Discover Tourism Workshops—Learning Summary

Workshop Purpose The rationale behindLocalisation Workshops is to connect the peo- ple who interact with our visitors to the information than can enhance their time here and create a better sense of Thurso. Ever heard someone say Thurso under-sells itself? Discover Thurso workshops aim to empower people to not only sell the town, but to champion Thurso’s tourism offering.

Why Localisation No other organisation across is responsible for or even qualified to specifically promote Thurso; it’s something we have to do ourselves. Many of our visitors may just be passing through on the NC500, or staying 1-night before heading to , but they’re a captive audience—they’re looking for things like golden sand beaches, 2,000 year old monuments, castles, whisky, Scottish food, the Northern Lights, traditional music and so on. Things we can offer readily. If we localise our knowledge and our conversations with tourists—that is, to focus them on Thurso— we’re spreading a positive message about the town to people who, even if they don’t come back to Scotland one day, will definitely be telling friends about wee places that caught their eye on the way round.

What you can do… 1. Engage Tourists—Dornoch scores incredibly well when it asks its visitors whether they’d consider returning to the town, in large part to their hospitality. They asked their visitors what the most positive aspect to their stay in Dornoch was—the answer? Engaging with friendly locals. 2. Know the town, make recommendations—A Thurso bartender recently made a couple’s day when she was able to recommend Wolfburn and Dunnet Bay Distillery tours as activities for a rainy day. Not only that, they also enjoyed the chat so much they returned to the bar the following evening! Slow Experiences

Lisa Polsen of Inspired by spoke at our Localisation Workshops about the elements, the finer details that set Caithness apart from other destinations, and the potential for Slow Tourism to drive tourism development in Thurso. The following information on this subject was inspired by or taken directly from her talk.

Slow Tourism in a Nutshell... It’s an alternative to whistle stop, box ticking tourism. Just as when we travel ourselves, many of the people passing through Thurso get caught on a box-ticking exercise– rushing around the NC500, stopping at the most popular locations for Instagram content, beelining to John O’Groats, and then away to catch the ferry.

The essence of Slow Tourism is strong collaboration among tourism providers to create more immersive experi- ences for visitors – tourism trends suggest visitors ARE looking for something different, something more experiential organic, and slower– Caithness can offer it in abundance.

Slowing Down in Caithness

Nature, Food and People are the essence of Slow Tourism – “We have welcoming people living a slow pace of life, we have award-winning food & drink, we have blissful beaches, history to discover, Groatie Buckies to find, a fantastic golf course, world class watersports conditions, and beautiful landscapes.”

Slow Tourism can showcase the finer details that distinguish Thurso and Caithness from destinations elsewhere in the country. We have natural, cultural charm and amenities in abundance.

On the weather – The elements dictate EVERYTHING around here – they shape our schedules, dictate our moods, they’re pow- erful and we can’t control them so we moan, and the elements even dictate how we greet each other - miserable day eh?! “Don’t see our wild weather, slow pace and quiet town as excuses, see them as opportunities”

Insights ‘We manage to peel that front door open against howling wind, push against horizontal rain, and return with cheeks officially rosied by mother nature – we then go inside, cosy up and coorie in, with a new-found apprecia- tion for nature, as its power rattles against out window panes’ ‘The rain of today is the whisky of tomorrow’

‘It turned out they loved our wild weather. They wanted to feel the power of wind strong enough to blow them off their feet, they wanted to feel invigorated by horizontal rain as it saturated right through to their skin...they wanted to experience wild Scottish weather first-hand, so I guess they came to the right place’ - Lisa Polson on our weather as a tourist attraction in its own right. ‘no such thing as bad weather – only the wrong clothes!’ – Billy Connolly Action you Can Take...

1. All it requires, is for businesses to sit down with each other and collaborate to create seamless local experiences for visitors. See a couple of local examples for inspiration below.

2. Be excited about the little things—Beautiful Caithness stone walls and buildings; our clean, quiet beaches where you can swim, surf, hunt for Groatie Buckies or simply sit peacefully – bliss for those from busier places. 3. Look at our weather differently—our weather is a novelty to those from places like Italy – wild Scottish weather can be a tourist attraction in its own right; it’s a photographer’s dream and it’s not changing any time soon. Also, , Skye, and Orkney do fantastically with similar or even worse weather conditions!

Real-life local example…

North Coast Watersports collaborating with the Melvich Hotel and the Store Café… becomes ‘September Swell Weekend’ Other examples…

“The Marine Inn B&B greets their guests with a Reids Bakery hamper, and the following day Above & Beyond Tours show them Caithness, including a visit to see the bakery where the produce they enjoyed had been made, and/or a farm from where the ingredients were sourced in addition to some top local sights.”

“A behind the scenes experience of the past & present of Thurso fishing, including stories from a local expert and a wee boat trip before returning to shore for Fish & Chips at the Captain’s Galley, followed by a dram of Wolfburn to live Scottish folk music in the Comm.”

Benefits of Slow Tourism

1. Collaborative packages encourage visitors to stay longer. 2. Packages built around enjoying the landscape, food, and people give tourists a chance to spend local. 3. Increase in collaboration among business. 4. Increase in higher spending tourists. 5. Increase in employment particular in young people due to lifestyle improvements. 6. Increase in shoulder season activities. Thurso Surf

Surfing in Thurso Is unique for three reasons… Thurso Beach, the Sh*t Pipe, and the famous Thurso East. Walk 5 minutes from the Town Centre, and you can look at three different ‘breaks’ that roughly match-up to different skill levels—beginner (Thurso Beach), intermediate (Sh*t Pipe), and expert (Thurso East).

What’s more, if there’s no surf in Thurso, places like Torrisdale, Strathy, Melvich, Sandise, Brimms, Dunnet Bay and Sinclair Bay offer convenient alternatives.

Surfing is thought to have kicked off in Thurso in the 1960s, and given that the backdrop of Thurso Castle adds allure to the break at Thurso East, it’s fitting that a visitor to the castle is alleged to have been the first person to surf Thurso East! Wetsuit technology as come on leaps and bounds since then, so visitors can withstand frigid north coast water temperatures for hours without feeling the effects! Thurso Surfing Facts

• Prime surfing season in Thurso is October to April—conveniently during the off-peak tourism months in the town. For local surfers, getting out into the water during the short daylight hours (9am-3pm in the dead of winter!) makes the long winter months bearable.

• The Scottish National Championships take place locally every April, while the UK Pro Surf Tour comes to town every October.

• In the past, Thurso has hosted the European Championships, the World Qualifying Series and the O’Neill Coldwater Classic

• Both the 2019 Women’s and Men’s Scottish Champions play their surfing trades locally!

• Surfing will be an Olympic Sport for the first time at Tokyo 2020

What You Can Do

1. If people want to experience north coast surf during their stay, be able to make a recommendation. At the time of writing, North Coast Watersports are the only organisation offering surf tuition and board/wetsuit hire to tourists—send people their way! 2. Most people would prefer to stay dry, but watching surfing at Thurso Harbour is exhilarating too. Talk-up Thurso’s surfing heritage and recommend they head for the harbour to watch surfers in action at the Pipe and Thurso East—there are almost always surfers in the water during daylight hours in the winter months. Old St Peter’s Kirk

What is Old St Peter’s Kirk? As the name suggests, Old St Peter’s Kirk is an old church and churchyard in the heart of Thurso’s Old Town. The plaque by the entrance gate suggest the kirk was first built in the year 1220, but investigations into the Kirk’s stonework suggest a date of around 1150, and a rune inscribed Norse stone cross found buried nearby suggests that this may have been a site of significance much earlier than that!

In short, the Kirk is an eye-catching attraction of huge historical significance a very short walk from Thurso Town Centre. Historical Significance • As mentioned above—a Norse stone cross found buried nearby, and other stonework in the Kirk’s structure inscribed with Viking runes suggests activity much earlier than the 1220 date at the entrance.

• Old St Peter’s Kirk Is larger and more elaborate in design than what’s normal for a parish of this size, leading historians to speculate that the site must have held greater significance at some point in history. One theory is that when the kirk was extended to its current size in the 1600s, the Dornoch Cathedral lay in ruins and Old St Peter’s might have been intended as an alternative—though this never materialised.

• As well as a place of worship, the Kirk was also Thurso’s courthouse and prison up until the 1700s. Like many churches across Scotland in that time, Old St Peter’s Kirk was fitted with a barbaric punishment device known as ‘jougs’: iron collars that were fastened around the neck of prisoners forcing them to stand upright for hours or days on end. The Kirk was also the scene of local witch trials in the early 1700s.

• Old St Peter’s Kirk closed its doors for the last time in December 1832. One month later. It’s replacement—St Peter’s and St Andrew’s in the Town Square opened.

The ornate south-tracery window at Old St Peter’s Kirk is said to be carved from a Interesting Fact— single piece of stone! Caithness Flagstone is sturdy stuff.

What You Can Do 1. There’s currently no sign directing visitors to Old St Peter’s, so they might be relying on your recommenda- tion to find this gem. Visitors, especially from relatively new countries like the United States, can be blown away by such historic stone structures—sending them to the Kirk can only enhance their sense of Thurso. 2. Let people know what to expect—though they can access the Kirkyard which is incredibly interesting to ex- plore, they cannot enter the actual kirk itself as it’s so fragile. That part is left to the imagination, unless they have a guide from the Kirk Preservation Association which runs tours on days when cruise-liners are in town. Dark Sky Tourism

Thurso and its surroundings have exceptional potential within the growing trend of Dark Sky Tourism…

• Caithness is much flatter than the rest of the Highlands which contributes to our trademark expansive views of the sky—it makes for stunning scenery at any time of day.

• We have plenty of areas with next to no light pollution to spoil dark sky viewing experiences—some of the best dark sky viewing areas are just a stone’s throw from the main road as well!

• The added bonus of being far enough north to see the Northern Lights when conditions are right.

Where to Stargaze Near Thurso... Thurso East Thurso Harbour Darker than the Harbour but also a longer Thurso’s most accessible dark sky. Not totally walk—take the road rather than the coastal devoid of light pollution as it’s still very much in walk as it’s way less precarious after dark. Head Thurso, but a short walk from the town centre for the car park beside the North Shore Surf makes it an easy place to reach if there’s a Club on a dark Winter’s night and simply look sunset brewing or you reckon the aurora might up. make an appearance. Castlehill Heritage Centre Dunnet Head Car Park Castlehill Heritage Centre has Dark Sky Two bucket list items with one swoop—a visit Discovery Site designation—it’s one of the most to the UK’s most northerly point and a chance accessible and rewarding locations near Thurso to see the aurora. The Northern Lights are for stargazing. Witness some of the UK’s dark- elusive, but visiting Dunnet Head is a worth- est night skies just a few hundred yards from while adventure either way, the North Coast 500!

What You Can Do • Provide information—simple local knowledge even about finding the above stargazing areas is priceless.

• Access to weather and aurora forecasts—help people on their way with a simple Google search.

• Late night access to accommodation—people won’t be able to enjoy our fantastic dark skies if they’re unable to access their accommodation afterwards.

• Think about acquiring equipment that your guests can borrow or rent: binoculars, torches, maps and tele- scopes will quickly pay for themselves if you charge a nominal fee, and they’ll open our skies up to visitors. Caithness Identity, History & Brochs...

Thurso is absolutely surrounded by sites of historical significance…

• Caithness is strewn with brochs—massive Iron Age stone towers that lie in ruin around the county as quiet reminders of our extraordinary history.

• Brochs are unique to Scotland, and Caithness has more brochs than anywhere else in the country— so when we talk about tourism and finding our unique selling point, these structures and their story could play a huge role.

• They’re also widespread in , Orkney and Shetland which may suggest a common historical identity between what are now 4 separate countries.

Nearby Brochs of Interest... Check out www.thebrochproject.co.uk for more detailed information.

Things Va—Find this enormous mystical structure at the end of a rewarding walk from Thurso to the top of Ra- venshill near the Hill of Forss, Thurso. It was later re-used as a Viking Parliament. Outstanding views to be had of ! Belmount/Polo-mint—Walking distance from Thurso: now the site of the well known ‘polo-mint’ sculpture, it ap- pears in a list of local brochs mentioning a field above . The "Orkneyinga Saga" mentions a borg at Ska- rabolstad (Scrabster) in which Bishop John was mutilated by Earl Harold's men. Achvarasdal—Situated on the road from Thurso to . At the site you will find ruins of a with preserved lower parts of the walls, and traces of the intramural staircase. Internal diameter of a broch is 10 m

Nybster—Nybster Broch, situated in , (between Keiss and John O Groats on the East coast of Caithness), It was uncovered in the 19th Century by Sir Francis Tress Barry. The walk to the Broch is straightforward, from a small carpark off the main road. The signage is not brilliant, which is something we can hopefully improve upon.

What You Can Do Read the note from Caithness Broch Project Director Kenneth McElroy at the end of this pack! Beyond that, make a point of visiting the things on your doorstep. More than any, Thurso and Caithness folk have been guilty in the past of apathy towards local attractions. Easily done, they’re so close you can get to them any time eh?! Pick one, visit it, and make that the place you recommend to our visitors.

The Caithness Drinks Cabinet

Our Localisation Workshop focused largely on Wolfburn Distillery, owing to both the significance of Malt Whisky tourism in Scotland and the fact that Wolfburn is the only Thurso-based distillery—but other quality local options are mentioned below. Wolfburn Facts

• Wolfburn sources a key ingredient—its good Caithness water– from a stream that runs alongside the distillery called Wolf Burn. A distillery of the same name previously existed a few hundred yards upstream, so the Wolfburn you taste today is a revival of old Thurso Malt Whisky Heritage.

• Unlike the vast majority of Scotch Whisky distilleries, Wolfburn’s distillation process is done by hand, with the distillers using their knowledge of the craft rather than machinery and sensors to determine when to move the spirit along. It’s also independently owned, another strong selling point with visitors.

• Tour the working distillery 2pm daily Mon—Fri, groups of up to 15. Contact Wolfburn to arrange larger groups.

Other Caithness Tipples

Needs no introduction at this point—now world famous gin and vodka produced with local botanicals. A classy, educational 5-star visit centre at Dunnet, too! Shoring up the local gin scene, Ice & Fire Distillery have created two locally foraged gins, as well as the exciting Caithness Raiders Rum.

193 year-old and producer of World Whisky of the Year in 2012—a cracking visitor centre at this Wick-based local stalwart.

Craft beer continues to boom, yet this is the only brewery in Caithness. Their real ales deserve our attention.

What You Can Do Champion local beverages—It’s not just about supporting local businesses ahead of those from elsewhere. Without your drink recommendation or pointing them towards a distillery tour, visitors may otherwise miss out on experiences that contribute positively to their impressions of Thurso & Caithness as unique, vibrant places. Destinations across Scotland passionately showcase locally produced food & drink—there’s more than enough good local stuff to fill an eye-catching local beverage shelf!

The Caithness The Caithness Larder Beverage Cabinet (a snapshot)

Seafood

Cullen Skink, Scottish salmon, scallops, mussels and hake to name a few – Caithness is the seafood lover’s playground. The Captain’s Galley at Scrabster is a literal stone’s throw from the water – an award-winning restaurant run in the most beautiful and sustainable way. The Red Pepper is also known locally for fresh seafood specials and, for something very much untraditional, enjoy Spanish tapas made from fresh Scottish ingredients in an old stone chapel at Capilla in Scrabster.

For those in self-catering accommodation, get the North Sea’s finest ingredi- ents from the Sea Larder in the precinct or the fish monger at the Harbour, ask friendly staff how to prepare a traditional meal yourself!

Bakeries In a country otherwise consumed by Gregg’s, Thurso is Scotland’s self-proclaimed, unofficial bakery capital. Scotch Pies, Steak Pies, Bridies and Sausage Rolls are staples. Expats try and ship scotch pies from Johnston’s Thurso all over the world; Reid’s is one of the country’s finest, and many locals would argue that Jamieson’s is the pick of the bunch. There’s also an ongoing national debate as to who makes a better pie: bakers, or butchers, have fine finding out.

Loads More to Recommend…

This country is famed for Fish & Chips, and Robin’s Chip Shop / Reid’s Fish Bar are stalwarts of the Thurso food scene. What’s more, no food tourism itinerary in Scotland is complete without a taste of Indian cuisine, and Thurso is similarly spoiled for choice in that regard! Visitors are utterly intrigued by Haggis. Almost every restaurant in the area will offer at least a small haggis appetiser, if not the full traditional trio of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. Thurso is climbing aboard the meat-free movement—most local restaurants will go out of their way to accommodate your dietary needs. Y-Not Bar & Grill have by far the largest variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options - Bydand are noteworthy for being accommodating too. Taste North Festival— Caithness & Sutherland’s Food & Drink Festival by Venture North will be taking place on Sunday October 6th 2019, check it out for yourself and spread the word! Local Wildlife with High Life Countryside Rangers

Countryside Ranger Paul Castle turned an every-day walk along Thurso River into an unforgettable learning experience for our workshop attendees. Walking in our natural environment is one thing, but walking through it in the company of an educated pair of eyes is a whole other, highly recommendable experience.

Check the links section at the end for a full list of scheduled Ranger walks.

The Little Things... Naturally, when you talk about Caithness wildlife, things like orcas, seals and puffins quickly come up. Though visitors will often ask about bigger, more glamorous creatures, Paul was quick to remind us of the importance of the little things—namely bumblebees! There’s a link to the Caithness Bumble-bee Trail leaflet at the end of this document.

Did You Know… In the UK, you only find the Great Yellow Bumblebee in Orkney, the Western Isles, & on the North Coast!

Bigger Things...

Orcas—Destinations all over the world trumpet whale-watching potential as a selling point to visitors. The frequency of Orca sightings off the Caithness coast is an extremely exciting wildlife viewing opportunity for almost anyone. The mere possibility of a sighting can create a memorable day out on our spectacular coastline!

Common and Grey Seals—Seal sightings are so common in Thurso that, if you live here, they’re unremarkable. But many of our visitors live nowhere near anything like the wild coastline near Thurso— being able to see pods of seals in the just a few short minutes away from their accommodation is absolutely a selling point.

Scottish Primrose- Considered one of the most scarce and beautiful plants in the world, the Scottish Primrose grows only in Orkney, Sutherland, and Caithness! In Spring, walk to Holborn Head or follow in famous local Botanist Robert Dick’s foot- steps up the River Thurso from the Cemetery for a chance to spot this delicate delight. The ‘to-do section on the Mackay’s Hotel website has handy comprehensive lists of scheduled Ranger events for Caithness & Sutherland—definitely worth a look! A Note from the Broch Project

“So you want to know about the history and prehistory of Caithness?!

“Well, quite frankly, you could devote several lifetimes to this and barely the scratch the surface of the archaeological landscape…however, with this handy cheat sheet, you’ll be able to learn about the ABC’s of CBA - Caithness’ Brilliant Archaeology! “Our story begins about 6,000 years ago, a time when we still used stone tools and had just got to grips with farming. In Caithness, the Neolithic age is characterised by the construction of huge stone monuments, as big and as complex as any other prehistoric site in the UK. “In Caithness, the stand-out structures are the burial cairns, such as those found at Camster, which are two of the oldest buildings in Scotland – though you wouldn’t think it now, it’s likely these cairns were once a hive of ceremonial activity. Nowadays, these lonely structures, cast out in the middle of Caithness, are as enigmatic as they are elegant. Well worth a detour off the comparatively frantic NC500! “The Achavanich Stone Setting is another ancient site which can be found off the beaten path; follow the road to Thurso from , past the flat and marshy ‘Flow Country’. Soon you’ll arrive at the turn off to Achavanich – one of the UK’s oddest stone settings. It is unique in that it is not a stone circle – it’s a stone horseshoe-shape! Again we can only suppose as to the purpose and function of this site, but it is a fine place for a wee wander, taking in the sights and sounds of the nearby Flow Country. Our final destination takes us back across to the historic east coast of Caithness, which is bustling with archaeological activity. “Another unusual stone setting can be found at the Hill O’ Many Stanes. No prizes for guessing what you’ll find here! Again this site is something of a mystery, but may have had some sort of calendrical purpose, or possibly astronomical. Or maybe they just fancied having a crack at a cuter version of Stonehenge… “Fast forward a few thousand years to the Iron Age, and Caithness really comes into its own. The construction of massive stone towers known as ‘brochs’ becomes the cool thing to do – and in Caith- ness we have more brochs than anywhere else in Scotland. Several examples have stood the test of time, including Ousdale Burn Broch, Dunbeath Broch and Nybster Broch. Of these, Dunbeath and Nybster are easiest and safest to visit, and both are accompanied by beautiful scenery. For the adven- turous, the Dunbeath Strath is a fantastic walk – don’t forget to visit Dunbeath Heritage Centre too, where you can learn about the local history and prehistory. At Nybster, stretching out for as far as the eye can see, is that classic Caithness coastline. You can also pop into the Caithness Broch Centre afterwards and learn about those bizarre carvings you no doubt spotted on your amble to the broch… “After these monumental stone towers came even-more-monumental castles. In Caithness there are several sterling examples of these medieval structures to discover – with perhaps one of the most stunning castles in Scotland to be found, in the shape of Sinclair Girnigoe Castle, near Staxigoe. Of course, for those with a head for heights, you might want to visit Buchollie Castle – which may have been the scene of a daring Viking escape mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga – or, for a more sedate experience, a gentle walk to Thurso Castle is always enjoyable.” Useful Links

Slow Tourism http://www.slowtourismacademy.com/customerpage/project.php–Slow Tourism definitions https://www.inspiredbycaithness.com/groatie-buckie-walk —A local example of a Slow Tourism experience www.letsgoslow.com—A Thurso-born travel blogger and his partner document their Slow Tourism experiences www.slowadventure.org—More great examples of Slow Tourism Surfing https://www.discoverthurso.co.uk/discover-north-coast-watersports-dreamy-beaches-and-world-class-surf/ https://www.discoverthurso.co.uk/discover-thurso-east-scotlands-cold-water-surfing-mecca/

^Two blog posts about local surf https://www.northcoastwatersports.com/ - Surf School based at Dunnet Beach https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/3b73vb/north-scotlands-surf-community-are-harder-than-you - Cool article about the local surf scene Old St Peter’s Kirk & Thurso Heritage https://www.facebook.com/OldStPetersKirkPreservationAssociation - Kirk Preservation Association Facebook Group http://www.thursointeractive.co.uk/default.aspx - Thurso Heritage Society—a fantastic resource for local history Aurora Sighting / Stargazing http://www.spanglefish.com/caithnessastronomygroup/index.asp?pageid=669330 - Local astronomy group events http://s3.spanglefish.com/s/21753/documents/caithness_stargazingplacesmap.jpg - Handy stargazing in Caithness map https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ - Aurora forecasting tool Brochs and Archaeology https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ - Caithness Broch Project https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/c1e372_dc1972f5abbe4b55bcf6d3458cfe8fcc.pdf - Broch Project leaflet and map Locally Produced Beverages https://wolfburn.com/contact/tour-enquiry/ - Info about distillery tours at Wolfburn https://www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk/visit-us/ - Dunnet Bay Distillery visitor experience info https://www.iceandfiredistillery.com/the-crofters-retreat/the-distilling-experience - Ice & Fire Distillery experience https://www.johnogroatsbrewery.co.uk/ - John O’Groats Brewery website https://www.oldpulteney.com/visit-pulteney-distillery/book-a-tour - Book a tour with Old Pulteney

Local Wildlife https://www.facebook.com/ASCCountrysideRangers/ - Countryside Rangers Facebook page https://www.mackayshotel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Caithness-FINAL.pdf - List of Caithness Ranger events https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BBCT071-Caithness-Bumblebee-Trail-Leaflet- 03.17.pdf - Caithness Bumble-bee trail https://www.facebook.com/groups/1185047925030728/ - Caithness Cetacean (Orca/Dolphin) Sighting Group