The information centre opened on 9th April 2004 and is open from 11am to 5pm daily, the two part time information officer posts are being paid with funds generously provided by the Highland Council. The focus is on the facilities and the geology, geography, history, environment, flora and fauna of Dunnet Head and its immediate environs. The centre provides a central point for educational resources where people can reference materials specific to the area. The centre sells a variety of books and videos with an environmental theme, postcards, a range of refreshments (tea, coffee, cakes, cold drinks, Orkney ice cream), and some fun items such as fridge magnets in the shape of a Highland Cow – which are proving very popular! There is also an email station and reference section.

We have a few activities for children and good contacts with Harmeny School in Edinburgh who have already provided us with a marvellous display of Highland Cows! There are many Highland cows in Brough which are great draw for visitors.

We are glad that Frances Garner has joined us again this year. Frances is a local girl with a wealth of knowledge about the area. Frances has a few words to say about working at the centre:

" Hello Readers, my name is Frances Garner and I am one of the information officers at the Dunnet Head Information Point. I started this job on the 6th June 2003 and have come back to start work on the 9th April this year. The previous year I found myself rather nervous meeting people but I have grown more confident. Last year we got over 1200 visitors on our first year of opening so this year I hope we can beat that target. The highlight of the job is meeting people from all over the world but I particularly enjoy it when local people come back for a return visit and a friendly chat. I always insist that visitors sign The Book! It is sometimes quite amusing to read the comments. At the beginning many people visited the centre still thinking it was a restaurant. Now it has a new use as an information point where you can get tea, coffee, cakes and ice cream – not that many information points do that! And if you think about it there are not that many information points. We also deal with fishing permits for the Dunnet Head Lochs and general questions asked by our visitors. The most common question asked, "So, what do you do in winter?" It is amazing the number of people who think we have bad winters. Despite the fact that we are further north than Moscow, we rarely get much snow on the coast. The summer in 2003 was very warm and hopefully it will be the same for this year and especially good for our first ever Caithness Walking Festival. Later on in the year there will be a guided walk on Burifa Hill as part of the Scottish Archaeology Month to be led by myself. So if you have some spare time pop in and see us

Kindest Regards, Frances Garner, Information Officer"

Robert Adam joined us this year, and is doing a great job getting to grips with the various aspects of the centre – more from Robert in the next issue!

FEASIBILITY STUDIES

Environmental and Heritage Courses

A feasibility study for environmental and heritage courses is being carried out by a student from Medicine Hat College, Alberta, Canada. Nicole Dancey is in post until the end of July. This is what Nicole has to say about working at Dunnet Head:

"Here I am, looking out the window of my wee caravan. I see various birds playing nearby. Each morning I wake up to an orchestra of their music, often mixed with the sound of rain tapping on the rooftop. The sun is out, and there is a light breeze, which helps the dancing branches of the trees join in with the birdsong orchestra and create a melodic and beautiful surrounding. It is from this enchantment, that I often find myself becoming completely absorbed within its powerful, peaceful and strong energy. This is what I feel in Caithness.

In the centre of Canada’s prairies, you’ll find Saskatchewan, the place I call home. I see many similarities between here and there, in that the people are so friendly and welcoming, and there is so much open space. Although, Saskatchewan is my home, I have lived for several years, in one of our neighbor provinces. I have traveled here, from Medicine Hat, Alberta, as a third year student in the Bachelor of Applied Science (Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership) Degree Program [www.mhc.ab.ca/etol]. I love my program. It has given me a strong foundation of knowledge from which to draw upon, as I come here, to whole new surroundings and lifestyles.

The Dunnet Head Educational Trust has provided me the opportunity to carry out a feasibility study for the proposed educational courses, which will be completed in July. We hope to fill a niche in the community by forming partnerships, which will enhance the experience of Caithness, expand on public awareness of our environment and heritage, support the local economy and ensure the sustainability of such education in the future.

Feel free to contact me, should you wish to fill in a questionnaire. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely, Nicole Dancey "

* Guided tours aimed at specific aspects of the heritage and natural history of the area. The first of these will be on 8th September as part of the Scottish Archaeology Month when Frances will lead a walk to the Long Byre.

SUPPORTERS

The numbers of people supporting the Trust in its work is growing, and we would like to thank those people who have made generous donations.

ACTIVITIES IN 2004:

Supporting the Caithness Walking Festival – taking bookings for walks, advising visitors about the great outdoors of Caithness, and an analysis of economic and health benefit will be produced in conjunction with NHS Highland North. The Caithness Radio Amateur Society broadcast to 38 countries and made 209 "contacts" during the festival, thereby raising the profile of Caithness as a walking destination. Next year’s festival will take place from 14th to 21st May 2005.

Doors Open Day on 11th September during Scottish Archaeology Month in September as discussed with Dunbeath Heritage Centre

Networking Evenings at the Centre

Friends of the Earth meeting 24th June, 7p.m. – a general talk and opportunity for the 40 Caithness members of FOE to meet and maybe form a local group.

Community Energy Unit talk by Highlands and Islands Enterprise – 15th July, 7.30p.m.

Environmental Research Institute – 26th August, 7.30p.m. – topic to be decided

Dounreay – September 30, 7:30p.m. "Dounreay Site Restoration Plan"

BROCHURE

A brochure about the Dunnet area is now available, giving information about the kirk, Mary Ann’s Cottage, Dunnet Beach, the Ranger Station, Dunnet Forest, a local bird hide and of course Dunnet Head.

SEAL WATCHING VIEWPOINT

An existing footpath will be refurbished and a viewing stance established close to the Information Centre car park

OTHER LOCAL NEWS

Dunnet Forestry Trust is currently preparing a draft Recreational Management Plan, which will detail the Trust’s proposals for maintaining and enhancing public recreation at Dunnet Forest. The final Plan will also contain procedures addressing the obligations and challenges of the new Scottish Outdoor Access Code, and describe how recreation provision will be integrated with other aspects of woodland management (wildlife conservation, archaeology protection, timber harvesting, etc). DFT will be consulting its members, and other interested groups, over the summer. Copies of the draft plan will be available (from July) for download from the DFT website www.dunnetforest.org, or from the Community Forest Manager 01847 821527.

Access Development Plan

A feasibility study is being carried out for a network of tracks in the Thurso - Castletown - Dunnet/Brough areas. The brief is to identify future requirements for access that satisfy the needs of communities, land managers and visitors for the area. The plan will aim to assess needs and requirements and prioritise projects; identify where access improvements need to be made and identify what type of works are required and at what cost. The output will be an overplan for the whole area, with a sub plan for the Dunnet area.

Electronic information provision

See our web site for the aims of the Trust – http://www.dunnethead.com. The core project is the information point which is the base for other activities. The Information Point must become self sustaining and funds raised will be spent on employing and training local persons to operate the centre and ongoing management of it.