The River Thurso () has Loch Rumsdale in

Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...

as its source, about south and west of the

burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

of Thurso, Caithness, and about south of the railway line linking the burghs of Thurso and

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...

with

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

. At its source and until it reaches Loch More the river is known also as Strathmore Water. Caithness is in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

area of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. From Loch Rumsdale the river flows generally east/southeast across about until it is joined by Glutt Water, and then generally northeast across about 7 kilometres until it enters the southern end of Loch More. On the loch's eastern side, towards its northern end, the river flows almost immediately into the western end of Loch Beg. Then from Loch Beg's eastern end the river flows east/northeast across about until it is joined by Little River. From Little River the River Thurso flows generally northward across about until it reaches its mouth in Thurso Bay and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. On its way it passes through the village of Halkirk, about 9 kilometres south of the burgh of Thurso, and through the burgh itself, which fronts the bay. Whilts there is a small harbour at the river mouth, the main port is now at Scrabster, just to the west. The river is bridged twice by railways, three times each by highways and footways. About south of Thurso burgh the river is bridged by the rail link between the burghs of Wick and Thurso. About further south it is bridged by the rail link connecting both burghs with Inverness. The highways cross the river in the burgh of Thurso, in Halkirk, and at Westerdale, which is about south of the burgh. The three footway crossings were within the burgh of Thurso. The river is designated as a special area of conservation due to its "higher proportion of multi sea-winter salmon Salmo salar than is found in many rivers further south in the species’ range."

References

Thurso Cemetery Footbridge To Be Replaced
Thurso Thurso Thurso {{Scotland-river-stub