A Tour of WICK in Caithness Scotland + Old Man of WICK

A Tour of WICK in Caithness Scotland + Old Man of WICK | NC500 E3

Рет қаралды 14,861

Күн бұрын

NC500 E3: Taking a self-guided tour of Wick, the largest town in Caithness & home of the world’s shortest street. Also exploring the Old Man of Wick - a nearby castle forming part of historic Scotland.
➡️ See more from my NC500 Road Trip here → bit.ly/mwt_NC500
As I was heading for Wick along the North Coast 500 I decided to stop by the Old Castle on route and see a piece of historic Scotland with my own eyes. The ruins of the 12th century castle are a 10 minute walk from the car park, to get there I followed a slightly uphill unpaved trail along a stunning cliff edged coastline.
Once there I was able to follow the cliff edge around to a tiny peninsula where the old castle was built nearly 900 years ago - as long as you're careful it's possible to walk amongst the ruins and admire its historical importance. Although windy I was able to get the drone up for some aerial shots of the castle and miles of beautiful Caithness countryside.
After making it back to the car I headed into the town of Wick to do a bit of sightseeing and a self guided walking tour. Wick is a lovely little town to visit in the Scottish Highlands offering a glimpse of everyday life along the North Coast 500. I always enjoy walking the streets and soaking in the atmosphere of all the places I visit, it also continued the theme of historical sights in Scotland owing to the fact that it’s a former Viking settlement - as a consequence it is set on the mouth of a beautiful river making it easy to access from the sea. Evidence of life there can be traced back to the Iron Age.
It was great to spend an hour of two walking around Wick and breathing in some of that fresh Scottish air. I walked the High Street, followed a short river trail, took a look at the harbour, learnt a thing or two about Alexander Bain and the electric clock, and got to see Ebenezer Place - the world's shortest street.
My road trip around the NC500 is starting to warm up - there is literally something to see wherever you go and choosing where to stop becomes a series of choices as to what I have time for and what I don't. Anyway, loving Scotland so far and looking forward to seeing more in the coming days!
📖 CHAPTERS:
📖 00:00 Intro
📖 01:02 Old Man of Wick (Castle of Wick)
📖 07:07 Exploring Wick, Scotland
🟡 Please consider SUBSCRIBING, it's free & really helps my channel grow → bit.ly/2RyPwto
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 See more of my videos from the NC500 here → bit.ly/mwt_NC500
❤️ Don’t Forget to LIKE & SHARE if you enjoyed the video, they really help!
🎙️ Feel free to ask any questions! All FEEDBACK and COMMENTS welcome!!
📷 Connect with me on INSTAGRAM → bit.ly/mwt_instagram
🎵 Calm the Sea by Heath Cantu
🎵 I'm Not That Girl (Instrumental Version) by The Devil's Sway
🎵 See What I See by Alex Ora
🎵
🎵 Music by Epidemic Sound. Get a FREE month here → bit.ly/2LB53FZ

Пікірлер: 106

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! If you'd like to support my channel please consider subscribing - it's very much appreciated! --> bit.ly/2RyPwto See more from my NC500 Road Trip here → bit.ly/mwt_NC500 | Connect on Instagram here → bit.ly/mwt_instagram

@Piotr11269 Жыл бұрын

Do you live in the scotland

@jnrb13 3 жыл бұрын

Nice video of my hometown. I now live in California and don't miss the Wick weather, however you seem to have caught it on a lovely day.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Justin! Yes it was a lovely day - I really enjoyed my stroll around the town. It is a very pretty little place! Yeah I bet you notice a difference with the weather, no more of those harsh Scottish winter's for you! Thanks again for watching.

@ronzombie6541 Жыл бұрын

Did you know of any Nicol family in that area?

@WandernfuerGeniesser 3 жыл бұрын

great shots and picture quality, very nice. Thank you for your contribution and best regards from Austria 😊👍

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Reinhold, hope all is well in Austria! I very much enjoyed my tour of Wick, I think I got lucky with the weather! All the best!

@morgsjoboo2247 7 ай бұрын

Thanks fir sharing Lots of great info, we're planning a trip this summer so this has helped a lot. Hope you're having a lovely week Morgs Jo and Boo 🐕 ❤

@MattWhitingsEurope 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, hope you have a wonderful trip - if you're doing the North Coast 500 then buckle up, it's going to be one heck of an incredible ride! Enjoy!!

@VStrom2019 3 жыл бұрын

Grew up there, brilliant place.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Yes I really enjoyed visiting and taking a walk around. Lots to do in the area too! Has it changed much over the years?

@VStrom2019 3 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope actually it has changed hugely. It was a very very bustling town and area mainly due to the Dounreay employment factor . Unfortunately though, the town itself has now all but turned into a ghost town. The local councils decisions are largely responsible for this reputedly. I still miss the place though and very much enjoyed your video, thanks.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you John, yes I imagined that in times gone by it was a hive of activity, it certainly seemed quite but I put that down to COVID more than anything else, interesting to know there are other factors at play.

@Ali-uz8qg 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent commentary and video, thanks.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ali, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@totalplay9364 3 жыл бұрын

Fantástic Video :)

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Aaron, glad you enjoyed it! Cool place.

@alexshepherd1558 3 жыл бұрын

one half is poultneytown hence the whisky old poultney is made there

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the information Alex, interesting stuff. Are you from the area?

@johnlad1481 5 ай бұрын

I live in wick its very busy in the summer with local events caithness county show gala week very friendly people cana get a better community 🙏

@MattWhitingsEurope 5 ай бұрын

Enjoyed my time in Wick, it did feel like there was a nice community spirit. Cool little town!

@keithireland6627 Жыл бұрын

Fab video lived there many years ago fabulous friendly people whom i remember with great fondness.

@MattWhitingsEurope Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it, Keith. I enjoyed my walk around, seemed like a really nice place. Has it changed much over the years?

@keithireland6627 Жыл бұрын

Yes theres less people and it looks a bit rundown. The first nuclear power station Dounreay was placed on the north coast as it has low population density in case anything went wrong. Its now in decommissioning phase. The biggest employer is the nhs now there is a fine hospital there. Thanks again. Keith

@MattWhitingsEurope Жыл бұрын

Thanks Keith, very interesting. All the best!!

@HTAaB2024 3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video , I live here

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Henri, really enjoyed my walk around Wick - it was a beautiful day! Loved the castle too. Hope all is well up there!

@HTAaB2024 3 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope certainly is all well what would be even better is when I can go on a bus or a train

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I know how you feel. I think we’re all looking forward to things opening back up and normality returning. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later!

@HTAaB2024 3 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope yes hopefully so

@Arcangel99997 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful place, scotland is amazing...Some day i'll travel to there...Greetings from Venezuela!

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Yes it's a wonderful place, hopefully you get to explore it one day. Hope all is well in Venezuela, another beautiful country I hear!

@Arcangel99997 2 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope Yes...2 questions... Are you british??? and Have you traveled to south america??? Greetings!

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Yes I'm British and no I have not been to South America.....yet! 😀

@McCaithnessfilms 3 жыл бұрын

i stay in wick and have various video of the town and county hope u had a good time up in wick

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Yes it was a cool place to visit, glad I stopped by! Best of luck with the channel, I'll stop by and take a look tomorrow.

@paul85439 Жыл бұрын

Wick Heritage centre is great

@MattWhitingsEurope Жыл бұрын

I don't think I visited the Heritage Centre but really enjoyed my lazy walk around the town. Got to say I loved northern Scotland and will return someday for sure!

@simonmitchell9910 Жыл бұрын

Love the Duster lol....

@MattWhitingsEurope Жыл бұрын

I've got to admit - I loved that car! Drove like a dream!!

@ABCDEF-yf4yu 2 жыл бұрын

A long long way from Penzance. I've only been to the far north, Caithness once to Wick, Thurso and John O'Groats.

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Cool, what did you think to Wick, Thurso and John O'Groats?

@benmackay3518 3 жыл бұрын

You should visit the heritage centre if you ever come back up it will tell you all about wick and you should visit all the other castles too.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ben, I will look it up if I head back, I didn't realise there was a heritage centre. I made it to Wick Castle and Castle Sinclair-Girnigoe, are there others in the area?

@benmackay3518 3 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope ackergill tower And kiess castle are nice you should look at the all harbours up here too, they are interesting.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips Ben, I'll make a note of both those places. Unfortunately I just couldn't fit anything else into this trip but I'm sure I'll be back on the North Coast 500 again before long, I really enjoyed it. Lots more to see that's for sure. Thanks again!

@rogermellie8068 2 жыл бұрын

I once ran down Ebenezer place, was knackered when I got to the other end 🥵

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Haha, it was tough enough walking down it let alone running! 😂👍

@robanks3895 3 жыл бұрын

My dad was born in Wick. Alexander Bain is probably an ancestor of mine, everyone else is there , so few surnames , lol

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Ro, well you never know - he might just be in the family chain somewhere! He's certainly an important part of the region's history - I enjoyed learning about him whilst in Wick!

@Mayamo0 2 жыл бұрын

I live right near wick lol

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Cool little town, enjoyed my visit. I think if you're driving the North Coast 500 you almost have to pop in for a look! Thanks for watching!!

@mariexb1993 2 жыл бұрын

Liked seeing ya Videos, it gives me inspired watching to.it 😁 had a Boyfriend from Scotland Xxxxxx the Scenery was Nice 😁 etc Watching: from Philippines🇵🇭🧡

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Jessmarie, Scotland is certainly full of spectacular scenery and cool places to visit. Hope all is well in the Philippines!

@mariexb1993 2 жыл бұрын

That's great. Thanks for the feedback have a great day/ night Xx i hope i could visit Scotland One day. Also to Visit my Boyfriend🙂 Thank you, appreciate it. 🇵🇭🧡 Take care

@smileypuppy6770 2 жыл бұрын

I live in wick 😃😃

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Cool place!! I enjoyed my morning wandering around.

@Rachelvehiclespotting 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. U sure do know about Wick. I'm only 16 miles from Wick and been there alot of times.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Rachel, I appreciate you saying. I must say you live in a wonderful part of the country, I really enjoyed taking a walk around Wick and seeing some of the sights! Did a bit of reading up before I travelled.

@Rachelvehiclespotting 3 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope Yep Caithness is a great scenic place to live in. Wick is nice for its scenery as well so is Thurso

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Yes indeed. I wanted to stop off at Castletown too but ran out of time - so much to see and do up there!

@Rachelvehiclespotting 3 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope Castletown is where I am. It's small but nice place to live in. Nice and Quiet

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

That's cool, is it worth a stop? There just weren't enough hours in the day! Do you know much about Stroma (the island just off the coast)? Apparently nobody lives there but local fisherman will take you over for a price. It looked really fascinating!

@Piotr11269 Жыл бұрын

I live in Wick and I been in the old Wick castle you are the best of visiting my town and country scotland❤

@MattWhitingsEurope Жыл бұрын

Thanks very much, very kind of you to say. I enjoyed my visit, the castle on the edge of that cliff was spectacular - what a beautiful place!

@Piotr11269 Жыл бұрын

Yeah

@Piotr11269 Жыл бұрын

Am the kindest 8 year old yes or no?

@WITYTRAVELS 3 жыл бұрын

Wick looks beautiful! Glad you pointed out the Guinness World Record street or we would have missed it!

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I walked past it twice myself before I realised it was there! I knew it was short, just not that short. Thanks for joining me, hope all is well with you both.

@DogCrag 3 жыл бұрын

I've stayed in Mackays many times and was never disappointed. Excellent all round hotel and very friendly. Also worth a visit is the Old Pulteney whisky distillery in Huddart Street. Great video.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

@@DogCrag Thank you Jack, I didn't realise that Whiskey Distillery was there so thanks for bringing it to my attention. Unfortunately when I visited a lot of them were either closed due to COVID or severely limiting the number of people allowed inside. Perhaps next time I'll check it out! If I do visit again maybe I'll see if I can stay at Mackays! Thanks for watching, it was a lovely area to visit.

@thebigcheese1723 2 жыл бұрын

I live here everyday and it's terrible As A tourist I see the appeal but being here everyday is horrendous

@lisamore801 3 жыл бұрын

If you go out to John O’Groats and to the sea view hotel not only do they do great food they will be able to help you about how to get to stroma, the owners of it do trips over frequently

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

That's interesting, I was thinking about Stroma just the other day. I would love to have visited the island and spent some time exploring - such a mysterious place! I'll keep that in mind so if I'm in the area again I'll look into it, and maybe have some lunch whilst I'm there! Thanks for watching, I appreciate the tip.

@Memezeroffical Жыл бұрын

It’s weird to see wick were I live wedisor😅

@MattWhitingsEurope Жыл бұрын

Cool place, I enjoyed my morning there! Thanks for watching.

@jasonwaters8276 3 жыл бұрын

Like your video s I was up lockinver ullapool durness nice please s

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jason, glad you like the videos - it was an amazing trip! Did you say that you have been up there? If so which coastline was your favourite?

@Memezeroffical Жыл бұрын

I have walked near the mill tray shooting range I did no see the flag an a shhot was heard and I ran

@MattWhitingsEurope Жыл бұрын

Crikey! Glad you made it out alive. I bet that's one mistake you won't make again.

@kevm4035 2 жыл бұрын

Ebenezer place October 4th 1991..

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Kevin, is that when the record was set?

@kevm4035 2 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope No personal event happened on that day, That place.

@nathanaelmini2595 Жыл бұрын

Live Scotland. Live the Scots. Live what is Scottish.

@MattWhitingsEurope Жыл бұрын

Indeed!!

@alexshepherd1558 3 жыл бұрын

it's pronounce week and we are durty weekers

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Alex, I didn't realise it is pronounced that way. I appreciate the feedback.

@steveboable 2 жыл бұрын

Been there all ready nothing there

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting to hear your opinion. I quite liked it... especially down by the river and walking through the High Street. Thanks for watching!

@steveboable 2 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope well each to there own me er no 2 baqrs shops er not many would i go back i would rather watch paint thanks

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

@@steveboable Fair enough. Sounds like you really disliked it! Always interesting to get other peoples opinions.

@johnlad1481 5 ай бұрын

@@steveboablego and watch paint then

@greghumphries 3 жыл бұрын

Thurso is the largest town in Caithness, both by geographic area and population size.

@MattWhitingsEurope 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for pointing that out Greg - very much enjoyed my stroll around town! Thanks for watching.

@robanks3895 3 жыл бұрын

Really ? I went there and hardly saw a soul. I am related to the Carnaby family that came from there

@wickwicker8575 3 жыл бұрын

Very little difference between Wick and Thurso in size and population.

@jack0609 2 жыл бұрын

I have lived there all my life and it’s a great place to live over the years famous people have visited too Paul McCartney,I think John Lennon has he had a car crash in golspie,John/Jim Belushi (I forgot his name),The Proclaimers

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Jack, thanks for watching the video. I bet you have seen some changes in Wick over the years? I'm glad I got to spend a few hours there, I enjoyed strolling around and seeing it for the first time. I had no idea about the Lennon/McCartney connection - just did a little bit of digging and you are spot on! John Lennon did indeed have a car accident just down the road in Golspie in 1969 - amazing! Thanks for the information.

@jack0609 2 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope no problem I have seen some changes we have new schools because the old ones were there since I think the early 1900s and new shops have opened up too I think they are planning to do the high street up at some point

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

Well maybe if I visit again in the future the High Street will look a little different. Lovely place!

@jack0609 2 жыл бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope it really is I appreciate how small it is because in big places your crammed with others and I’m not a fan of that

@MattWhitingsEurope 2 жыл бұрын

@@jack0609 Yes that's why I loved my drive around the north of Scotland! Wide open spaces, little towns, small villages, the feeling of remoteness. Such a wonderful place in my humble opinion.