Thurso Bay

Thurso Bay, known also as Scrabster Bay, is a bay of

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

water between the points of Clairdon Head and

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. ...

on the north coast of

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 ...

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 bay receives fresh water from the River Thurso and the

Wolf Burn The Wolf Burn is a small stream, running from a suspect subterranean source behind the Ormlie housing estate in Thurso, Highland Region in the United Kingdom. Its issue is by Burnside, Caithness. A ribble of stones represents the Wolfburn d ...

. The river mouth is at the most southerly reach of the bay and at least two kilometres from the more northerly and more open waters of the Atlantic. The Atlantic here has

Orkney 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 ...

to the northeast and the

Pentland Firth The Pentland Firth ( gd, An Caol Arcach, meaning the Orcadian Strait) is a strait which separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland. Despite the name, it is not a firth. Etymology The name is presumed to be a corruption ...

and

Dunnet Bay Dunnet is a village in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is within the Parish of Dunnet. Village The village centres on the A836– B855 road junction. The A836 leads towards John o' Groats in the east and toward Thurso an ...

to the east. The points of Clairdon Head and Holborn Head are separated by four or five kilometres of water, which is also the bay's widest extent. Within the bay, about three kilometres west/northwest of the river mouth,

Scrabster Scrabster ( sco, Scraibster, gd, Sgrabastair/Sgrabstal) is a small settlement on Thurso Bay in Caithness on the north coast of Scotland. It is some from Thurso, from Wick, from Inverness and 271.7 miles (437.2 km) from Edinburgh. Scr ...

harbour has deep water in the shelter of Holborn Head and berths a ferry which links mainland Scotland with

Stromness Stromness (, non, Straumnes; nrn, Stromnes) is the second-most populous town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the southwestern part of Mainland Orkney. It is a burgh with a parish around the outside with the town of Stromness as its capital. E ...

. Holborn Head Lighthouse is about one kilometre south of the headland's point and close to Scrabster Harbour. The river mouth serves now as a small harbour and was a busy commercial port during the 19th century. Tidal water reaches inland about one kilometre beyond the river mouth and about twice the distance usually indicated on

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maps. Sandy beach and the

burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...

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 Gre ...

front the bay west of the river mouth. Wolf Burn enters the bay at Burnside, midway between the river mouth and Scrabster Harbour. Caithness Thurso Bays of Highland (council area) {{Highland-geo-stub