A year of sea and sky in Caithness

Posted: December 23rd, 2024

It’s the light and the skies

This December, I thought I’d share twelve months’ of photographs of the sea and the skies of Caithness.

The light and skies are extraordinary, whenever you visit Caithness. The weather may be wonderful – or not so wonderful some days – the horizon is undeniably flat – but the skies are 360° of drama – full of movement, light, changing weather, and promises of sunshine or storms to come.

A view of the sea from the cliff tops with white rollers coming in in two directions and looking like a St Andrew's cross in the sea — January – at St John’s Head, Caithness

A picture taken at twilight with a dramatically coloured sky, snow in the foreground and a statue in the centre — February – the statue of Henry Sinclair at Noss Head

The road leading to Noss Head lighthouse, with dark storm clouds in the sky and snow on the ground — March – in between the snow storms at Noss Head

A sunset reflected almost perfectly in a pond — April – still reflections at Noss Head

The gates of Noss Head lighthouse compound, with the lighthouse shimmering in mist and a blue sky behind — May – morning mist at Noss Head

A dappled evening sky almost perfectly reflected in a pond — June – a midsummer evening at Noss Head

July – summer wildflowers on the clifftops

Noss Head lighthouse on the clifftop with a dappled evening sky behind it — August – evening sky over Noss Head lighthouse

The silhouette of a wire fence and seed-heads with a pinkish sky and the full moon behind. — September – Moonrise over Noss Head

A road with a flock of sheep and a man in a high-viz jacket, with a dark cloudy sky behind them — October – moving the flock

A man and a dog on a beach with a castle in the distance — November – Freswick beach and castle

A lighthouse with the light shining in the dusk — December – Dusk at Noss Head Lighthouse

About me

My name is Ben, and I first came to Caithness a few days before midsummer in 2017. It did not get fully dark that night, and the skies blew me away. Guests at my holiday cottage often mention them, whether it’s the milky way and the chance of the aurora in winter, or our long, light summer evenings.

These photos are all my own, taken on my phone. In person, our skies are even more stunning.

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