Lybster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lybster
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 Lybster Harbour |
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 Lybster
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| OS grid reference | ND250360 |
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| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LYBSTER |
| Postcode district | KW3 |
| Dialling code | 01593 |
| Police | Northern |
| Fire | Highlands and Islands |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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Lybster is a village found on the east coast of Caithness in northern Scotland. It used to be a very busy port for catching herring fish.
You can visit the Waterlines heritage museum at Lybster Harbour. It teaches you about Lybster's history and its rocks. Some boats still fish for crabs from the harbour today.
Lybster is also the end point for the tenth part of the John o' Groats Trail. This is a long walking path that goes from Inverness to John o' Groats.
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History of Lybster Village
Lybster grew because of the fishing industry. A wooden pier was built in 1790 for fishing boats. The village was officially started in 1802. This was done by a local landowner named General Patrick Sinclair. His sons continued to help the village grow.
By 1859, about 357 boats worked from Lybster harbour. This made it the third busiest fishing port in Scotland. Only Wick and Fraserburgh were busier. At that time, around 1500 fishermen were at sea. Many other people worked on land to support the fishing industry.
Lybster's Railway and Fishing Decline
Lybster railway station was part of the Wick and Lybster Railway. It opened on July 1, 1903. The railway closed on April 3, 1944. This happened because roads became better for transport. Also, the herring fishing industry started to decline.
A fleet of boats that caught white-fish also worked from the port in the 1900s. But this also became smaller over time. Today, the harbour is used by boats catching lobsters and crabs. It is also used by boats just for fun.
Lybster was very important for the herring industry in the 1800s. In 1838, about 1312 people lived there. People wanted to build a church in Lybster. This was because they had to travel about 5 miles (8 km) to Latheron or Bruan to go to church. Lybster became less important for herring fishing before the First World War. The local fishing industry moved more towards Wick.
Fun Facts About Lybster
Lybster hosts the "World Championships of Knotty". Knotty, or cnatag, is a game similar to shinty.
The movie Silver Darlings was filmed here. It was based on a book by Neil Gunn. In 2019, Lybster was also used as a place to film the Netflix show, The Crown.
The Sinclairs of Lybster have a long history. Their family roots go back to the Sinclair earls. These earls once ruled Caithness, which was a much larger area back then. The family also has links to Norwegian earls. These earls controlled northern Scotland for many centuries.
Patrick Sinclair and Mackinac Island
Lybster has a sister city called Mackinac Island in the United States. One famous person from the Sinclair family was Patrick Sinclair. Today, there is a pub on Mackinac Island named after him.
Gallery
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Old bridge at Lybster Harbour
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Entrance to Lybster Harbour
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Upper Lybster West
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The Church of Scotland, Parish of Latheron, Lybster
