About Whaligoe Steps
Whaligoe Steps are one of the most extraordinary and undervisited places on the entire NC500 — a staircase of 330 flagstone steps cut vertiginously into the face of a 70-metre cliff above a tiny natural harbour used by herring fishermen from the 18th century. The steps were cut to allow the herring fisherwomen (the "gutting girls") to carry their heavy baskets of fish up the cliff to the road above — an almost unimaginable daily labour. At the bottom, the small harbour is completely enclosed by cliff walls, accessible only by these steps or the sea. The atmosphere is extraordinary — hidden, dramatic and deeply atmospheric. The recently restored Whaligoe Steps Café at the top is a lovely bonus.
Highlights
Getting There
Take the A99 south from Wick (or north from Helmsdale). Turn off at Lybster onto the A895, then follow signs for Whaligoe Steps (2 miles northeast of Lybster on the coast road).