58°35N 3°32W, pop (2000e) 8690. Port town in Highland, N Scotland, UK; on N coast, at head of R Thurso, 30 km/19 mi NW of Wick; N terminus of railway system; car ferry service to Orkney from Scrabster; St Peter's Church (17th-c), Thurso Folk Museum.
Thurso (from Old Norse, meaning 'Bull's water') (Inbhir Theòrsa in Scottish Gaelic) is a town and a burgh on the north coast of Scotland.
Geography
Thurso is the northernmost town on the British mainland, situated at the northern extreme of the A9 road, the main road linking Caithness with the south of the country, and is 20 miles (32 km) west of John O' Groats and 21 miles (34 km) northwest of Wick, the closest town. Thurso is the most northerly location served by the Britain's rail network, which links the town directly with Wick, the county town of Caithness, and with Inverness, which is the administrative centre of the Highland Council area.
The town is within the Parish of Thurso, which has the parishes of Olrig and Bower to the east, Halkirk to the south, and Reay to the west. The parish of Thurso has also a north-facing Atlantic coastline stretching from Crosskirk Bay in the west to the Haven in Dunnet Bay in the east.
The River Thurso flows through the town and into Thurso Bay and the North Atlantic Ocean. Thurso has a fine harbour and beach and looks out over the Firth to the Orkney island of Hoy and the famous towering Old Man of Hoy (A stack of rock standing out from the main island). Area offices of Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College.
History
The town's history stretches back, at least, to the era of Norse Orcadian rule in Caithness, which ended conclusively in 1266.
Local government
Three first past the post wards of the Highland Council are named as Thurso wards: Thurso West, Thurso Central and Thurso East, each electing one councillor.
Port of Scrabster
The port of Scrabster lies about 1½ miles (2 km) to the west of the estuary of the River Thurso.
From June 2007 a summer-only weekly ferry service will connect Scrabster with the Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Iceland, Denmark and Norway.
Sport
The football (soccer) team, Thurso FC (nicknamed "the Vikings"), plays in the North Caledonian League.
The current champions of the Caithness County League are the Thurso Academicals FC, also known as 'Accies' who won the league in the 2005 season for the first time in 36 years.
Another football team in Thurso is the Pathetic Sharks.
The European Surfing Championships and Scottish Surf Kayaking Championships are sometimes held in Caithness, with Thurso East being the main focus of activity.
Twin Towns
Brilon (Germany)
Main road junctions
From Scrabster Harbour (Ordnance Survey grid reference ND102704) the A9 runs generally east/southeast through Thurso and then generally south towards Inverness, Perth and Falkirk. In Thurso the A9 has junctions with two other classified roads, the A836 and the B874, and in the Georgemas area, about 5 miles (8 km) south of Thurso, the A9 has a locally important junction with the A882 (ND156601), which leads towards Wick.
From the A9 near Burnside (ND107689), in Thurso, the A836 leads generally west towards Reay, Melvich, Bettyhill and Tongue.
From the A9 in central Thurso (ND116683) the B874 leads generally south towards Halkirk.
From the A9 in the Millbank area of Thurso (ND119681) the A836 leads generally east towards Castletown and John O Groats.
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