Explore the zig-zag steps which hug a Scottish cliff

The Whaligoe steps and harbour on the Caithness coast have a fascinating history and make for an intrepid visitor attraction.

Access improvements have now been completed near a viewpoint overlooking the steps - which lead to one of Scotland's most dramatic harbours.

A landing area was created at Whaligoe, near Wick, in the 1790s during a boom in herring fishing.

A zig-zagging flight of more than 300 steps were cut into a 250ft cliff to reach the harbour, and women would carry baskets of fish from boats up to the clifftop for onward transport to market.

A new wooden crossing has been built near Whaligoe Steps as part of wider efforts to boost tourism around long-distance walking routes on the Highlands' north coast.

Video by Andrew Thomson.