Dunnet Bay and Castletown – Beach, Lunch and Harbour
A day.
The route
Dunnet Bay is nearly two miles of pale sand and high dunes on the north coast of Caithness, between the villages of Dunnet and Castletown, six to eight miles east of Thurso.
It's an easy day out: fresh sea air on a big, open beach, lunch in an 1818 mill brought back to life by a new distillery, and a little harbour that once shipped Caithness flagstone across the world.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is House of the Northern Gate, 2 miles away. Sleeps 18.
Book a table for about 12.30 at the Grain Store at Stannergill Distillery in Castletown, on its website or on 01847 698063: in 2026 it served lunch every day from 11.30am to 3pm between late May and the end of October, and dogs cannot come into the restaurant.
The day
Dunnet
The day starts with the wind in your face and the sand underfoot, and gets gentler from there. Everything sits close together round the bay, so there's no rushing and very little driving.
About four hoursAbout 2.5 miles on foot
Dunnet Beach
An attraction
Park in the beach car park off the A836, beside the Dunnet Bay campsite, just south of Dunnet village. A path leads through the marram to nearly two miles of white sand under dunes up to 20 metres high, with Dunnet Head across the water to the north. Walk the tideline towards Castletown for a mile and back, about an hour and a half with stops.
4 min by car
The Grain Store
Lunch
Lunch is at the Grain Store at Stannergill Distillery in Castletown, 4 minutes' drive from the beach, with a large car park and a lift. Book a table for about 12.30 online or on 01847 698063. In 2026 it served lunch every day from 11.30am to 3pm between late May and the end of October, so this day is for those months. Dogs can't come in. In the other months, try the Northern Sands Hotel in Dunnet, which serves food every day; dogs are welcome only in its beer garden.
3 min by car
Castlehill Harbour and the Flagstone Trail
A walk
From the Grain Store it's 3 minutes' drive down the signposted, single-track Castlehill Harbour Road, with free parking across from the centre. The centre opens only on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 2pm to 4pm, by donation. On the other days the Flagstone Trail and the harbour are the stop. James Traill began shipping Caithness flagstone from here in the early 1790s, and the trail passes the round stone windpump tower on its way down to the harbour. Inside the centre is the Merlin engine of a wartime Hurricane, recovered from a Caithness bog in 1990. From mid-November to mid-January the sun sets before 4pm, so walk the trail first.
If it rains
Wind and a passing shower suit Dunnet Beach well enough. On a really wet day, adults can swap the walk for the 11am tour at Stannergill Distillery, which in 2026 ran from Tuesday to Sunday between June and October: about an hour and a half, over-18s only and no dogs, booked ahead, with flat shoes for the open grid floors. It opens with a whisky cocktail and ends with a tasting, and a driver can take the tasting away in three 20ml containers brought from home. Book lunch for 1pm that day. With children there is no indoor plan beyond a long lunch and, on a Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon, the heritage centre, where families are welcome and there is sometimes dressing up.
Worth a detour
- Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head, across the water to the north of the beach, is the most northerly point of mainland Britain. A firm, step-free path runs from the large car park to the clifftop viewpoint, and puffins, razorbills and guillemots nest on the cliffs in the breeding season. Keep to the path and well back from the edge, and keep dogs close, preferably on a short lead, from April to mid-August. There are no toilets. Go after lunch: it's 14 minutes' drive from the Grain Store and 16 on to Castlehill, about 25 minutes more at the wheel than the direct road, and with half an hour on the headland you still reach the heritage centre well before it shuts at 4pm.
Where to stay
Make it a weekend
More days out in Caithness.
Photograph by CairnAlba GSDs via Google