The former Viking settlement of Wick is the principal town in the far north of the mainland. The town sits astride the River Wick, stretching along both sides of Wick Bay, and holds the claim to fame of once being the busiest herring port in Europe in the mid 19th century. The remains of the Castle of Old Wick, often referred to as the Old Man of Wick, sits atop the edge of the cliffs about half a mile south of Wick Bay and overlooks the sea.