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Originally a Viking settlement named Vik (meaning "bay"), WICK has been a royal burgh since 1589. It's actually two towns: Wick proper, and Pultneytown , immediately south across the river. Wick's heyday was in the mid-nineteenth century, when it was the busiest herring port in Europe, with a fleet of over 1100 boats, exporting tons of fish to Russia, Scandinavia and the West Indian slave plantations. Although Robert Louis Stevenson described it as "the meanest of man's towns, situated on the baldest of God's bays", it's by no means a bad place, although there's no doubt it has a down-at-heel atmosphere. Pultneytown, lined with rows of fishermen's cottages, is the area most worth a wander, with the acres of largely derelict net-mending sheds, stores and cooperages around the harbour giving some idea of the former scale of the fishing trade. The town's story is told in the excellent Wick Heritage Centre in Bank Row, Pultneytown (June-Sept Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; £2), which contains a fascinating array of artefacts from the old fishing days, including fully-rigged boats, original boat models, the old Noss Head lighthouse light and a great photographic collection dating from the 1880s. Interestingly, Wick was a dry town for quarter of a century until 1947, although that didn't stop some of the locals heading off to Lybster or Thurso for a quiet beer or two.
The train station and bus stops are next to each other behind the hospital. Frequent local buses run to Thurso and up the coast to John O'Groats (7 daily). Wick also has an airport (tel 01955/602215), a couple of miles north of the town, with direct flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and connections further south. From the train station, head across the river down Bridge Street to the cheerful tourist office , just off the High Street (April-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; July-Oct also Sun 11am-4pm; Nov-March Mon-Fri 11am-2.30pm; tel 01955/602596), which can organize local accommodation . On Louisburgh Street, the Nethercliffe Hotel (tel 01955/602044; £40-50) is good value, while the best of the hotels is Mackay's , by the river in the town centre (tel 01955/602323, ; £70-90). Five miles towards Thurso is the lovely Bilbster House (tel 01955/621212; April-Oct; in winter by arrangement; under £40). The north bank of the river, at the east end of High Street, is the best spot for eating and drinking . On Market Street, the Bord de l'Eau (tel 01955/604400; Tues-Sun) produces gourmet French cuisine at excellent prices, while round the corner Cabrelli's may be trapped in a time warp but it serves piles of fish and chips, along with authentic pizza.
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