Often paired with Sutherland to be described as Scotland’s northern wilderness, the county of Caithness provides a contrasting landscape to its neighbour and yet still provides the perfect escape from the office for conferences, meetings, exhibitions and events. The county is renowned for its vast, cathedral-like skies, cliffs colonised by sea birds and peat lands of the ‘Flow Country’. More fertile and populated than its counterpart, Caithness provides no less spectacular a natural backdrop boasting dramatic coastal scenery, moorlands and countryside perfect for outdoor pursuit teambuilding events and corporate activities.
Caithness contains some of Europe’s most important Neolithic sites, preserving the area’s vital heritage, whilst the county has also proven popular with royalty, the Castle of Mey having been home to the late Queen Mother. Town’s such as Wick, where life centres around the river and harbour, are ideal as a conference destination with meeting venues offering a good range of facilities for all events.
Travelling by road conference delegates can enjoy the full splendour of the scenic coastal A9/A99 route, whilst good rail and air links including flights into Wick or Inverness airports also make the area easily accessible.
For a unique and exhilarating experience why not opt for a private charter with Caithness Sea Coast where conference delegates can enjoy the breathtaking views of castles, sea caves, harbours and wildlife from the water.
Alternatively, landlubbers can relish the opportunity of experiencing 5 star luxury at Ackergill Tower. This captivating castle is a historic venue that has become one of the most sought after retreats in the world providing a peaceful, private, inspirational space for weddings, corporate events, conferences, training and teambuilding activities. A selection of meeting rooms caters for various delegate group capacities and although a historic building, the castle comes complete with every modern convenience. Being popular with tourists, walkers and outdoor adventurers, the county boasts a number of hotels offering conference and business-minded facilities, as corporate visitors are likely to indulge in secluded corporate retreats and private meetings as well as teambuilding and corporate hospitality events. The Weigh Inn overlooks the Pentland Firth with panoramic views of the Orkney Islands and offers 4 conference spaces able to cater for up to 180 delegates whilst the Royal Hotel Thurso offers elegant conference and banqueting suites for up to 150 delegates. The stylish Portland Arms Hotel has a reputation for providing friendly, traditional Scottish hospitality whilst being able to accommodate both large and small events, whether a strategy meeting for 12 or a celebratory banquet for 250, whereas the Norseman Hotel, set overlooking the River Wick, has capacity for 100 delegates for conferences, corporate events and weddings. Major hotel groups represented in Caithness include Amazing Retreats and Oxford Hotels & Inns.
Therefore, meeting planners shouldn’t take this ‘wilderness’ for granted as it is undoubtedly an extraordinarily rewarding conference destination with much to offer those who are willing to travel to the country’s edge.