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The River Thurso begins at the confluence of two streams, Rumsdale Water and Glut Water, in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. It flows north-eastwards into and out of Loch More, then turns more to the north. It flows through the small town of Halkirk, then to the town of Thurso where it reaches the sea.

The town of Thurso, on the north coast of Scotland, is the northernmost town on the British mainland. The town expanded in the mid-20th Century, to house workers at the Dounreay atomic energy plant and testing facility, which were developed then but are now being decommissioned.

At such a northerly location, summer days are very long, with 18½ hours of sunlight in late June. Conversely, winter days are short, with less than 6½ hours of sunlight on the shortest day in late December.

Thurso is on the route of the North Coast 500 (or NC500) touring route: Link or see also Link

The A9 is a strategic link between the Highlands of Scotland and the Central Belt. It runs 279 miles from junction 5 of the M9 at Polmont to Scrabster. Originally it ran from Edinburgh.
Link

The A9 is a strategic link between the Highlands of Scotland and the Central Belt. Running for 273 miles, it is the longest road in Scotland and the fifth-longest A-road in the United Kingdom. Historically it was the main road between Edinburgh and John o' Groats but its importance has been eclipsed somewhat in the south by the A90 across the Forth Road Bridge and the M90 motorway, which now links Edinburgh more directly with Perth, and the M9, which is now the main road between Edinburgh and Bridge of Allan.

National Route 1 of the National Cycle Network is a long distance cycle route connecting Dover and the Shetland Islands mainly via the east coast of England and Scotland. The route is all signed and open except between London and Woodbridge (in Suffolk) and between Whitby and Staithes (in Yorkshire).

The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes. It was created by the charity Sustrans Link (Sustainable Transport), aided by a National Lottery grant.

Many routes aim to minimise contact with motor traffic, though 70% of them are on roads. In some cases the NCN uses pedestrian routes, disused railways, minor roads, canal towpaths, or traffic-calmed routes in towns and cities.