Wick, Caithness
Wick (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Ùige [ˈinivɪɾʲˈuːkʲə]; Scots: Week) is a town and royal burgh in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay. "Wick Locality" had a population of 6,954 at the time of the 2011 census, a decrease of 3.8% from 2001.
Wick
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|---|---|
Looking down-river towards the Bridge of Wick | |
Wick Location within the Highland council area | |
| Area | 3.48 km2 (1.34 sq mi) |
| Population | 6,870 (mid-2020 est.) |
| • Density | 1,974/km2 (5,110/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | ND365505 |
| • Edinburgh | 172 mi (277 km) |
| • London | 493 mi (793 km) |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WICK |
| Postcode district | KW1 |
| Dialling code | 01955 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Pulteneytown, which was developed on the south side of the river by the British Fisheries Society during the 19th century, was officially merged into the burgh in 1902.
Elzy was described as on the coast a couple of miles east of Wick in 1836.
The town is on the main road (the A99–A9 road) linking John o' Groats with southern Britain. The Far North railway line links Wick railway station with southern Scotland and with Thurso, the other burgh of Caithness. Wick Airport is on Wick's northern outskirts. The airport has one usable runway. Two are disused.
The main offices of The John O'Groat Journal and The Caithness Courier are located in Wick, as are Caithness General Hospital (run by NHS Highland), the Wick Carnegie Library and local offices of the Highland Council. Wick Sheriff Court is one of 16 sheriff courts serving the sheriffdom of Grampian, Highland and Islands.