Ulbster

Ulbster
Ulbster  Ulbster shown within the Caithness area
OS grid reference	ND324064
Council area	Highland
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Lybster
Postcode district	KW2
Police	Scottish
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
List of places UK Scotland

Coordinates: 58°21′18″N 3°09′24″W / 58.35489°N 3.15669°W

The Sinclair Mausoleum, with Ulbster Mains in the background

Ulbster is a scattered crofting hamlet on the eastern coast of Caithness, within the parish of Wick, in the Scottish Highlands.

Owned for many years by a cadet branch of the Sinclair Earls of Caithness, the hamlet is most notable for the Sinclair Mausoleum, within the grounds of the mediaeval St Martin's Chapel. Sir John, one of the Sinclairs of Ulbster, was a noted statistician who wrote the pioneering work Statistical Accounts of Scotland.

The town of Wick is located seven miles north of the village along the A99 road. To the south of the village, two miles along the A99, lies the ancient port of Whaligoe.

The name Ulbster comes from the Old Norse ulfr bólstathr meaning 'wolf's dwelling', though there have been no wolves in the region for many years.

See also

• Ulbster railway station

References

• Overview of Ulbster. Gazetteer for Scotland. 2015.
• Mills, A. D.; Room, Adrian (2002). The Oxford Names Companion. Oxford: the University Press. p. 1227.