Caithness Postcodes — Scotland (SCT)

Caithness

Caithness is one of Scotland's ancient counties, as well as a registration county and lieutenancy region.

Caithness is bounded on the west by the medieval county of Sutherland and on the east, south, and north by the ocean. Two major highways (the A9 and the A836) and a single train line cross the land boundary at right angles to the watershed that serves as its basis (the Far North Line). Caithness is connected to Orkney by ferries across the Pentland Firth, and the county seat of Wick is also home to an airport. The island of Stroma in the Pentland Firth is technically a part of Caithness.

In addition to the Caithness seat in the British Parliament, the term was also used for the Caithness earldom. While territorial boundaries aren't always consistent, the entire Caithness region is included in the Highland council area as of 2019.

Geography of Caithness

Caithness has a roughly triangular area of about 712 sq mi, stretching about 30 miles (50 km) north to south and about 30 miles (50 km) east to west (1,840 km2). Compared to the rest of Northern Scotland, the landscape here is remarkably flat. This flat profile was especially apparent before the late 20th century, when extensive swaths were planted in conifers.

Farmland, moorland, and little towns dot the landscape. North and east of the county are stunning coastlines that are home to vast, internationally significant seabird populations. Pentland Firth and North Sea waters have a rich marine life community. Sandside Bay, Thurso Bay, Dunnet Bay, Dunnet Head (Britain's northernmost point), and Duncansby Head (Britain's north-east tip) are all notable features of the north coast; Freswick Bay, Sinclairs Bay, and Wick Bay are all prominent features of the east coast. The county's lone significant island, Stroma, is located in the northern part of Pentland Firth. Inland from the coast, the Flow Country is primarily made up of open moorland and blanket bog, forming the biggest continuous area of blanket bog in Europe and stretching into Sutherland. More fertile farm and croft land divides this region along the straths (river valleys). Morven, the county's highest mountain at 706 m, may be found in the far south, where the terrain is also slightly hillier (2,316 ft).

There are several lochs in the county, however they are rather tiny compared to those found elsewhere in northern Scotland. In no particular order, these are the largest: Loch Heilen, Loch of Wester, Loch Scarmclate, Loch Watten, Loch of Toftingall, Loch Stemster, Loch Hempriggs, Loch of Yarrows, Loch Sand, Loch Rangag, Loch Ruard, Loch a Thulachan, Loch More, Loch Caluim, Loch Tuim Ghlais, Loch Scye, Loch Shurrery, Loch Calder, and Loch Mey.

Most of Caithness is thought to be underlain by ancient red sandstone that extends to depths of about 4,000 meters (10,000 feet). These are the consolidated sediments of ancient Lake Orcadie, which scientists think covered an area from Shetland to Grampian around 370 Ma during the Devonian epoch. Sediment cores have revealed fossilized fish and plant remnants. In the somewhat elevated southwestern part of the county, around Scaraben and Ord, you can see evidence of older metamorphic rock. Morven, the highest point in Caithness, is located here.

Building using sandstone has been done since Neolithic times because of how easily rock can be divided into enormous flat slabs (flagstone).