Reay Parish Church is a Church of Scotland parish church serving Reay, Caithness. It is one of the most northerly communities on the Scottish mainland, located several miles to west of Thurso. The largest local employer is the Dounreay nuclear facility.
Built in 1739, the church is a T-shaped church, and is protected as a category A listed building. [1] Externally it is painted white. The wooden pulpit is probably original to the church, complete with an old sounding board as a canopy. The pulpit is on the long wall of the church with the people seated facing each other on dark varnished wooden pews along two arms of the 'T' shape; the third part was partitioned off in the 1950s to form a vestry. Sunday services prior to 2006 Union with Strathy and Halladale were held at 10.45am each Sunday, with communion twice yearly (on the last Sunday of April and September), following which they now take place at 11.00 ön The 1st and 3rd Sundays in The Month.
In 1989 the church building celebrated its 250th anniversary. The celebrations included a major restoration programme, a visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and a visit by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Very Reverend Dr William McDonald. The minister, the Reverend James Dewar who moved to Edinburgh in 2000 wrote a history of the church, "The Old White House of God". (now out of print, but available in Thurso library).
In 1994 Reay Parish Church was linked with neighbouring Strathy & Halladale Parish Church in Sutherland, being henceforth served by the same minister. The linked parishes are, however, within the Church of Scotland’s Presbytery of Caithness.
In 2006 Reay, Strathy and Halladale parishes were united into one "North Coast Parish Church" (NCPC), one congregation retaining and alternating separate places of worship.
The first Minister of NCPC was the Reverend Paul R Read BSc MA, who was inducted to the parish on 18 August 2006.
The Reverend David Macartney BA Hons was ordained and inducted as minister of the North Coast Parish Church on 22 September 2017 and left his charge in June 2023.
The Castle of Mey is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, about 6 miles (10 km) west of John o' Groats. In fine weather there are views from the castle north to the Orkney Islands.
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. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire to the south and the Atlantic to the north and west. Like its southern neighbour Ross-shire, Sutherland has some of the most dramatic scenery in Europe, especially on its western fringe where the mountains meet the sea. These include high sea cliffs, and very old mountains composed of Precambrian and Cambrian rocks.
Caithness is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland.
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.
Castletown is a village on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland, situated near Dunnet Bay. It is within the civil parish of Olrig, where it is the main settlement, and within the historic county of Caithness. The A836 links the village with Thurso and Tongue in the west and with John o' Groats in the east. The B876-A99 links the village with Wick in the southeast. Contrary to the common misconception, the name Castletown is a misnomer as there is no castle within the village limits.
Reay is a village which has grown around Sandside Bay on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. It is within the historic Parish of Reay and the historic county of Caithness.
Bettyhill is a village in the parish of Farr, on the north coast of Scotland.
St Andrew's and St George's West Church serves Edinburgh's New Town, in Scotland. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The parish today constitutes the whole of the First New Town of Edinburgh and a small part of the early-19th-century Second New Town of Edinburgh. The church building was completed in 1784, and is now protected as a category A listed building.
Strathy is a scattered community in Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. The settlement emerged in the late 19th century as the north coast was populated by families forcibly displaced during the Highland Clearances.
Whalsay Parish Church or Whalsay Kirk is a Church of Scotland parish church on the island of Whalsay, Shetland Islands, Scotland. It lies to the north of the village of Brough, on the southern part of a promontory known as Kirk Ness, connected to the mainland by a neck of land. It is the main burial ground for villagers of Whalsay. It is one of three churches in the Parish of Nesting, the others being at Nesting and Lunnesting. The church is a category B Listed Building.
Auld St Peter's Kirk is a ruined parish church on Wilson Lane, in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. Dedicated to Saint Peter, it dates to at least 1125, and at one time was the principal church for the county, administered by the Bishops of Caithness. It became a scheduled monument in 1929 and from 1975 until 2016 it was also a Category A listed building.
The United Presbyterian Church, Thurso was a parish church of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland, now extinct, in Thurso, Caithness. The original church was built in 1777 with seating for 590, and a newer building was erected around 1801.
Berriedale Church is a former church in the parish of Latheron, in Berriedale, Caithness, Scotland. Built in 1826, the T-plan building was closed as a parish church in 2008 but serves as charity under the auspices of the Berriedale Church and Cemetery Association. The Berriedale Church of Scotland and Burial Ground is a category B listed building.
Halkirk Auld Kirk is a former parish church in Halkirk, Caithness, Scotland. Built in 1753, it stopped being used in 1934 and is now a ruin. Halkirk parish was formed at the time of the Reformation by the union of the Halkirk and Skinnet districts. The "Halkirk Village Old Parish Church And Burial Ground" is a category B listed building.
Pulteneytown Central Church was founded in 1806 in the Pulteneytown area of Wick in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. As years went by, it was renamed Pulteneytown Free Church. It then became a United Free Church in 1900 and became a Church of Scotland from 1929 known as Wick Central Church until its closure in 1990 upon union with Pulteneytown and Thrumster Parish Church.
The North Highland Way is a proposed 150 miles (240 km) hiking, cycling and horse riding trail in Scotland. Currently without official signage, it is navigable by GPS, linking Duncansby Head on the North East coast to Cape Wrath in the North West of Scotland's coast. The North Highland Way connects the Cape Wrath Trail in the west with the Moray Firth trail in the east. The North Coast 500 is a driving route, which follows a similar line to the North Highland Way.
Walter Ross Taylor (1805–1896) was a Scottish minister of the Free Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly 1884/85.
Thurso Town Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street, Thurso, in the Highland area of Scotland. The structure, which is used as a museum, is a Category B listed building.
St Joachim's Church is a Category B listed Roman Catholic church in Wick, Scotland.
