Whaligoe Steps Traditional Geocache
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Size: 
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Seven Miles south of Wick. 365 steps down to the sea. You will need sensible footware. Children must be supervised. No stone throwing please.
The name Whaligoe is derived from the word "goe" meaning inlet and the Whal part from the fact that dead whales have been washed ashore here. Whales of less than 60 feet long could be claimed by the finder and processed into many useful items and sold. Over 60 feet long and they had to be reported to the Receiver of Wrecks, as it was classed as a Royal Fish and the Crown was responsible for its disposal. The steps lead down to a fishing station 250 feet below. At the bottom a platform called The Bink was built to process fish on and to haul boats onto during bad weather. Cod, haddock and ling were carried up the steps in baskets made of heather or dwarf willow on the backs of women. On the Bink herring were gutted, cured and stored in barrels awaiting export on schooners that called about six times a year. A booklet available locally explains in more detail the history of this unique harbour. During our visit we were lucky enough to meet David Nicolson who lives nearby and carries out maintenance on the steps and The Bink below. When asked if we could hide a cache, he was more than helpful and even helped locate a suitable position. THERE IS NO NEED TO MOVE OR CLIMB ON ANY OF THE STONEWORK TO FIND THE CACHE. You can watch my drone video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u6HSG9A4N0
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre n fznyy fyno bs fgbar ba gur tenff, 191 fgrcf hc sebz gur Ovax.