The historic Whaligoe Steps are supposedly notorious for being difficult to find. Supposedly. I had thought we would be going around in circles, perhaps never even finding them, but for two people who are terrible at directions, we found the seaside ruins easily! Which makes me wonder, if we’re terrible at directions, what does that make the people unable to find the steps?!
Built in the mid-1780s, it cost £8 to cut the steps that lead to a teeny, tiny port in a naturally formed harbour near the town of Wick, Scotland. There were originally 365 steps but time has deteriorated the steps to 330. These steps were travelled by fisher wives who would descend the stairs, often times carrying cases of heavy salt. They would gut the fish, load the fish into baskets, and haul the fish back up the stairs. They would then walk the 8 miles to Wick carrying the baskets. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
The stairs are located near 58.347593,-3.1648637, behind the Whaligoe Cafe. Follow the GPS to the coordinates until you see 2 rows of low cottages. There is a small parking area behind the cottages.
Walk down this gravel road towards the walled building (the cafe).
This leads to the top of the stairs.
Remnants of a salt store.
Remains of a barking kettle and fireplace used to heat the tar to waterproof nets and floats
A hand-powered winch for loading the catch from the boats below, or for hauling the boats from the water.
Don’t forget, going down the stairs might be easy… going up is another matter. Imagine hauling several pounds of smelly fish up that!
Whaligoe Steps Overview
- Coordinates: 58.347593,-3.1648637
- Fees: FREE
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Usage: Moderate
- Length: 330-365 stair steps
- Things to note:
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Pets allowed: No
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