Towns & cities · Scottish Highlands
John o'Groats
The north-eastern tip of mainland Scotland.
Bill Henderson — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 3 h–6 h
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
About
John o'Groats is the village on the north-eastern tip of mainland Scotland, 874 road miles from Land's End and the traditional finishing point of end-to-end charity walks, runs and cycles. It is named after Jan de Groot, a 15th-century Dutch ferryman. The Pentland Firth crossing to Orkney is 11 km away; on a clear day the islands of Stroma, Hoy and Mainland Orkney are visible from the harbour wall.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
John o' Groats (Scottish Gaelic: Taigh Iain Ghròta) is a village 2+1⁄2 miles (4 kilometres) northeast of Canisbay, in the historic county of Caithness, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's north-eastern tip and is popular with tourists. The northernmost point of mainland Scotland is nearby Dunnet Head and the northeastern corner is nearby Duncansby Head. John o' Groats is sited 690 mi (1,110 km) from London, 280 mi (450 km) from Edinburgh, 6 mi (10 km) from the Orkney Isles and 2,200 mi (3,500 km) from the North Pole; it is 4+1⁄4 mi (7 km) from the uninhabited Island of Stroma. In summer, a ferry operates between John o' Groats and Burwick on South Ronaldsay in Orkney.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Visiting
John o' Groats attracts large numbers of tourists from across the world all year round. In 2005, a popular tourist guide, Lonely Planet, described the village as a "seedy tourist trap"; in 2010, John o' Groats received a Carbuncle Award from Urban Realm magazine for being "Scotland's most dismal town". The completion of major redevelopment work in 2013 aimed to revitalise the area. John o' Groats lies at the end of the 14th stage of the John o' Groats Trail, a long-distance walking trail from Inverness to John o' Groats.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 58.6403, -3.0703
- District
- Highland
- Postcode
- KW1 4YR
- Parliamentary constituency
- Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Sources
- manual: john-o-groats (manual)
- wikipedia: John o' Groats (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is John o'Groats?
- John o'Groats is in the Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom (postcode KW1 4YR).
- Is John o'Groats free to visit?
- Yes, John o'Groats is free to enter.
- How do I get to John o'Groats?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode KW1 4YR. It sits within the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross parliamentary constituency.