Population 300 Country Scotland Post town Thurso Local time Thursday 10:56 AM Council area Highland | OS grid reference ND260734 Sovereign state United Kingdom Postcode district KW14 Dialling code 01847 Lieutenancy areas Highland, Caithness | |
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Weather 7°C, Wind W at 5 km/h, 54% Humidity Scottish parliament Caithness, Sutherland and Ross UK parliament constituency Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | ||
Skarfskerry (or Scarfskerry; Scottish Gaelic: Sgarbh Sgeir) is the most northerly settlement on mainland Scotland. It is located in Caithness, on a small peninsula northeast of Thurso, off the A836. The name comes from the Old Norse for "cormorants' rock". Historically, it belonged to the Parish of Dunnet, along with Brough.
Contents
Map of Scarfskerry, Thurso, UK
Landmarks
This rural settlement consists of a scattering of crofts and other houses and a small harbour with a pier. The harbour is no longer used for commercial purposes, although boats operate in the area providing tourists with trips to see White-beaked dolphins, Minke whales and Harbor Porpoises. The pier, about 150 yards long, has a small bight on the southwestern side, and a rocky beach continues towards the nearby settlement of Ham. The hamlet also contains a Baptist church and is home to the Scottish National Organiser of British Divers Marine Life Rescue. Skarfskerry Point, a double-headed point, 30 feet high, marks the eastern entrance point of Brough Bay. The Loch of Mey lies just to the southeast.
Scarfskerry Harbour is also home to the wreck of the SS Linkmoor, of London, Captain Ridley. Liverpool to Blyth. Lost 10 Nov 1930, 2.55am GMT during a Westerly gale force 8-9 in heavy sea & squalls. Cause, engine trouble and state of weather, with 32 on board of whom all were saved. The SS Linkmoor is a favourite "shore" dive site for local divers and is often used as a training dive. Best dived in winter due to the shallow nature of the wreckage being obscured by kelp. The boilers actually stood proud of the water until they final succumbed to the waters during a storm in the 1990s. A local house situated a short distance from the harbour is named after the ship that salvaged the Linkmoor, the "SS Briarbank."
A few hundred meters West of the Harbour lies the wreck of the SS Victoria. Situated between the Harbour and Ruther Geo, this wreck was lost on 3 March 1891. The crew were rescued by Longhope Lifeboat, who rowed for 10 hours across the Pentland Firth to rescue the crew. A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Benjamin Stout in recognition of his gallantry when rescuing the crew of 22. Eleven of the rescued crew were Germans, and the Emperor of Germany presented a gold watch to the coxswain and £24 to the crew of the lifeboat. In 1996, a fisherman's pattern anchor from the SS Victoria was raised by Thurso Sub Aqua Club (TSAC), and whilst residing for several years at a property in Scarfskerry was later presented by TSAC to Longhope lifeboat station as a mark of respect for the heroic work carried out by the RNLI on a daily basis. The Victoria is also a popular dive site by local divers, but as with the Linkmoor is best dived during the winter months. Still present on the site are several anchors and slabs of packed stones, believed to be used for ballast.