16th August 2026
The stories making the news in Caithness are not just isolated events. Taken together, they reveal a county dealing with change in transport, politics, energy, housing, fishing, tourism and community life.
There is always something happening in Caithness, but occasionally the individual stories begin to form a bigger picture.
This is one of those weeks.
Look beyond the individual headlines and a pattern begins to emerge. Caithness is entering another period of change, with decisions about transport, energy, housing and economic development potentially shaping the county for years to come.
Here are ten stories and themes we picked out that we think are worth watching.
1. Wick Airport gets another chance
The biggest economic development taking effect this week is the continuation and expansion of air services from Wick.
Almost £1.8 million of Scottish Government funding is supporting Public Service Obligation services between Wick and Aberdeen and the new Wick–Glasgow connection.
The service period runs from 15 August 2026 to 14 August 2027, with four flights a week to Aberdeen and three to Glasgow. Air Charter Scotland is operating the services using an 18-seat BAe Jetstream 32.
For Caithness, this is about much more than catching a plane.
Reliable air connections affect businesses, tourism, public services, professional travel and the ability of people in the Far North to reach the rest of Scotland.
But there is a big question hanging over the service.
Can Caithness generate enough passengers to make the routes commercially sustainable?
Government support may be necessary because of the county's remoteness, but permanent subsidy cannot be the only measure of success.
The next year will therefore be an important test.
If local businesses and residents want these routes, they will need to use them.
2. Wick and East Caithness has a political vacancy
The political picture in Wick and East Caithness has also changed.
Highland Council currently lists the Ward 3 councillor position as vacant.
That makes the forthcoming by-election particularly interesting.
It isn't simply about filling one council seat.
It provides an opportunity for voters to say what they think about the direction of Highland Council and, perhaps more importantly, what they believe Caithness needs.
There are plenty of issues to choose from:
council finances
roads
housing
transport
economic development
town-centre regeneration
services for older people
opportunities for young people.
The result could therefore tell us something about the mood of East Caithness.
Are people satisfied with the direction of travel?
Or do they want something different?
3. Dunnet Head reminds us of the price of living beside spectacular scenery
The tragic death at Dunnet Head is undoubtedly the most serious local story of the period.
A woman died after falling into the sea at the dramatic northern coastline.
It is a reminder of the sometimes uncomfortable relationship between tourism and the natural environment.
Caithness's cliffs, beaches and coastline are among its greatest assets.
They attract visitors precisely because they are wild, spectacular and relatively untouched.
But those same qualities can create dangers.
The tragedy inevitably raises questions about safety, signage, access and visitor awareness.
Yet there is also a balance to be struck.
We should not turn every spectacular piece of coastline into an urban park.
Part of the attraction is that nature remains nature.
The challenge is finding the right balance between access, safety and preserving the character of the landscape.
4. Water charges are another reminder that rural Scotland pays its own price
One of the less dramatic but potentially important local issues is the proposal concerning water and wastewater charges.
People in Caithness have been urged to have their say on proposals affecting charges, with the consultation running into September.
It may sound like a relatively technical issue.
But these are precisely the issues that eventually appear on household and business bills.
For rural communities, costs associated with infrastructure can be particularly significant.
A small increase in an individual bill may not seem dramatic.
Multiply it across thousands of households and businesses, however, and it becomes a significant transfer of money from the local economy.
That is why local people should pay attention to consultations even when the subject appears rather dull.
The decisions that affect everyday life are often made in documents few people read.
5. Energy is transforming Caithness — but who gets the benefit?
Energy remains one of the biggest long-term stories in the county.
Caithness is surrounded by renewable-energy development and has become increasingly important to Scotland's electricity system.
But there is a question that refuses to go away:
How much of the value created by all this energy stays in Caithness?
It is relatively easy to count megawatts.
It is much harder to count the local economic benefit.
What matters to residents is:
jobs
local contracts
apprenticeships
business opportunities
infrastructure
community investment
and eventually, perhaps, cheaper energy.
Caithness should not simply become a place where electricity is generated and transmitted south while the economic benefits largely follow it.
The county needs to capture more of the value.
6. Dounreay may be more important to the future than many people realise
Dounreay is still sometimes viewed primarily as a decommissioning story.
But that could be a serious mistake.
Britain is once again expanding its interest in nuclear power, including advanced reactors and small modular reactors.
And this year the UK Government identified Dounreay in Caithness as one of three Scottish areas with high technical potential for new nuclear development, alongside Torness and Hunterston.
That changes the conversation.
Dounreay is not automatically going to receive a new reactor.
But Caithness now has something very valuable:
a nuclear site, an experienced workforce and decades of specialist knowledge.
The county should therefore be asking a much bigger question.
What happens to the nuclear skills and expertise when the current decommissioning programme eventually winds down?
If Britain is serious about a new nuclear programme, Caithness should be trying to ensure it has a place in it.
7. Fishing is still an economic ecosystem
The Fishermen's Mission is currently holding informal information sessions in Wick and Thurso, highlighting the continuing importance of the fishing community.
Fishing may employ fewer people than it once did, but that doesn't mean its economic importance has disappeared.
A fishing industry supports much more than fishermen.
It supports:
boat maintenance
engineering
fuel suppliers
fish processors
transport
chandlers
harbour services
shops
cafes
accommodation
professional services.
That makes fishing an economic ecosystem.
And like many traditional industries, it faces pressures from fuel costs, regulation, recruitment, ageing vessels, markets and competition.
For Wick and Scrabster, maintaining a viable fishing industry is therefore about much more than preserving tradition.
It is about maintaining an important part of the local economy.
8. Tourism is booming — but are we capturing enough of the money?
August is one of the most important months of the year for Caithness tourism.
Visitors arrive for the scenery, history, coastline, wildlife and the experience of travelling through the Far North.
That creates business for:
hotels
B&Bs
self-catering accommodation
restaurants
cafes
garages
shops
attractions
activity providers.
But there is a danger in measuring tourism simply by the number of visitors.
A visitor who spends one night and moves on isn't necessarily as valuable as someone who stays for four or five nights.
The real objective should therefore be value rather than volume.
Can Caithness persuade more visitors to stay longer?
Can we encourage them to spend more locally?
Can we turn passing tourists into customers for local businesses?
That is where the real economic opportunity lies.
9. Housing could determine whether Caithness grows or declines
Housing remains one of the county's biggest structural problems.
If Caithness wants more businesses, it needs workers.
If it wants more workers, it needs homes.
If it wants young families to stay, it needs affordable homes.
And if it wants older people to remain independent, it needs suitable smaller properties.
This is why housing policy matters so much to the local economy.
Simply helping people buy houses isn't necessarily enough.
If supply remains restricted, increasing purchasing power can simply push prices higher.
The fundamental question remains:
Are we building enough houses in Caithness?
The answer matters because housing isn't just a social issue.
It is an economic issue.
A business that cannot find accommodation for a prospective employee may eventually lose that employee — or the job may never be created in the first place.
10. The biggest Caithness story may be the one that isn't a headline
Put it together and something interesting appears that may make you think.
Caithness is simultaneously dealing with:
an energy revolution, a possible new nuclear era, transport challenges, housing pressures, tourism growth, the future of fishing and changing local politics.
These aren't separate stories.
They are connected.
A new energy project needs workers.
Workers need houses.
Those workers need transport.
Businesses need customers.
Visitors need infrastructure.
Young people need jobs if they are going to stay.
Older people need suitable housing and services.
And the county needs enough economic activity to support everything.
That is why the individual announcements matter.
The Wick air service isn't simply about aircraft.
Dounreay isn't simply about decommissioning.
Wind farms aren't simply about turbines.
Housing isn't simply about houses.
Fishing isn't simply about boats.
Tourism isn't simply about visitors.
They are all pieces of the same puzzle.
So where is Caithness heading?
The encouraging news is that Caithness has enormous assets.
It has:
extraordinary natural resources
some of Britain's best renewable-energy resources
Dounreay and its nuclear expertise
fishing and maritime industries
agriculture
tourism
considerable development space
strong communities
and a strategic position at the northern edge of Britain.
But assets alone do not guarantee prosperity.
The real challenge is converting those assets into jobs, businesses, investment, population growth and higher living standards.
That is where local leadership matters.
It is also where local people need to ask difficult questions.
Are we getting enough from the renewable-energy boom?
Are we doing enough to prepare for the future of Dounreay?
Are we building enough houses?
Are we making the most of Wick Airport?
Are our roads and digital connections good enough?
Are we attracting enough visitors who actually spend money locally?
And are we giving young people enough reasons to stay?
These questions are much more important than any single week's headline.
Because the real Caithness story is not simply what happened this week.
It is what kind of county we are building for the next generation.
Caithness has repeatedly demonstrated that it can adapt.
It moved from agriculture and fishing into the nuclear age.
It adapted again as Dounreay moved from construction and operation into decommissioning.
It is now becoming an important part of Scotland's renewable-energy economy.
The next challenge is to ensure that this latest transformation produces something lasting.
Not just electricity leaving the county.
Not just tourists passing through.
Not just government money arriving temporarily.
But businesses, skills, homes, jobs and investment that remain.
That may be the most important story of all.
Caithness is changing. The question is whether we are changing fast enough to make the most of it.
Sources
Highland Council, Transport Scotland, the UK Government and the Caithness Courier/John O'Groat Journal's current local-news coverage.