Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census. It has land borders with the council areas of Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Moray and Perth and Kinross. The wider upland area of the Scottish Highlands after which the council area is named extends beyond the Highland council area into all the neighbouring council areas plus Angus and Stirling.
The A9 is a major road in Scotland running from the Falkirk council area in central Scotland to Scrabster Harbour, Thurso in the far north, via Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Perth and Inverness. At 273 miles (439 km), it is the longest road in Scotland and the fifth-longest A-road in the United Kingdom. Historically it was the main road between Edinburgh and John o' Groats, and has been called the spine of Scotland. It is one of the three major north–south trunk routes linking the Central Belt to the Highlands – the others being the A82 and the A90.
Thurso is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great Britain. From a latitudinal standpoint, Thurso is located further north than the southernmost point of Norway and in addition lies more than 500 miles (800 km) north of London.
Sutherland is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Viking era when the area was ruled by the Jarl of Orkney; although Sutherland includes some of the northernmost land on the island of Great Britain, it was called Suðrland from the standpoint of Orkney and Caithness.
Caithness is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland.
Helmsdale is a village on the east coast of Sutherland, in the Highland council area of Scotland. The modern village was planned in 1814 to resettle communities that had been removed from the surrounding straths as part of the Highland Clearances.
Latheronwheel is a small village in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Lybster on the A9 road to Helmsdale, near the junction with the A99 road to Wick, which lies in the equally small village of Latheron.
Wick is a town and royal burgh in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay. "Wick Locality" had a population of 6,954 at the time of the 2011 census, a decrease of 3.8% from 2001.
The A836 is a major road entirely within the Highland area of Scotland. It is 122 miles (196 km) long and runs from Ross and Cromarty to Caithness, with the majority of its length in Sutherland. At 58.648°N where it passes through East Mey, it is the northernmost A-class road in mainland Great Britain.
The A99 road is entirely within the former county of Caithness in the Highland of Scotland. It runs generally north/northeast from the A9 at Latheron to Wick and to the A836 at John o' Groats. It was part of the A9 until the A9 classification was transferred to what had been the A895-A882 link between Latheron and Thurso. Between Latheron and Wick it follows, mostly, the route of one of Telford's roads.
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. As the name suggests, it is the northernmost railway in the United Kingdom. The line is entirely single-track, with only passing loops at some intermediate stations allowing trains to pass each other. Like other railway lines in the Highlands and northern Lowlands, it is not electrified and all trains are diesel-powered.
Thurso railway station is a railway station located in Thurso, in the Highland council area in the far north of Scotland. It serves the town and its surrounding areas, along with ferry services linking the mainland with Stromness on the Orkney Islands.
Arpafeelie is a hamlet on the Black Isle, in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is situated 4 km north-west of the village of North Kessock, and 8 km north-west of the city of Inverness. The A9 road, the main road north from Inverness, passes by to the east of Arpafeelie.
Braemore is a location in Berriedale in the Highland council area of Scotland. It can be approached from the A9 road at Dunbeath.
Badbea is a former clearance village perched on the steep slopes above the cliff tops of Berriedale on the east coast of Caithness, Scotland. Situated around 5 miles (8 km) north of Helmsdale, the village was settled in the 18th and 19th centuries by families evicted from their homes when the straths of Langwell, Ousdale and Berriedale were cleared for the establishment of sheep farms. The last resident left the village in 1911 and a monument was erected by the son of former inhabitant, Alexander Robert Sutherland, who had emigrated to New Zealand in 1839. Today, the ruins of the village are preserved as a tourist attraction and memorial to the Highland Clearances.
John o' Groats is a village 2.5 mi (4 km) north-east of Canisbay, in the historic county of Caithness, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's north-eastern tip and is popular with tourists, as the most distant point on the mainland from Land's End in Cornwall, England, 876 mi (1,410 km) to the south-west. The northernmost point of mainland Scotland is nearby Dunnet Head.
Ousdale Broch, also known as Ousdale Burn or Allt a’ Bhurg Broch, is an Iron Age broch located between the villages of Helmsdale and Berriedale in Caithness, Scotland.
The John o' Groats Trail is a Scottish long-distance walking route from Inverness to John o' Groats, traversing back lanes, footpaths, shorelines and cliff tops of the Scottish Highlands. The trail gives access to accommodation, meals and shops at the end of each stage of the walk.
The Ord of Caithness is a granite mass on the east coast of the Highland council area of Scotland, on the boundary of the historic counties of Sutherland and Caithness. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of Helmsdale. It forms a headland 198 metres (650 ft) high, known as Ord Point. The A9 road passes above the Ord; there are sharp bends as it follows the contours.
Berriedale Water is a short river in Caithness in northern Scotland. It arises as the Feith Gaineimh Mhor, Feith Chaorunn Mhor and Feith Fhuaran come together at the southern edge of the Flow Country after which it flows generally eastwards to Braemore. Downstream of Braemore it curves to the south within an increasingly narrow valley which continues to the coast at the estate village of Berriedale. It is joined at this point by the Langwell Water, the headwater streams of which lie just to the south of those of Berriedale Water. Like the lower stretches of Berriedale Water, the valley sides become more wooded towards the coast. The 706m high hill of Morven lies on the watershed between the two rivers. The two rivers are crossed by the A9 road at their confluence only a few hundred metres short of the Moray Firth. The remains of Berriedale Castle stand above the mouth on the south side.
