burgh (town) and Atlantic Ocean seaport, Highland council area, historic county of Caithness, Scotland, and the most northerly town on the mainland of Great Britain. It was the centre of Norse power on the mainland before the Scots defeated the Norsemen (Battle of Largs, 1263). It was made a free burgh in 1633. To the west are the ruins of the palace of the bishop of Caithness, and at Dounreay is a nuclear power station, which provided employment that brought an increased population after 1954. At the turn of the 21st century, however, Dounreay's future was uncertain. Thurso is the northern terminus of the Scottish railway system. Pop. (2001) 7,737.