FAQs

All accommodation bookings made directly with the Ulbster Arms Hotel (either by phone or booking through our website) include full Scottish breakfast, high-speed Wi-Fi, ensuite bath and/or shower rooms, a television in the room and complimentary in-room tea/coffee-making facilities.

We serve breakfast in the main hotel from 06:30 to 09:30 Monday to Saturday and 06:30 to 10:00 on Sundays.

Check in is at 15:00. You are very welcome to arrive early. Can we tempt you to enjoy lunch or a dram in our cosy bar? Or maybe you’d like to stretch your legs after your journey and take a walk along the River Thurso? We will happily look after your luggage until your bedroom is ready. If your room is available before 15:00, we’ll let you know.

Check out is at 11:00. You may arrange a late check out by prior request.

Your credit or debit card information will be collected when you book, but no pre-payment is taken. We will take payment on departure. In order to avoid cancellation and/or non-arrival charges, please make any booking changes or cancellations as soon as possible. If you cancel your stay with less than 48 hours’ notice, we will charge the full cost of your stay.

We have family family-friendly bedrooms both in the main hotel and Dale building, whilst our other buildings enable guests to book several bedrooms together. Two of our buildings – Ulbster and Milton – include a communal living/dining area. Please call us on 01847 831641 to find out more and book a stay for your family.

The Ulbster Arms Hotel is a very dog-friendly hotel. As such, dogs are welcome in and around the hotel, and we offer dog-friendly hotel rooms. We charge a fee of £10 per dog per night.

We have a private car park located to the rear of the hotel. This is free for the duration of your stay.

Breakfast is from 06:30 to 09:30 Monday to Saturday and 6:30 to 10:00 on Sundays.
Lunch is from 12:00 to 14:00 Monday to Sunday (booking recommended). Packed lunches can be booked the day before you need them. Please enquire for prices.
Dinner is served daily from 16:00 to 20:30 (booking recommended).
The Lounge Bar is open daily.

Please call 01847 831641 for all food and drink bookings.

Just a short 7-minute drive away you can enjoy great places to eat on the North Coast. The largest town on the North Coast of Scotland is Thurso, which is a scenic 10-minute drive from our Halkirk Hotel.

The Ulbster Arms is a short 10-minute drive from the main town of Thurso, where you can jump on a ferry to Orkney. Our hotel is also close to John o’ Groats, the Duncansby Stacks and lighthouse and the nature boat rides. Pop along to John o’ Groats in just 25 minutes by car. The ancient fishing town of Wick is also near our hotel. It offers a lovely scenic 20-minute drive.

Yes, we have some lovely walks from our lovely Halkirk Hotel. Most of these are scenic circular walks for you to enjoy along the river and surrounding countryside. Find out more about our local Halkirk walks and places to enjoy in our Things To Do and walking holiday section.

Regular buses run from Halkirk to Thurso and Wick. In Thurso, you can then take a separate bus out to John o’ Groats, the Duncansby Stacks and lighthouse and the nature boat rides. From Thurso and John o’ Groats you can take a ferry to Orkney as a foot passenger, and arrange a seat on a bus tour or local bus when you arrive on Orkney to explore the island and its famous attractions.

Yes! We highly recommend an Orkney day trip from our hotel. You can do this at your leisure by taking your own car across on the Thurso Ferry to Orkney. Or book a fantastic organised bus tour around Orkney and its famous attractions, and cross as a foot passenger. These tours pick up from the ferry terminals in Kirkwall and Stromness on Orkney.

Our Halkirk Hotel enjoys a large car park on-site for all our guests. We also offer on-site, high-speed car chargers, ideal for exploring the Highlands.

We offer 3 of the Scottish Highland’s fastest EV car chargers on the North Coast 500. Our hotel offers three car charge points: two 22kW fast charge points and one ultra-rapid 120kW charger. These are currently (2025) the northernmost ultra-rapid charger in the UK. Conveniently located in our private hotel car park, just a 20-second walk from the hotel entrance. An ideal stop off for some of the best NC500 food too! 

We offer our guests high-quality Wi-Fi throughout our Highland hotel buildings. Please note we cannot control downtime due to forces out of our control, but this is a very rare occurrence.

At the Ulbster Arms Hotel in Halkirk, we often have special offers on sale. These may be special packages and experiences or a discounted hotel deal. Please visit our special offers page for details of our current promotions or call us on 01847 831641.

As a North Coast 500 Highland hotel, we are surrounded by amazing things to see and do. Our hotel is Based near John o Groats, Thurso and the Orkney Ferries, for fantastic day trips out. Enjoy the magical Duncansby Stacks, our many famous light-house walks and stunning beaches.

Regular nature boat rides and tours run near to our hotel which offer a fantastic insight into our history and island life. Plus you can take the ferry to Orkney for a day trip, with or without your car. These tours pick up from the ferry terminals in Kirkwall and Stromness on Orkney.

Enjoy plenty of Scottish walks, hiking and cycling from your door and in our neighbouring Highland locations. Locally, you can also go wild swimming, fishing (in season) and we have distillery tours for you to enjoy nearby. Our hotel is near many fantastic Scottish villages and towns to explore such as Thurso and Wick, rich in history and shops. Plus, being a NC500 hotel, you can explore lovely Scottish beaches whilst exploring this famous Scottish road trip.

We really are ideally suited for family holidays, dog-friendly holidays, outdoor adventure holidays and business travel to Scotland. We have lots of things to do, so come along, explore some local history, get outdoors and enjoy some R&R in the fresh Scottish air.