Today, we are docked at the most northern village in the United Kingdom, Scrabster. Scrabster provides access to Scotland’s rugged and spectacular Highlands. Although an important port for the Scottish fishing industry, the Scrabster area has a very small number of year round residents with just one Main Street. During WW II, the harbour was the base for a ferry operation meant to carry military explosives to Scapa Flow, the body of water between the Orkney Islands. Today it is a gateway to the Northern Highlands, one of the most regions in Europe. Just three kilometres down the road from Scrabster is the charming little town of Thurso. Thurso, is nicknamed, the Energy Town, due to its association with the nearby power plant. These days, it is home to an emerging market for renewable energy. Thurso, has a very walkable downtown area with shops, restaurants, cafes and even a small beach.
We joined a HAL sponsored walking tour today to Dunnet Head. This medium challenging hike takes you about a kilometre and a half to the most northern part of mainland Britain. There were 32 of us starting out on this tour directly from the ship. Yes, one could easily do this on their own, just cross the street and take the sloping road to your right. Doing it on your own does mean you miss out on guides, Donald and Denny sharing their stories are making several stops along the way to bring to life this area we are walking in. We felt this value from our guides was worth the cost associated with this HAL excursion, not a huge cost by the way. All in, it was 4 kilometres from the ship to the farthest point on the hike and then back to the ship. This got us back in plenty of time to take the provided shuttle into Thurso for a little walk about.
Another great dinner tonight as we are now headed back to Iceland on this continued journey of the Vikings.
Two parts today, internet pending, hope you enjoy our pics of our wonderful day here in the most northern part of Scotland.
Quote of the day - “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live.” - Hans Christian Andersen
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