The North Highland Way (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: A Tuath na Gàidhealtachd dòigh) is a proposed hiking, cycling and horse riding trail in

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 ...

. Currently without official signage, it is navigable by GPS, linking

Duncansby Head Duncansby Head ( gd, Ceann Dhunngain or Dùn Gasbaith) is the most northeasterly part of both the Scottish and British mainlands, slightly northeast of John o' Groats. It lies approximately 20 km (12 mi) east-southeast of Dunnet Hea ...

on the North East coast to

Cape Wrath Cape Wrath ( gd, Am Parbh, known as ' in Lewis) is a cape in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It is the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain. The cape is separated from the rest of the mai ...

in the North West of Scotland's coast. The North Highland Way connects the

Cape Wrath Trail Cape Wrath Trail is a hiking route that runs through the Scottish Highlands and along the west coast of Scotland. It is approximately 200 miles (321 km) in length and is considered to be one of the most challenging long distance walks in the ...

(which opened in January, 2013) in the west with the

Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotl ...

trail in the east. The

North Coast 500 The North Coast 500 is a scenic route around the north coast of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle. The route is also known as the NC500 and was launched in 2015, linking many features in the north Highlands of Scotland in one t ...

is a driving route, which follows a similar line to the North Highland Way.

Route description

The route of the North Highland Way varies in length due to the various options when it comes to walking this particular route. The terrain of the North Highland Way varies hugely, crossing beaches, forests, road and rough paths as well as some remote areas. ''The Herald'' reported in June 2020 that "Determined walkers can tackle a route from Duncansby Head to Cape Wrath, but it involves trekking across grassy paths, sheep trails, shoreland and road, and using GPS directions". A more structured trail with defined paths and its own signposts, featuring links to local accommodation and services, was first suggested by local group the Caithness Waybaggers in 1992, but has not been successful in securing funding. The start of the North Highland Way is located in

, the most north-easterly part of Scotland's mainland, looking out to the

Orkney Isles Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

. From Duncansby Head, the route continues west, along Scotland's North coast. This first section of the route passes through the town of John o' Groats and the

Castle of Mey The Castle of Mey (also known for a time as Barrogill Castle) is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, about west of John o' Groats. In fine weather there are views from the castle north to the Orkney Islands. History The lands ...

. The early stages of the North Highland Way also provide the opportunity to visit

Dunnet Head Dunnet Head ( gd, Ceann Dùnaid) is a peninsula in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland. Dunnet Head includes the most northerly point of both mainland Scotland and the island of Great Britain. Geography The point, also known as Easter ...

, the most northerly point of the British mainland. Further stages of the route follow Scotland's North Coast, passing through the towns of Strathy, Bettyhill and Tongue. There is a further route over the A'Mhoine.

Features

* John o' Groats *

Dunnet Dunnet is a village in Caithness, in the Highland (council area), Highland area of Scotland. It is within the Parish of Dunnet. Village The village centres on the A836 road, A836–B855 road junction. The A836 leads towards John o' Groats ...

Murkle Murkle (Murchill) is a small scattered hamlet, made up of ''East Murkle'' and ''West Murkle'' located east of Thurso, in Caithness, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. Name The name ''Murkle'' derives from the n ...

Thurso Thurso (pronounced ; sco, Thursa, gd, Inbhir Theòrsa ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great ...

Reay Reay ( gd, Ràth) is a village which has grown around Sandside Bay on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. It is within the historic Parish of Reay and the historic county of Caithness. The village is on the A836 road some ...

House of Tongue
*

Cape Wrath Lighthouse Cape Wrath Lighthouse at Cape Wrath was built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson and was manned until 1998, when it was converted to automatic operation by the Northern Lighthouse Board. The proposed route would have started at

Dunbeath Dunbeath ( gd, Dùn Bheithe) is a village in south-east Caithness, Scotland on the A9 road. It sits astride the Dunbeath Water just before it enters the sea at Dunbeath Bay. Dunbeath has a very rich archaeological landscape, the site of numero ...

harbour and run via

Altnabreac Altnabreac ( , ) is a tiny settlement within the county of Caithness, in the north of Scotland, and now within the Highland council area. The name Altnabreac is from the Scots Gaelic ''Allt nam Breac'', meaning "the stream of the trout". It is ...

railway station,

Westerdale Westerdale is a village, civil parish and dale within the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. The Esk Valley Walk runs through part of the village. The village is at the confluence of three streams (Esklets) which combine as th ...

Halkirk Halkirk ( gd, Hàcraig) is a village on the River Thurso in Caithness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. From Halkirk the B874 road runs towards Thurso in the north and towards Georgemas in the east. The village is within the parish o ...

and

to John o' Groats. However, the project met with concerns from farmers and land owners on the route, problems with accommodation and with paths, and suffered from a lack of support. The idea was revived in 2010 with a proposal for a new route from John o' Groats to

via

Holborn Head Holborn Head is a headland on the north-facing Atlantic coast of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. The ''point'' of Holborn Head is at (grid reference ). It has a lighthouse at its south end and the remains of an old fort at its tip. ...

, Strathy Point and

Skerray Skerray ( gd, Sgeirea) is a remote small crofting hamlet and fishing port on the north coast of Sutherland, Scotland. It is located by road northeast of Tongue, Highland, Tongue and by road west of Thurso. Skerray is home to a community of art ...

. The area of the proposed route is one of the few areas of the Highlands to lack a branded distance walking path. An approach was made to the

Highland Council The Highland Council (' ), the political body covering the Highland local authority created in 1995, comprises 21 wards, each electing three or four councillors by the single transferable vote system, which creates a form of proportional represe ...

and other public bodies seeking their support, and a survey of public opinion was conducted. Tina Irving, secretary of the Dunnet Head Educational Trust and described by '' The Herald'' as "one of the driving forces behind the campaign", was quoted as saying "This is probably not the best time to be looking for public money, so I know we are not going to get the built paths like the West Highland Way or the Great Glen Way. But joining up the core path network that Highland Council had to develop for access under the land reform legislation would be feasible". The project also received support from

John Thurso John Archibald Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso (born 10 September 1953), known also as John Thurso, is a Scottish businessman, Liberal Democrat politician and hereditary peer who is notable for having served in the House of Lords both before and a ...

, then the MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. However,

Highlands and Islands Enterprise Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE; gd, Iomairt na Gàidhealtachd 's nan Eilean) is the development agency for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. Its role is to "hel ...

, who the Dunnet Head Educational Trust had had discussions with, stated in 2010 that the project did not fit its remit for funding. In October 2013, Irving told ''The Press and Journal'' that she thought Highland Council was using "delaying tactics" to avoid providing £14,500 to further develop and market the route, because it did not want to spend money in Caithness. It was reported that Irving had 32 businesses signed up to support the project, and had produced marketing materials to the cost of £4,500. Irving claimed that she had received three different answers about how to go about requesting funds from the council in three months, but a spokesperson for the council told the newspaper that while it was willing to support the project, it had received no formal grant application and that it could not retrospectively fund the promotional materials Irving had already paid for. In October 2014, Irving told ''The Herald'' that a route had been identified on the website, Walking World, but that work was required on conducting a feasibility study, consultation with landowners, a business plan and market studies. The feasibility study and business plan have now been completed but are not in the public domain. A Friends of the North Highland Way group has been formed to raise money from people using the route, for investment in promotional activities. A Highland Council spokesperson told ''The Herald'' that the council had been approached for support in late 2013 by Brough Bay Ltd, "as they were unable to continue undertaking the level of work that would be required if this was purely on a voluntary basis". The lack of economic and business sense is astounding. Of course the company was not going to do it free of charge. The spokesperson reported that: "Although unable to assist in terms of providing direct funding to an individual company, the council did recognise that the idea had great potential for the area so agreed to explore other options". According to the council, attempts to bring local community representatives together had been unsuccessful and "there had been indications that most were not willing to be part of a group to lead the project at this time". Highlands and Islands Enterprise was reported as stating that "We have held informal discussions regarding the North Highland Way but have not received any formal application for assistance". By 2020, plans for the route appeared to have stalled. Irving said the requirements from regulatory bodies for costly feasibility studies and a business plan have hampered efforts.

Trail Connections

The North Highland Way is intended to connect two other long-distance routes. The John o Groats Trail and the Cape Wrath Trail are marked, the North Highland Way, except for the Core Path routes, are not marked. *

John o' Groats Trail {{Use British English, date=December 2017 The John o' Groats Trail is a Scottish long-distance walking route from Inverness to John o' Groats, traversing back lanes, footpaths, shorelines and cliff tops of the Scottish Highlands. The trail gives ac ...

at John o' Groats and Duncansby Head *

at Cape Wrath

References

External links

The North Highland Way website
Long-distance footpaths in Scotland Footpaths in Highland (council area)

Route description

Features

Trail Connections

References

Further reading

External links