Achairn Burn, known also as Haster Burn, is one of the major
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...
of
Wick River
Wick River, known also as River Wick, is a river in Caithness in Highland, Scotland. It has its source at the confluence of Scouthal Burn and Strath Burn near Achingale Mill at the northern end of Bardarclay Moss () in the Flow Country. The ...
, in
Caithness
Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland.
Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...
, in the
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
area of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. The
burn
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
's
source
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...
is in headwaters flowing from the northern slope of the
Hill of Toftgunn, which rises to over 170 metres, and in Camster Loch, which is at nearly 120 metres, between the Hill of Toftgunn and
Ballharn Hill. The same area feeds also another major tributary of Wick River, the
Camster/Rowans-
Strath Burn. Achairn Burn enters Wick River at
Mary Ford
Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers; July 7, 1924 – September 30, 1977) was an American vocalist and guitarist, comprising half of the husband-and-wife musical team Les Paul and Mary Ford. Between 1950 and 1954, the couple had 16 top-ten hi ...
, about 10 kilometres to the northeast of the burn's source. Its entire course is within Caithness, as is the whole of the
catchment basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...
of Wick River.
Between its source and Maryford the burn's course describes a sort of reversed S-shape, flowing generally north, then turning east and east/southeast before turning north again. On its banks the burn has
Upper Achairn,
Lower Achairn,
Puldagon, and
Haster
Haster is a small remote rural hamlet and district in Wick, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is located just west of the Bridge of Haster, which carries the A882 road linking the burghs of Wick and Thurso over the Achairn Burn to the main A ...
. Between Upper Achairn and Lower Achairn the burn receives water from Allt Beag-airighe (Burn of the Small Shieling). In the Puldagon area it is bridged by a small, single-track
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
linking the
A882 road A88 or A-88 may refer to:
* A88 road, a major road in Scotland, United Kingdom
* A88 autoroute, a major road in Western France
* Dutch Defence, in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
* Exterritorial highway A88 (Breslau — Wien), a never-complet ...
, near the
Bridge of Haster, with the
A99 road
The A99 road is entirely within the former county of Caithness in the Highland of Scotland. It runs generally north/northeast from the A9 at Latheron to Wick and to the A836 at John o' Groats. It was part of the A9 until the A9 classification ...
in the
Thrumster area. The Bridge of Haster carries the A882 itself, about 3 kilometres west of
Wick
Wick most often refers to:
* Capillary action ("wicking")
** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp
** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts
Wick or WICK may also refer to:
Places and placenames ...
and about one kilometre south of Maryford.
Grid references
Grid reference
A projected coordinate system, also known as a projected coordinate reference system, a planar coordinate system, or grid reference system, is a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on the Earth using cartesian coordin ...
s are generally in order from source to Maryford:
*
Hill of Toftgunn:
*
Ballharn Hill:
* Camster Loch:
*
Upper Achairn:
* Allt Beag-airighe:
*
Lower Achairn:
*
Puldagon:
*
Haster
Haster is a small remote rural hamlet and district in Wick, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is located just west of the Bridge of Haster, which carries the A882 road linking the burghs of Wick and Thurso over the Achairn Burn to the main A ...
:
*
Bridge of Haster:
*
Mary Ford
Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers; July 7, 1924 – September 30, 1977) was an American vocalist and guitarist, comprising half of the husband-and-wife musical team Les Paul and Mary Ford. Between 1950 and 1954, the couple had 16 top-ten hi ...
:
Rivers of Highland (council area)
{{Scotland-river-stub