lauderman

I will be travelling to Scotland in April '15 and have an interest in neolithic history. Whilst on a cruise in 2011 I took an excursion on the Orkney Islands but spoke to a local lady who said there were actually an extraordinary number of rarely visited sites in the northern part of the Scottish mainland, many more than Orkney, which would seem to be Sutherland and Caithness?

I would be very grateful for any advice the Scotland experts can give on this area as many sources give it very little space. I expect to have three weeks from arriving in Glasgow to flying out again and will probably be travelling alone however, my two daughters (18 year old twins) saw Thurso on one of the maps I was studying and have suddenly become very interested in joining me as it has something of a reputation amongst the surfing fraternity.

Will I have any problems finding accommodation for three and what will I find in the way of amenities. I'm hoping to hire a vehicle locally, will that be possible? And what are the roads like in that area?

Gardyloo

Here's a wee TR I did last year covering a very high-speed swing around parts of the north. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-scotland.cfm IMO Dun Dornadilla (Dun Dornaigil) is amazing, as much for its setting and remoteness as its (excellent) intrinsic value.

Not in Sutherland or Caithness, but if you're using Glasgow as your entry/exit point, it would be relatively convenient for you to visit Kilmartin over in Argyll. Kilmartin Glen (and the churchyard for that matter) is a superb place for Iron Age (or earlier) bits and pieces - standing stones, cairns, rings, the works. Eerie and beautiful. http://www.visitscotland.com/en-us/i...martin-p235211

There shouldn't be too much demand for accommodation in April in the Highlands, but the summer seasonal inventory will be closed. I'd look at small hotels in villages like Kilmartin (if you go there) or Tongue, Durness, Lairg or similar.

Bring rain gear.

historytraveler

This is a case of a local giving a lot of misinformation. There are a couple of Neolithic sites in northern Scotland. The Grey Cairns of Camster are the most widely known, then the Hill O'Many Stanes along with a couple of brochs. Not all are easy to get to.

Orkney is a Mecca for Neolithic enthusiasts. Some of the best sites are Maes Howe considered one of the finest burial chambers in Europe. Others include Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the Stenness Standing Stones, the Tomb of the Eagles, the Broch of Gurness, Knap of Howar and the latest and perhaps most spectacular discovery, the Ness of Brodgar. I've only mentioned the most popular sites; there are many more. In short, if you are looking for Neolithic sites, Orkney is the best possible choice.

historytraveler

Sorry had to postpone the rest of my response. Thurso has a number of possibilities for accommodation. You'll not have a problem. What type of place are you looking for and what's your budget? No problem with renting a car locally. Really need more information as to what exactly you're looking for in regard to accommodation, car rental and amenities. Do you plan to rent a vehicle in a Glasgow or travel by public transportation to Thurso? BTW, there are no car ferries from Thurso, but ferries depart from nearby Scrabster. There are also day tours to Orkney via bus from John O Groats, but I strongly advise renting a car for Orkney.

Sojourntraveller

I find the remark by the Orkney local re sites on the mainland a bit misleading. While there are neolithic sites on the mainland, the cream of the crop is definitely in the Orkneys.

As for your surfer girls, they are right it is a surfing mecca but only for those who don't mind cold water, as in seriously cold. Best they check that before making plans to surf there.

bilboburgler

Orkney has some of the highest density of archaeologists per head of population in the world for a reason, it has sites everywhere, follow my name back for a trip report last year.

orinoco1968

I live in this area and have visited maybe 80 to 100 Neolithic sites with the local field club, many have no name and are simply marked on the Ordnance Survey map as "cairn", but once you know what you're looking at they are extremely interesting. On Orkney a lot of effort has been made to make the sites accessible, with car parks, paths, information boards, etc, on the mainland this isn't the case except for a very few.

You can reach anywhere along the north coast as a day trip from Thurso, and I'd invest in the 1:25000 Ordnance Survey maps of the area which were a total revelation to me. The UK is mapped to an incredible level of detail, and as long as you're willing to do plenty of walking these maps will let you find neolithic sites that few people realise exist.

My advice is to hire a car at Glasgow airport for the duration for your stay, it will be easier than travelling to the north by train then hiring a car, also gives you the option to stop off on route. Plenty of hotels and B&B's in Thurso, as well as holiday cottages in the surrounding area.

I was brought up in Adelaide and surfed mainly around the Yorke Peninsula but also Port Lincoln on the SA west coast, Thurso East is better, yes it's cold, and in April if there's snow melt inland then it will be seriously cold. The coldest ever world ranking surf competition took place here in April 2010 with an air temperature of -4C and water temp of 0c, but the break is awesome so if your girls are experienced surfers and can get hold of a 5mm or 6mm suit with gloves, boots and hood then they'll love it. Even if Thurso East isn't working there are lots of other breaks within a 30 minute drive.

orinoco1968

Sorry, I forgot to answer a couple of your queries. Amenities in Thurso and Wick are good, all the shops, banks, coffee shops you're likely to need. If the weather is terrible there is an excellent cinema in Thurso and the Castle of Mey is also worth a visit.

The roads in Caithness are mainly normal two lane roads, although quite twisty, as you go further west into Sutherland there are more single track roads which I started a thread about a year ago.

lauderman

Wow, a lot of replies and some great tips. Today I also managed to speak to a gentleman at the Highlands and Islands University Archeology department who was very enthusiastic about Caithness and gave me some very interesting information that echoes Orinoco's statement about sites being unmarked.

Having lived on Nantucket for most of my life I am quite happy to avoid small, vacationer crowded islands for a few weeks so Caithness is firmly in my sights and my daughters will be coming with me. They instruct for surf schools on the island so are very experienced, the water here gets down to about 44F but they're hoping for Thurso to produce something extreme.

I like the idea of renting a car in Glasgow for the duration and am tempted by Gardyloo's suggestion of a day or two in Kilmartin Glen. I also have a strong interest in engineering and would like to see the Forth Bridge and Falkirk Wheel (?), could I see these two in a single day on the way back to Glasgow? I noticed there's a large nuclear installation in Caithness being dismantled, are tours available for visitors?

bilboburgler

http://www.dounreay.com/

you could ask them, last time I was there, the place just had two sub machine armed police in front of the gate.

orinoco1968

The Forth Rail Bridge and Falkirk Wheel are quite close together and easily seen in the same day, both are well worth seeing. There's also the Antonine Wall near the Falkirk Wheel which is from the Roman era.

The nuclear installation is Dounreay, there is a viewing area with information boards about 400 metres away and an exhibition in Thurso. There is no chance of you getting onto site, security is extremely tight and no tours for the general public.