The ideal introduction to Wick, this walk gives grand views over the working harbour before following the open coast to visit the dramatically situated Old Castle of Wick.
Summary
Clear paths or minor roads throughout; care is needed near the Castle as there are precipitous drops into the sea.
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1. Begin from the car park in the centre of Wick, beside the river and behind the Somerfield supermarket. Walk past the supermarket entrance and follow an alleyway up to the A99 road. Cross the road on the crossing and head left a few steps to where the High Street goes off to the right. Follow the High Street and at the far end turn right to cross the bridge over the river, and then turn left onto Martha Terrace to reach the busy, industrial harbour. Follow the road as it curves round two small docks.
2. When a road slopes up away from the harbour there is a choice of routes. You can continue past the warehouses and boats along the rest of the harbour before following the Quarry Path to climb up to the cliff top, but perhaps a better route is up the road sloping uphill (with a footpath sign for Trinkie Pool) to Pulteney Town, the old residential part of Wick. Up the hill, turn left by Pulteney Town post office onto Smith Road. The road has an open green space on its left side with a pavilion building and great views of Wick and its harbour.
3. At the far end of this space, go ahead at the staggered junction to reach the tall and prominent memorial. This commemorates James Bremner, the naval architect who built Wick Harbour. Continue along the cliff-top path with views down to the old Quarry with its detached boss of rock. The path curves right to join a minor road; turn left along this. The lower, Quarry path route from the harbour rejoins from the left beyond the large building. Continue on the minor road which curves round to the right.
4. There are good views out to sea and down onto the sloping rock formations and crashing waves. At one point an old army bunker is passed whilst several footpaths go off to the right. Continue ahead to the end of the public road, where there is a parking area. Continue over the stile beside the gate towards the castle ruins now seen ahead. Go through the gate at the far end of the field, next to the concrete seat beside the rifle range.
5. Once through the gate there is a superb view of the Castle, which is almost separated from the land by two very deep sea-cut trenches known as geos. Continue past the two old army buildings; beyond these, bear left walking above the vertical cliffs of the first geo between two fences. Bear left, ignoring the stile ahead that leads to a rough continuation along the coast. The Old Castle of Wick, which was built in the twelfth century by the Earl of Caithness, Harald Maddadson, making it one of the oldest in Scotland. Half-Scot and half Orcadian, Harald's castle enjoys a very strong defensive position and is accessed across a narrow strip of land. The square keep can be entered at the far side; joist holes in the walls and remains of fireplaces indicate the floors above. Return from the castle back along the path between the two fences.
6. Head west at the back of the deep geo, crossing a dyke on a footbridge to gain a lane with fences on both sides. This bears right at another of the strange concrete seats associated with the rifle range; when it reaches a junction continue straight ahead between the bushes to eventually reach the A99 opposite a shopping centre. Turn right here, passing alongside a large cemetery. The quickest route back is to keep following the A99 back into the centre of Wick and the bridge over the river; alternatively you could turn right onto a lane between two parts of the cemetery, then turning left to head through a residential area back to the harbour.
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