Ulbster is a scattered crofting hamlet on the eastern 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 ...
, within the parish 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 ...
, in the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
, within the
Highland Council area
Highland ( gd, A' Ghàidhealtachd, ; sco, Hieland) is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census. It share ...
. The town of Wick is located seven miles north of the village along the
A99 road. To the south of the village, two miles along the A99, lies the ancient port of
Whaligoe
Whaligoe is a small port which was prospected by Thomas Telford in 1786 during his tour of northern fishing harbours for the British Fishing Society. His judgement of the place was that it was a "terrible spot". However, undaunted, Captain Da ...
, where the famous 330 steps were cut into a cliff on the instruction of
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...
in 1786.
History
Owned for many years by a cadet branch of the Sinclair
Earls of Caithness
Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have ...
, the hamlet is most notable for the Sinclair Mausoleum, within the grounds of the mediaeval St Martin's Chapel.
Sir John, one of the Sinclairs of Ulbster, was a noted statistician who wrote the pioneering work ''
Statistical Accounts of Scotland
The ''Statistical Accounts of Scotland'' are a series of documentary publications, related in subject matter though published at different times, covering life in Scotland in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
The ''Old (or First) Statistical Ac ...
''.
Naming
The name Ulbster comes from the Old Norse ''ulfr bólstathr'' meaning 'wolf's dwelling', though there have been no wolves in the region for many years.
[Mills, A. D.; Room, Adrian (2002). ''The Oxford Names Companion''. Oxford: the University Press. p. 1227.]
Gallery
Whaligoe 01.jpg, The cliffs and harbour at Whaligoe.
Whaligoe 03.jpg, Descending the Whaligoe Steps.
File:Entrance to "Long Cairn" at Yarrows. - geograph.org.uk - 1502693.jpg, Entrance to "Long Cairn" at Yarrows slightly north of Ulbster.
File:Loch Waternan north end - geograph.org.uk - 545578.jpg, Loch Waternan north end, next to Ulbster.
File:Loch Watenan - geograph.org.uk - 416762.jpg, Loch Watenan is a freshwater loch, located in basin that may have been caused by ice erosion.
See also
*
Ulbster railway station
References
Populated places in Caithness
{{Highland-geo-stub