Olrig Observations

About Olrig Observations

A series of short podcasts by Castletown Heritage Society exploring the social history and heritage of the village of Castletown within the Parish of Olrig in Caithness, the most northerly county in the mainland of Scotland, UK. Known as 'The Flagstone Village', Castletown is intimately associated with the historical extraction, finishing and export world-wide of Caithness Flagstone paving from Castlehill Harbour. Today it is a thriving community, and there is much to tell about the social, industrial, agricultural, maritime, military and archaeological heritage of our village and parish.

Publisher

Castle Hill

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Feb 2021

Latest episode

2 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

34 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Jan 2026

   What ever happened to the Traill family?

   Visitors to Castlehill Heritage Centre often ask if there are any remaining members of the Traill family living locally. To try to answer this, Muriel reveals her research into what the future held for James Traill and his large family.

2. 

   28 Sept 2025

   Hugh Thomson's memorial stone on Dunnet Head

   Muriel interviews Janet Thomson from New Zealand, a recent visitor to Castlehill Heritage Centre, who tells the fascinating story behind a memorial stone which stands proud on nearby Dunnet Head and commemorates family member Hugh Thomson who died when he crashed his WWII Spitfire there in February 1942.

3. 

   7 Sept 2025

   Castlehill in verse

   Inspired by the history of the now deserted buildings at Castlehill, two visitors to Castlehill Heritage Centre recall in verse those who lived and worked in this once vibrant site. Wave sounds courtesy of bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2025 BBC

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 18 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

8

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

68

Contact Olrig Observations

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.