Latheronwheel

Latheronwheel is a small Scottish village, in Caithness. It is located eight kilometres (five miles) southwest of Lybster on the A9 road to Helmsdale, close to the junction with the A895 road to Thurso, which lies in the equally small village of Latheron.

The village is located at the mouth of a wide valley, through which flows a small river which shares the village's name.

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 convert|2|acre|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.

External links

* [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/towns/townfirst2008.html Overview from the Gazetteer for Scotland]
* [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/towns/moretpix2008.html Photographs]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Latheronwheel,+UK Latheronwheel] on Google Maps