Things to See & Do
Events
Depending on when you visit, you may get the chance to go to one of the events in the summer.
Harbour Day launches summer in June with events and stalls down at the harbour, raising funds for the Wick RNLI.
The Latheron Show in July features prize livestock and vintage tractors with events in the showground the whole family can enjoy.
Caithness County Show in July lasts two days; every other year it is held in Wick. It has a horseshow, demonstrations, livestock, trade stands and even a fun fair.
Wick Gala is a week long festival in July, starting with a parade and ending with fireworks.
The Thrumster Game Fair in August features livestock, demonstrations and local vendors.
Taste North in November kicks off the Christmas season, and is perfect for buying Christmas presents, or stocking up on local food and drink.
The Monthly Craft Market is perfect for gifts and souvenirs by our talented local makers and artists.
This sporting life
Wick Golf Club – Reiss
Visitors to Wick consider this a hidden gem of a course, with stunning views of the castles and lighthouses of Sinclair’s Bay. The club house provides great hospitality to visitors, and you will be made very welcome.
Wick Golf Club was founded in 1870, and laid out in its present location in Reiss links three years later. The course is a traditional 9 out 9 in layout, designed by John Sutherland. It has some challenging holes for all abilities.
Wick Academy Football Club – Harmsworth Park
Did you know Wick Academy is the most northerly professional football team in the UK? It’s a cheap and cheerful afternoon out, and the pies in the pie hut are delicious! The tea hut ladies and the guys on the gate are friendly and very welcoming. The slope on the pitch is a talking point – you’ve probably never seen anything quite like it and it’s quite famous for it. Harmsworth Park is a very friendly family-oriented place, and visitors are made very welcome here. Match dates are posted on the sign at the ground, opposite the retail park on South Road.
Heritage swimming baths
We have two, much-loved heritage sea-water pools in Wick, the North Baths and the Trinkie. These are safer for swimming than beaches, coves and harbours. But they can be very slippy, and may be dangerous in bad weather. And you are definitely swimming in the cold, cold waters of the North Sea!
Wild swimming sounds very romantic – but be careful, some people drown in the sea and inland every year, even at organised events. So always follow the advice of the RNLI.
ALWAYS
- Swim in company, never swim alone, and ideally have a spotter on shore
- Wear bright colours or attach a bright float
- Check the tide times – it’s best to swim on a rising tide
- Check the weather – especially the wind which makes the seas rough
- Get out early – you’ll get colder and colder even after you are out
- Change into dry things immediately
- In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
NEVER
- Swim alone, on a falling tide, or in bad weather
If you choose to swim here, you do so at your own risk.
The Trinkie – ///ghost.shrimps.solving
The North Baths – ///flood.careful.overheard
Things to do when it’s dreich outside
We’re the first to admit that some days you want to do your exploring indoors! Fortunately, there is plenty to see and do in the area. Do check for seasonal openings.
- Wick Museum and Heritage Centre – we are really proud of our volunteer-run local museum, which is home to the Johnson Collection of Victorian photographs, and which features the Herring Industry, so important to the town.
- Old Pulteney Distillery – Wick – the Maritime Malt was first distilled here in 1826, and has been an important part of the town ever since, surviving Wick’s temperance years from 1922 to 1947. Adults only, but if you do a tour, they will give you a driver’s dram to take away.
- Swimming, Pool, Sauna, Library – Wick – The pool and fitness suite in the East Caithness Community Centre is a great resource for longer-stay visitors.
- Waterlines Visitor Centre – Lybster – a busy visitors centre which focuses on the Herring fishing, with a welcoming child- and dog-friendly café.
- The Broch Centre – Nybster, just north of Keiss – it’s far too easy to drive past this little visitor centre, which is full of information about the mysterious iron age towers which were built all over Caithness 2000 years ago.
- Lyth Arts Centre – Lyth – a lively venue for live theatre, gigs, and traditional music.
- Halkirk Motor Museum – a little-known gem of a museum, and total nostalgia-fest for anyone who likes cars, remembers cars, had a dad or a granddad with a car.
Points of interest
- Ebenezer Place – officially the shortest street in the world!
- Seafarers Memorial – the recently erected memorial to all seafarers, high on the hill overlooking Wick Harbour.
- Whaligoe Steps – the remarkable steps down – and up – from tiny Whaligoe Harbour – a reminder of how hard the Herring fishing was, and a tribute to the strong women who carried baskets of fish up the steps to take to Wick.
- Sinclair Girnigoe Castle – a spectacular, ruined clifftop castle overlooking Sinclair’s Bay
See also the sections Explore the Town, and Explore the Coast
Parks and gardens
Sometimes your kids just want to let off steam! Wherever you are staying, there is somewhere nearby where they can enjoy the outdoors.
- Bignold Park Play Area – Wick
- Grizzly Park Play Area – Wick
- Hillhead Play Area – Wick
- King George V Park Play Area – Wick
- Papigoe Play Area – Wick
- Riverside Play Area – Wick
- Rosebank Play Area – Wick
- Staxigoe Play Park – Wick
- Wellington Avenue Playground and Skateboarding – Wick
- Playparks in Ackergill, Keiss, Lybster, Reiss, Thrumster, Watten
Wick Memorial Gardens – not a play park, but a quiet garden memorial to the first civilian casualties of the Second World War, killed here in Wick.
