At long last, I’ve found a window of spare time to present the final bit of my 365 day trek challenge which saw me tackle a trip down and around Whaligoe Steps for the duration of a year! Each and every day since May 1st, 2023, I ventured around this local hotspot and captured my sightings with my trusty camera.
There’s also some sad tidings within this blog entry as I address a car accident which took place on June 1st, 2024.
To recap quickly, here are some links regarding my trek challenge if you’re in the mood for contemporary fauna and flora of the coastline along the northern Scottish Highlands…
From April 29th, 2024 up to and including May 1st, 2024… Thank you for your support and kindness on social media during this whole exercise, it’s meant a lot. To my knowledge, I’m the only person to have ever taken on such an experience. It was such a joy to complete, and to share the sightings with you too.
April 29th, 2024: Cute baby rabbit enjoys some early morning sunshine, plus the winding nature of the fifth flight of Whaligoe Steps.
April 30th, 2024: The sixth and final flight of Whaligoe Steps takes you down onto the Bink (grassy platform), and a radiant glare from an optimistic morning sun.
May 1st, 2024: Slight haze in the air during this trek. Below are a couple of fine examples of the birdlife which is settling in at Whaligoe Steps. Shag (Gulosus aristotelis) on the left, and a razorbill (Alca torda) on the right.
Due to the larger numbers of visitors to this area since the North Coast 500 enterprise, an overflowing residential car park being utilised for campervans, motorbikes and cars, plus the fact there’s only one access lane have seen congestion, property damage and other accidents.
On August 20th, 2021, shortly after I began to sort this blogging website for public consumption, a car accident took place at the end of this lane near the phone box. Traffic leaving and entering via this route have to negotiate a few challenges when times are very busy.
On June 30th, 2019, the amazing local coastguard were called in as a visitor had issues down Whaligoe Steps.
On July 12th, 2022, another car incident unfolded within the confines of the residential car park here in Ulbster.
Sadly, as we await the Highland Council’s implementation for their Government-approved £90,000 for extending and improving the immediate infrastructure, another car accident occurred on June 1st, 2024.
Personally, I’ve not witnessed so many police vehicles in attendance, and can only hope that those involved are finding some sort of positivity in the aftermath.
On March 4th, 2021, the Highland Council announced they’d received a substantial tourism investment from the Government, and were reviewing their spending plans.
August 25th, 2022, the local newspaper tipped me off about their announcement to spend £90,000 on the car parking facilities here. The idea was that the Council had five years in which to tackle this project.
Fingers remained firmly crossed folks.
Regarding the tourist-themed conversation here in Caithness, a fabulous author called Gail Anthea Brown has impressed on many occasions with her intelligent and sensitive narrative on all things North Coast 500, and the general impact on this beautiful location. More About Me & Contact · Gail Anthea Brown
I highly recommend subscribing to her email newsletters. The latest example of this articulate expression arrived in my inbox on May 31st, titled “The Golden Goose – tourism and tension in the north”
So success found in tackling three hundred and sixty five consecutive days of treks down and around Whaligoe Steps, but also the shadow of sorrow for those who have experienced accidents in recent years.
Traffic has been steady and at times overwhelming here in recent weeks, so please be careful and aware of the hazards.
It is a modest residential car park, with one small access point leading off the main road. This infrastructure was NEVER designed for the volume of vehicles negotiating it.
If I’m watching a television series and there is a gap between watching the episodes, I find myself thankful when the creators of such a show provide a recap. That magical reminder of the characters and their story arc, the prompt to pick up where I left off whilst watching avidly on prior occasions.
So here it is for those of you who are new to the “Whaligoe Eye” project (and there has been a significant increase of visitors to this humble website), covering life on and around the remarkable Whaligoe Steps, here in the north Highlands of Scotland.
This recap also applies to those who have dropped by in the past thanks to my coverage of Stonemasonry undertaken by Charles Juhlenski on the Steps; the blogs covering my thirteen day monitoring of a grey seal pup here at Whaligoe Steps; the coverage of ongoing congestion and overwhelming traffic issues which have plagued the local infrastructure here causing a significant amount of anxiety and stress for visitors and locals alike, or general curiosity after the welcome social media interest in my poetry and promotion of this website.
Although the history of Whaligoe Steps can be dated back via documented sources to around 1640, the Steps we can witness at the time of this blog entry are commonly associated to the sterling investment of Captain David Brodie. He commissioned around 330 Caithness flagstones to be set in the cliff face to provide a robust pathway down to what is known as the Bink, which is situated at the base of the zig-zagging descent. The year most commonly associated with Captain Brodie and his intent on creating a better walkway is around 1791.
I’m not going to enter into a whole chronological history lesson right now, that can wait for the book which I’m researching and constantly working on. Just know that living here for over thirty years, I count my blessings being entertained, stimulated and marvelling at the world around me regarding Whaligoe Steps. So let me take this opportunity to share the story thus far dating back only a few months when I kickstarted this modest blogging website.
(Social media screenshot) Coverage at the time of the dangerous numbers of visitors overwhelmed the immediate infrastructure at Whaligoe Steps
Due to the frustrating lack of acknowledgement by the Highland Council to the plight facing residents and visitors to Whaligoe Steps over the past five years (!), I took the plunge and paid for this website in August, 2021. For one reason or another, nobody else was in a situation locally to provide a sensible and socially aware approach to bringing attention to the evident health and safety risks of residents and visitors here.
After being informed by other residents of constant minor vehicle-related incidents in the residents carpark, or near misses to pedestrians in relation to the significant increase to traffic either mounting the kerb, or trying to negotiate a singular access point which was not built for purpose of this magnitude, I decided to do something about it! The proverbial cherry on top of the cake arrived nearly a year prior, when in September, 2020, my outer wall was knocked down by an impressive sized campervan! My stress levels hit an all time high.
Residents carpark totally full in August, 2021 – No space for residents or anyone wishing to visit residents…
As of the middle of January, 2022, I’m sad to update one and all with how nothing has changed regarding this specific concern. Mind you, in fairness to the Highland Council they did eventually provide a well-used dustbin for refuse collection as we had at that point no facilities other than a yellow grit bin! The rubbish bin is a silver lining to what has been a huge disappointment thus far.
I took a screenshot of a relevant online meeting the Highland Council orchestrated regarding significant increases to tourism in the Highlands and the impacts thereof. This meeting was held on September 29th (2021) and apart from their back-slapping over providing wardens to assess and data-collect, they also recognised that lessons in social media would be beneficial.
Despite only one local Councillor venturing out to meet me and discuss or listen to my woes, I have emailed all others from the local Ward to no avail. The warden I witnessed on a couple of occasions who visited the carpark and immediate area when no traffic and disruption was unfolding, made no overtures of communication or data-collection from myself or those who I have spoken with.
Sharing this with you is surprisingly cathartic, so I extend my humble thanks to you for listening.
So the first blog entry was on August the 15th, 2021, reporting on the chaos of another year busy with visitors to Whaligoe Steps, and tales of being unable to park in allocated spaces as they were full. As the days rolled by in a blur of constant monitoring and anxiety, the website began to take on other elements of what makes this community so interesting and precious.
Photo taken thanks to a trip with Caithness Seacoast in 2021… From the perspective of the north sea looking under the Bink.
There was a trip taken with Caithness Seacoast in 2021 which added to the learning curve regarding the relationship of Whaligoe Steps in context to the coastline leading to Wick. During this time I was learning about the abundant wildlife around Whaligoe Steps, and raising awareness regarding the ominous situation on my doorstep with congestion and volume of visitors by talking to some local newspapers…
Another highlight for me was getting the opportunity to talk to the Stonemason Charles Juhlenski and see him at work. For several months he worked hard repairing and maintaining a couple of flights from the total of six which make up Whaligoe Steps.
Before the end of 2021, on my regular treks down the Steps I was privileged to discover a baby grey seal on the pebble shore. For thirteen days I monitored the transition as the white fur gave way to a grey coat, and the general confidence the pup developed as it became aware of its surroundings. Two blogs covered this experience and even now I am so warm-hearted by the whole encounter.
Baby grey seal (Halichoerus grypus)
Me with a salvage of plastic pollution
Baby grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) – One of my last photos of a grey seal pup after monitoring it for 13 days…
I think that will do for what was supposed to be a condensed recap of the past few months here at Whaligoe Steps.
The positive feedback and support from local folk as well as those beautiful people from around the globe, from Australia to Africa, Canada and the U.S., to many other interesting parts of the Earth, have been at times sincerely overwhelming. I thank you one and all.
It would be remiss of me not to say that your continued support simply visiting and reading some of the content; following the various social media enterprises associated with this website; and those who subscribed to this venture via the online form, are very much appreciated and add to the unity of cultural insight and awareness of this area of the Highlands coastline in Scotland. You also get to peek behind a curtain and relate to community impact in the face of a perceived apathy and uncomfortable political situation. I share my humble gratitude with you and look forward to sharing more of this unfolding true story with you.
This year, 2022, is looking like it will be one truly insane time! Where unassuming visitors and residents already battle-weary, will be confronting another dangerous and chaotic arena of feverish activities. Not only is access for emergency services in question, but sadly the constant call for updates within the infrastructure here to cater for toilet facilities, better signage, safer conditions for pedestrians, better parking allocation, and perhaps some communication/transparency from the Highland Council with the residents regarding intentions or plans which may be ahead.
Be assured that it’s my intention to continue working on updates for this website throughout 2022. Covering as much of the evolving landscape, wildlife, revealing the history as I research it, and capturing the carnage which is to follow as the months creep forward.
Thank You again, you’re amazing. Take care and stay safe.
The amenities/facilities here around the Whaligoe Steps. Exhibit A.
Either right at the very end of 2017 or the turning of 2018, this salt grit bin made an appearance. When the ground gets too icy and dangerous the contents can be used to make conditions a lot safer.
Photo taken this morning – 30th August, 2021
As I meandered back up from the Whaligoe Steps this morning, I walked over to the grit salt bin which is the only (at the time of this blog post) sign of Highland Council presence within their residential car parking area regarding amenities/facilities.
But I digress. I wanted to share with you the continued traffic situation here when it gets busy.
Mexican Stand-Off yesterday (29/08/2021)
With the car park full, a car on the left is waiting patiently for some sensible and safe way to park. As they wait a resident tries to leave their lane (the silver car). Meanwhile a campervan hesitates in the only access point to the residential car parking facility due to an oncoming Jeep squeezing by.
In a recent local newspaper article, residents or visitors were recommended by the Highland Council to call 101 – I quote “Obstruction is a police matter. Residents experiencing obstruction or damage to their property/vehicles should contact the police on 101.”
“The council has no immediate plans to extend the car park at Ulbster but is willing to work with communities where need is identified and funding can be found.”
