John o' Groats

John o' Groats takes its name from Jan de Groot, a Dutchman who is said to have run a ferry to Orkney here in the fifteenth century. Its fame rests on being the far end of the journey from Land's End, about 1,407 kilometres by road, walked, cycled and run by large numbers of people each year for charity. Two facts complicate the identity: the northernmost point of the British mainland is Dunnet Head, about fifteen kilometres west, and the longest straight-line distance from Land's End is to Duncansby Head, two kilometres east, so John o' Groats is neither the furthest nor the most northerly. The signpost is a commercial operation and a photograph with the mileage boards costs money. Duncansby Head has stacks and a lighthouse and is the better destination.

What you'll find

• The signpost - the end-to-end marker, run commercially with a charge.
• The Orkney ferry - a seasonal passenger crossing to Burwick.
• Duncansby Stacks - sea stacks two kilometres east, free and more striking.
• The end-to-end traffic - walkers, cyclists and runners finishing the route.

When to go

May to September; the Orkney passenger ferry runs seasonally and the village largely closes in winter. Duncansby Head is open all year and is the reason to make the drive.

Before you go

The village itself is small and thin on things to do, and many visitors find it anticlimactic after a long drive. The signpost photograph is charged and the free replica is a poor substitute. Dunnet Head and Duncansby Head are both better and both nearby.

Nearby

Duncansby Head is two kilometres east; Dunnet Head, the true northernmost point, lies west.

Key facts