Castletown

#5960 among destinations in the United Kingdom

Village

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Facts and practical information

Castletown is a village on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland, situated near Dunnet Bay. It is within the civil parish of Olrig, where it is the main settlement, and within the historic county of Caithness. The A836 links the village with Thurso and Tongue in the west and with John o' Groats in the east. The B876-A99 links the village with Wick in the southeast. Contrary to the common misconception, the name Castletown is a misnomer as there is no castle within the village limits. ()

Alternative names: Population: ~840 pplCoordinates: 58°35'35"N, 3°24'0"W

Location

ScotlandUnited Kingdom

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Day trips

Castletown – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Dunnet Head, Old St Peter's Church, Thurso Castle, Braal Castle.

5.5 miN
View point, Lighthouse, Vernacular architecture
Dunnet Head, Thurso
140 min walk • Dunnet Head Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse that stands on the 300-foot cliff top of Easter Head on Dunnet Head. The lighthouse is 66 feet tall and was built in 1831 by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. The lighthouse was automated in 1989, and the keepers were withdrawn.
4.1 miW
Historical place, Ruins, Church
Old St Peter's Church, Thurso
106 min walk • Old St Peter's Church is a ruined parish church on Wilson Lane, in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. Dedicated to Saint Peter, it dates to at least 1125, and at one time was the principal church for the county, administered by the Bishops of Caithness.
3.9 miW
Forts and castles
Thurso Castle, Thurso
100 min walk • Thurso Castle is a ruined 19th-century castle, located in Thurso, Caithness, in the Scottish Highlands. Situated in Thurso East, off Castletown Road, east of the River Thurso, the site can be seen from across the river.
5.8 miSW
Forts and castles
Braal Castle
149 min walk • Braal Castle is located by the River Thurso north of the village of Halkirk, in Caithness, northern Scotland. The ruined castle, which dates back to the mid-14th century, was originally known as the Castle of Brathwell.
2.8 miNE
Church, Distillery
Dunnet Church
72 min walk • Dunnet Parish Church is a Church of Scotland church in Dunnet, Caithness, northern Scotland. References to St Mary's Parish Church are known from as far back as the 13th century, and there are pre-16th century gravestones in the churchyard.
5 miW
Forts and castles
Scrabster Castle, Thurso
129 min walk • Scrabster Castle was a castle, near Burnside, about 0.5 miles north and west of Thurso, and 0.5 miles south of the village of Scrabster, Highland in Scotland, south of Thurso Bay. It is on an eroding promontory.
6.1 miSW
Church
Halkirk Auld Kirk, Halkirk
156 min walk • Halkirk Auld Kirk is a former parish church in Halkirk, Caithness, Scotland. Built in 1753, it stopped being used in 1934 and is now a ruin. Halkirk parish was formed at the time of the Reformation by the union of the Halkirk and Skinnet districts. The "Halkirk Village Old Parish Church And Burial Ground" is a category B listed building.
4 miW
Surfing
Thurso East, Thurso
102 min walk • Thurso East is a coastline section of the Atlantic 0.5 miles east of Thurso, Caithness, northern Scotland. It is situated at the mouth of the River Thurso, overlooked by the remains of Thurso Castle. The reef is made of layers of Caithness flagstone. It is Scotland's prime surfing venue on the north coast.
4.4 miW
Church
St Peter's and St Andrew's Church, Thurso
114 min walk • St Peter's and St Andrew's Church is located on Princes Street in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. The church was built to a design of William Burn in 1830–2, a simplified version of the Church of St John the Evangelist, Edinburgh, which is also attributed to Burn.
4.8 miW
Universities and schools
North Highland College, Scrabster
124 min walk • North Highland College provides further education and higher education in the north of Scotland through a network of learning centres and by distance learning. It is a constituent college of the University of the Highlands and Islands.