The Trinkie
A tidal sea-water swimming pool cut from an old quarry on the cliffs of Wick's South Head, filled by the North Sea and looked after by local volunteers.
On the cliffs of South Head, looking out over the North Sea from the edge of Wick, a long rectangle of water lies cut into the dark rock.
The Trinkie is a tidal swimming pool, made from an old quarry and filled by the sea itself as the waves wash over its walls.
Its name means trench in Scots. The idea of a salt-water pool for the town was first raised in 1896, and it opened in the 1920s; by 1931 a swimming club had forty members. It has served generations of swimmers, and today volunteers of the Trinkie Heritage Preservation Group clean and paint it every year.
The water is cold, even in summer. Swimmers take the plunge, families picnic on the rocks, and seals, seabirds and sometimes dolphins pass offshore. A coastal path runs on south to the Castle of Old Wick. There is no charge and no lifeguard.
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Open all year and free.
Parking at the end of the South Head road; the water is cold, and there is no lifeguard.
- Where
- South Head, Wick, KW1 5TN.
- Opened
- The 1920s.
- Cost
- Free.
Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.
Add your reviewOn the cliffs of South Head, on the south side of Wick Bay; park at the road end, KW1 5TN.
CaithnessCaithness runs from the Pentland Firth to the Moray Firth and together with Sutherland covers the north coast of Scotland.1 mile 4 min by road
Wick Heritage CentreWick's story in the town.1 mile 4 min by road
Wick1 mile 5 min by road
Castle of Old WickThe old castle along the coast path.1 mile 8 min by road
Brig o' StackA sea stack further south.1 mile 8 min by road
Places to stay near the pool, and when each is next free.
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