The Whaligoe Steps are one of Caithness’ most spectacular hidden gems – well worth visiting from your base at Celtic Lodges, or making a pitstop while travelling on the North Coast 500.
The Whaligoe Steps are a set of 365 flagstone steps built in the mid eighteenth century, steeply set into the cliffside. They lead down to a natural harbour, where fish was landed, gutted by fisherwomen and then packed into barrels. These hardy women would then carry the barrels of fish on their backs up the steps, and they would be sent on their onward journey to be sold in Wick.
As you take care to walk down the steps (there’s no handrail), you appreciate how strong and fit these fisherwomen must have been! Descending the cliffside, the coastal scenery is extremely dramatic, look out for seabirds in the rocks and also seals bobbing about below you.
Once you’re down at sea level, you will be able to see reminders of the working harbour, including a platform from where the boats will have been winched in. There’s also a natural waterfall on the opposite cliffside, which after a spell of heavy rain is impressive to see.
Due to the rocks at the harbour, it is not an accessible swimming spot.
Billy Connelly once visited the Whaligoe Steps during a particularly bad spell of weather and you can see his programme about it here:
This programme also inspired a mural painted in Glasgow: City Centre Mural Trail
A Journey Down the Whaligoe Steps in Caithness
The wild, dramatic coastline of Caithness in Scotland’s far north is a place of raw beauty, the Whaligoe Steps, where rugged cliffs meet the unforgiving North Sea. It’s a landscape that tells a story of a harsh but resilient past, and perhaps no place encapsulates this narrative more powerfully than the Whaligoe Steps. Hidden away and notoriously difficult to find, this remarkable man-made wonder is a testament to human ingenuity, sheer grit, and the enduring spirit of a community that once made a living from the sea.
This is not a tale of grand castles or sprawling estates, but of a simple, functional staircase carved into a 250-foot cliff face. It’s a story told in stone and sea spray, in the echoes of a bygone era. Join me as we descend into a piece of Scottish history, an adventure for the soul and a workout for the legs.
When you’re ready to take the steep climb back up the steps, you can admire and count the flagstone steps, which over the years have been repaired and replaced by local stonemasons. Caithness flagstone is a very durable paving stone material, exported worldwide. As you are driving around the county you’ll also see it used as a way of marking fence boundaries between farming fields.
Once you’ve returned to the top of the steps, you can also take the opportunity to walk along the top of the cliffs, thanks to some extra steps, stiles, bridges and a viewing platform newly installed by the John O’Groats Trail – where you’ll see the steps themselves in their entirety.
Another way to see the steps from a different perspective is to take a trip with Caithness Seacoast. They offer 90 minute tours from Wick down to Whaligoe, stopping in sea caves and passing under some spectacular sea arches.
For your own safety, access to the Whaligoe Steps should be in daylight hours. Please avoid the site when it’s windy, and take special care when the steps are wet.
The Whaligoe Steps have very limited parking available. Please be mindful of the resident parking spaces and only use the available spaces for visitors. If none are available, park at the Cairn of Get (signposted on the opposite side of the junction) and walk back to the Whaligoe Steps.
The Birth of a Harbour in a “Terrible Spot”
To understand the Whaligoe Steps, you must first understand the landscape. Along the Caithness coast, the cliffs are punctuated by narrow, rocky inlets known as “goes.” Whaligoe is one such inlet, a natural haven surrounded on three sides by towering cliffs. However, in the late 18th century, this natural feature was seen as more of a challenge than an opportunity.
The famed civil engineer Thomas Telford, while touring the northern fishing harbours in 1786, was tasked with surveying the area for potential new ports. When he laid eyes on Whaligoe, his verdict was famously dismissive: he called it a “terrible spot.” It was a place too perilous, too inaccessible for the burgeoning herring fishing trade that was sweeping Scotland at the time. Telford moved on, eventually designating Wick, a few miles north, as the place for a new, major harbour.
But where Telford saw an impossibility, a local man named Captain David Brodie saw potential. Undeterred by the engineer’s professional opinion, Brodie took a chance on the little inlet. Around 1792, he spent the princely sum of £8—a significant amount at the time—to commission the construction of a set of steps. These steps, he hoped, would provide a viable path from the cliff top to the natural harbour below. Using local Caithness flagstone, a stonemason painstakingly carved and laid a zigzagging staircase into the sheer cliff face. With these steps, Brodie transformed a “terrible spot” into a thriving harbour, a place that would, at its peak, support as many as 24 fishing boats.
The number of steps has been a point of debate over the years, with various accounts anywhere from 330 to 365. The most popular belief, and the number most widely cited today, is 365—one for every day of the year. While the exact number may be a matter of local lore and historical ambiguity, the sheer scale of the project is undeniable. The steps, with their modest stone balustrade, weave their way down the cliff face in a series of hairpin turns, a stunning feat of engineering born of necessity.
The Women of Whaligoe: A Story of Unsung Heroes
The Whaligoe Steps were a lifeline for the fishing community, but they were also a place of immense, back-breaking labour. This is not a story of men at sea, but of the unsung heroes of the fishing trade: the women.
Once the fishing boats returned to the tiny harbour below, the work was far from over. The catch, primarily herring, haddock, ling, and cod, had to be processed and transported. This was the domain of the fisherwomen. On a small, grassy terrace at the bottom of the steps, known as “The Bink,” these women would gut and clean the fish. Then, they would pack the fresh catch into large baskets, called creels, and hoist them onto their backs. The real test of endurance began then: the ascent of the 365 steps.
Imagine this: a woman, perhaps in her late 60s, with a heavy creel of fish on her back, navigating a narrow, uneven stone staircase that snakes its way up a 250-foot cliff. She would do this multiple times a day, in all kinds of weather. And the journey didn’t end at the top. Once at the summit, the fish were loaded onto carts, but in the earlier years of the harbor’s life, the women themselves would often carry the catch the seven to eight miles to the nearby town of Wick to be sold.
The work was relentless and physically demanding, a testament to the incredible strength and resilience of these women. The steps are a living monument to their tireless efforts, a tangible link to a way of life that demanded every ounce of their fortitude. The rusting remains of a winch and the ruins of a salt store at the bottom of the cliffs serve as silent witnesses to this demanding past.
Decline and Rediscovery of Whaligoe Steps
The herring fishing industry, which had fueled the boom at Whaligoe, began to decline in the late 19th century and was largely gone by the mid-20th century. With the fish stocks dwindling and larger, more modern boats requiring bigger harbours, the days of Whaligoe as a bustling fishing port came to an end. The last fishing boat ceased operating from the harbour in the 1960s, and the steps, once a vital artery, began to fall into disrepair.
Nature, in its relentless way, began to reclaim the steps. Landslips and vegetation threatened to bury the staircase, erasing this unique piece of history forever. But the story of the Whaligoe Steps is also a story of a community that refuses to forget. In 1975, after a massive landslide buried the steps under 30 tons of rubble, a local woman named Etta Juhle took on the monumental task of clearing them—by herself, with nothing more than a small fireside shovel and a bucket. Her incredible effort, channeling the same spirit of the fisherwomen who came before her, saved the steps from being lost. A small memorial at the top of the steps now stands in her honor.
Her legacy of dedication was continued by a new generation of volunteers. Since 1998, a dedicated group, led by local historian Iain Sutherland and others, have worked tirelessly to maintain the steps, quarrying stone and carrying it by hand to repair and preserve this historical landmark. It is thanks to these passionate volunteers that the Whaligoe Steps are not just a relic of the past, but an accessible and awe-inspiring site for modern visitors.
A Modern Day Pilgrimage to The Whaligoe Steps
Today, the Whaligoe Steps are a highlight on Scotland’s famous North Coast 500 driving route, drawing visitors from around the world. The journey to find them is part of the adventure. There are no grand signs on the main A99 road; you have to know where to look. A small turn-off, often marked by the sign for the nearby Whaligoe Steps Cafe, leads you to a modest car park.
From there, a path winds past a small house and garden, and then, without warning, the cliff opens up and the steps appear, an almost shocking sight as they snake their way down the precipice. The descent is a beautiful one, with the air thick with the cry of seabirds like kittiwakes and fulmars that nest in the cliffs. The views are breathtaking, and as you descend, the modern world melts away, replaced by the sounds of the crashing waves and the wind.
The climb back up, while challenging, is a time for quiet reflection. With each step, you can’t help but think of the women who made this journey with a heavy burden on their backs, a stark reminder of the hardships they faced. The steps, however, are well-maintained and safe, and the reward for your effort is a sense of accomplishment and a deeper appreciation for the history you’ve just experienced.
At the bottom, The Bink offers a peaceful spot to stand above the water, to see the rusted remnants of the past, and to simply breathe in the unique atmosphere of this cathedral of stone. It’s a place of quiet contemplation, a monument to the resilience of a people and the power of a landscape that has shaped generations.
Conclusion
The Whaligoe Steps are more than just a tourist attraction; they are a living, breathing piece of Scottish heritage. They are a physical connection to a time when life was harder, when communities relied on their own strength and resolve to survive. They are a monument to the women of Caithness, a tribute to the dedicated volunteers who keep their memory alive, and a stunning, unforgettable experience for anyone willing to take the journey.
The Whaligoe Steps are a 40 minute drive from Celtic Lodges, so whilst in the area you could also explore the area which is rich in archeological history:
- The Cairn of Get and the Grey Cairns of Camster (separate sites, examples of chambered burial cairns)
- Hill o’ many Stanes
- Achavanich Standing Stones, near Lybster
- Yarrows Archaeological Trail, near Thrumster
And other attractions/activities nearby on the NC500
- The John O’Groats Trail Coastal Path
- Waterlines Centre, Lybster – a small museum at Lybster Harbour with exhibits about the local fishing industry
- To learn more about the fishing industry of Wick, visit Wick’s Heritage Museum. Wick was once the largest herring port in Europe!
