Royal Dornoch Golf Club
      • James Curley FlyFishing
      • Caithness Seacoast Ltd
      • North Coast Wet n' Wild
      • Above and Beyond Tours
      • Sutherland Adventure Company
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      • A Highland Blend
      • Go-Hi App - Travel Made Simple
      • John O'Groats Ferries
      • Connell Outdoor Pursuits
      • Vitality with Donna Booth
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      • Thrumster Station
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      • Dunbeath Heritage Trust
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      • Lyth Arts Centre
      • Wick Heritage Museum
      • Strathnaver Museum
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      • Camster Cairns
      • Yarrows Archeaological Trail
      • The Flow Country
      • Clan Gunn Heritage Centre
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      • Dunrobin Castle
      • Wick Harbour Authority
      • Handa Island
    • Local Shopping
      • Biron's Ironmongers
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      • The Lybster Studio
      • Northshore Pottery
      • Rock Rose Gin
      • Kelpies Treasure
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      • MUT Chandlery & Watersports
      • Marks and Pencils
      • Jail Dornoch
      • Hugo Ross, Fishing Tackle Specialists
      • Inspired by Caithness
      • Patricia Niemann Design
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      • Winston the Bear
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      • Space to Just be
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      • Wick Away-Day: History and Heritage
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  • What to do
    • Golf
    • Surfing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Beaches
    • Bird Watching
    • Cycling
    • Paddlesport
    • Flora
    • Hiking and Walking
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    • Wildlife
    • Fishing & Fieldsports
    • Aurora Borealis
    • Scuba Diving
    • Castles
  • Area guides
    • East Caithness
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Wildlife

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Wildlife

Caithness and Sutherland have a rich a varied wildlife, with the lack of intensive farming we find in other areas of our country we are a haven for otherwise rare breeds of birds, insects and mammals

Puffin Wendy SutherlandSeals - Ken CrossanOrcas - Ken CrossanPuss moth caterpiller - Catherine MacLeodGoshawk - Catherine MacLeod

One of the many reasons to visit Caithness and Sutherland is to see some of our incredible wildlife and birdlife! Depending on the time of year, and where you choose to visit, you may see some of the following:

Highland Cows

The gentle giant that everyone wants to see and snap a picture of. Don’t be alarmed by the large horns, as long as you keep a distance and don’t attempt to approach or distress the animal you will find that they are quite happy to show their best side to the camera.

Please do not enter a field to approach any Highlands Cows as they are farm animals.

You may see Highland Cows who are not enclosed in a field, indeed they may even be on the beach! In these circumstances, you should enjoy the experience but avoid approaching the cow as they are still farm animals.

Puffins

During April to early July is the best time to see puffins in Caithness and Sutherland as this is when they are present for the breeding season. We have many excellent sites at which to safely view puffinries without disturbing the nesting birds.

It must be stressed that these are wild birds and so should never be approached. If you suspect that a puffin may be in distress you can contact the RSPB and alert them to the matter.

Please do also take care when around puffin viewing sites as there are often large cliffs with sheer drops. Always keep an eye on your surroundings and take photos safely.

Osprey

These beautiful birds of prey arrive in Scotland in the spring of each year for the breeding season before leaving once again in the late summer/early autumn. Once considered extinct in the UK there have been remarkable efforts to reintroduce breeding pairs to their native habitats, including various sites in the North Highlands.

Due to the nature of their protected status nesting sites are often closely protected information, however, if you would like to learn more about osprey in Scotland you can visit the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Orca

Some of our incredible visitors to the North Coast every year, we often have sightings of orca pods along the Scottish coastline during the summer. Each pod has distinctive features and you can view the 2021 Scottish Killer Whale Photo Identification Catalogue online.

Seal pupping sites are popular feeding grounds for killer whales so our remote northern coastlines make the perfect place to witness nature’s beauty and ferocity.

Seals

There are two main breeds of seals you might encounter along the North Highlands coastline: grey seals and common harbour seals. Both are sensitive to the approach of humans so please try to avoid disturbing them, particularly when they are resting on the land at their haul-out sites.

The pupping season for grey seals in Scotland is normally around November and December each year, and for common harbour seals is normally around June and July. At this time there will be many young seal pups within the colonies and it is important that they, and their mothers, are not alarmed or startled, so please keep your distance.

Watersports users are asked to take particular care when kayaking, canoeing, swimming or stand up paddle boarding near seals as the silent nature of these sports may mean that hauled-out seals are startled if they don’t hear your approach.

Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises

Whales, dolphins and porpoises are common visitors along the Scottish coastline! If you are fortunate you may be treated to an energetic display and one of the best ways to see this is with an approved wildlife tour.

Each species has its own distinctive characteristics and times of year that they like to visit so check out the Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust for more information.

Deer

Deer are a common sight throughout Caithness and Sutherland. In the summer months they tend to stay higher up on the hills so you may have to keep your eyes peeled to spot them, but in the autumn and winter months they descend into the glens and are everywhere.

The deer rutting season takes place in autumn each year so you may hear challenging stags roaring in the glen as they clash with each other. Please take care not to get too close at this time as they are wild animals.

Deer stalking season runs from July to February each year so extra care should be taken when walking in the hills and you should follow all instructions along paths related to access during stalking.

In the winter it is common to meet deer on the roads so please take extra care when driving and be prepared to slow down.

  • View our Tour Operators & Other Services page to find local wildlife tour operators
  • View our Heritage Map to find nature reserves and sites of natural interest

Photos on this page by Ken Crossan, Wendy Sutherland.

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Posted by Venture North on January 30th 2020

In 2020, Scotland celebrates its Coasts and Waters with a year-long programme of events and activities which will shine a spotlight on these vital elements of our landscape. Caithness and Sutherland boasts a hugely varied coastline and a rich offeri…

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Thrumster Game and Countryside Fair

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13 August 2022
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Thrumster Mains, Manse Road
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