Latheronwheel
Latheronwheel (from Scottish Gaelic Latharn a' Phuill, meaning 'muddy place of the pool')[1] is a small Scottish village, in Caithness. It is six kilometres (four miles) southwest of Lybster on the A9 road[2] to Helmsdale, near the junction with the A99 road to Wick, which lies in the equally small village of Latheron.
Latheronwheel
| |
|---|---|
 Latheronwheel harbour | |
  Latheronwheel Location within the Caithness area | |
| OS grid reference | ND195329 |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Latheron |
| Postcode district | KW5, KW6 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
The village is at the mouth of a wide valley, through which flows a small river called the Burn of Latheronwheel.
It was built on the land of one Captain Dunbar (who had actually wished for it to be called Janetston, after his wife). It was a planned settlement, begun in 1835 with the building of a hotel (then known as 'Dunbar's Hotel' but today as 'The Blends' - due to its proprietor in the 1890s penchant for blending whisky from stills of dubious legality). In the beginning, tenants of the settlement were allocated 2 acres (8,100 m2) and the right to fish from the harbour.
The harbour was constructed around 1840, with a small lighthouse (soon disused) built on the southern headland. At one time was the home of 50 boats although few now remain. Initially salmon was caught, but this gave way to herring.
The village is home to the four star Craiglea holiday complex which includes a swimming pool, something unique to this area of Scotland.
References
- Gaelic and Norse in the Landscape: Placenames in Caithness and Sutherland Archived 21 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Scottish National Heritage.
- "Scothighlands - Drive from Scrabster to Latheronwheel, Scotland". www.scothighlands.com. Retrieved 22 November 2019.