Dunnet Head

Dunnet Head Lighthouse with Orkney in the Background

Dunnet Head is the most northerly point on mainland Britain and on a clear day it commands some of the most extensive views you are likely to find anywhere in northern Scotland.

Military Buildings Little Clett View North to Hoy

Standing high above the surrounding Pentland Firth the views extend all the way from Cape Wrath at the north-western tip of mainland Scotland to Duncansby Head, at its much closer north-eastern tip.

Seen from Duncansby Head

In some ways, though, it is Hoy and Orkney to the north that command most attention. And if you can drag your eyes away from the shoreline and seascape, the views inland to the surprisingly pointy peaks of Morvern and Maiden Pap simply complete the stunning vista.

The tussocky headland carries many lochans. It is also home to a number of more recent additions in the form of structures built during the second world war to help defend the naval base at Scapa Flow in Orkney to the north.

Also here, perched close to the northern cliffs 300ft above the sea, is the lighthouse built in 1832. Despite the lighthouse's lofty position, the ferocity of the Pentland Firth is such that windows have been damaged by stones thrown up by the sea.

The single track road back from Dunnet Head leads through the little hamlet of Brough before emerging onto the main road at Dunnet. At Brough, you find the Dunnet Head Tearooms. This also serves as a Tourist Information Centre and is home to a display covering the buildings on the Head; the history, archaeology and geology of the area; plus information about walks, fishing, horse riding, cycling and local transport links.

You will find some nice views along the coast here, and particularly of Little Clett. This is a grass-covered sea stack that provides a home to many sea birds.

Dunnet itself is notable primarily for its location, between the cliffs of Dunnet Heat to its north and the wide sandy beach and dunes of Dunnet Bay to its south west. Here, too, you can find Mary-Anne's Cottage, home of Mary-Anne Calder until she was 93 in 1990. It is now maintained as it was when she left, a farming croft in continuous occupation since it was built by her grandfather in the first half of the 19th Century.