The best walks and hikes around Watten

Lady who looked after the steps

The stairs are quite steep, so you should not be afraid of heights.

The path to the viewpoint is now very easy, you no longer have to go around the valley (there is a comfortable path with wooden steps and a bridge). However, there can be a nasty wind at the top of the ledge, there are no railings!

A unique geological formation in East Caithness, the Wester Whale Geo has been an inspiration for many over the decades with its green arch over the sea.

The Grey Cairns of Camster are two large Neolithic chambered cairns that are among the oldest structures in Scotland, dating to about 5,000 years ago. The cairns demonstrate complex neolithic architecture, with central burial chambers accessed through narrow passages. They were excavated and restored by Historic Environment Scotland in the late 20th century. The cairns were constructed in the third of fourth millennium BC in an empty, boggy and peat-covered moorland. Although the surrounding countryside is now inhospitable with little population, it was a fertile farming land in the Stone Age, only becoming covered in peat during the Bronze Age.

Whaligoe Harbour is one of the most spectacular and unique harbours in Scotland. It is surrounded on three sides by 250 foot cliffs, and reached by the Whaligoe Steps which zig-zag down the cliffside. The natural harbour at the foot of the steps has been a landing spot for herring, salmon, whitefish and shellfish for a long time. The harbour steps were built by Captain David Brodie which enabled the harbour to support 14 herring boats. If you are going to descend the steps be sure to leave your bike safely at the top!

Impressive grave. In 2017 it was possible to enter the tomb by crawling in. The entrance is very narrow and low of height. Camster Round is, as the name suggests, a circular cairn; it measures 18 metres in diameter by 3.7 metres high. It is virtually intact with a high vaulted chamber at its centre, accessed from a passage 6 metres long and 0.8 metres high at the east-south-east side of the cairn. The passage appears to have been deliberately put out of use by blocking it up with stones piled up to the height of its roof. When it was excavated, archaeologists found that the floor of the cairn was composed of a 0.3 metres deep layer of black earth, ash and burnt bones. It appears that bodies were placed there in a sitting position, though, oddly, without leg bones; the legs appear either to have been removed or to have rotted off before the bodies were deposited in the cairn. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Cairns_of_Camster

The Grey Cairns of Camster are two large Neolithic chambered cairns located in the Highland region of Scotland. They are among the oldest structures in Scotland, dating to about 5,000 years ago. The cairns demonstrate the complexity of Neolithic architecture, with central burial chambers accessed through narrow passages from the outside. They were excavated and restored by Historic Environment Scotland in the late 20th century and are open to the public. In 2017 I was able to crawl in every grave. The iron gates were open. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Cairns_of_Camster