John o’Groats and Dunnet Head are the northernmost points of mainland Great Britain, and two key spots to visit on Scotland’s North Coast 500 road trip. The NC500, as it’s colloquially known, is my favorite road trip on the planet, both giving and receiving, and the northeast segment boasts some of the best highlights.
Aside from the lighthouse and great views of the Orkney Islands from Dunnet Head, you can see puffins at the Duncansby Stacks, visit the world’s shortest street in Wick, and enjoy some of the best places to eat in Scotland. Here’s a complete guide on how to spend your time in and around John o’Groats.
John o’Groats – The Northernmost Village on the British Mainland
Saying John o’Groats is the northernmost village of Scotland could be confusing without a knowledge of the British Isles. First of all, Great Britain is a large island with three countries: England, Wales, and Scotland. John o’Groats is at the top of the island, but not the most northern point of Scotland, as the Orkney and Shetland Islands are further north.
John o’Groats is a tiny fishing village with a population of only about 300. In the center of the town is a large parking lot for cars, campervans, and coaches. Around the car park, you’ll find a visitor center, a couple of places to eat, a brewery, a distillery, and public toilets. This is also where you can get a photo with the famous John o’Groats signpost.
Attractions Near John o’Groats
While the village of John o’Groats itself is quite small, there are plenty of other attractions within just a few miles.
Dunnet Head and Dunnet Beach
Dunnet Head is the northernmost point of the island of Great Britain. It’s a 5-mile detour off the main road of the North Coast 500, and definitely worth a visit. Just take care driving out, as most of the five miles is a single-track road.
At the end of the road, you’ll find a small car park in front of the lighthouse. You can’t go on the grounds of the lighthouse, but there’s a path to the left for a great vantage point of the cliffs. This is a great spot for spotting wildlife, including birds, puffins, and even the occasional killer whale. It’s a good idea to have binoculars with you, as that will increase your chances of spotting puffins on the cliffs.
Duncansby Stacks
This is another great location for puffin spotting. The car park is a couple miles down a single-track road at the very northeastern tip of the mainland. Next to the car park, you’ll see the small lighthouse. However, you’ll want to park and walk about twenty minutes down the trail to the cliffs, and then beyond them to the rock stacks along the ocean.
If you’re lucky and visiting between March and August, you might see a puffin or two. They tend to live in the rabbit holes on the sides of the cliffs. During the summer, you might want to wait at some of the viewpoints (along with the crowds) for a chance to see the elusive birds.
An interesting fact I learned is that, apparently, they were going to do a nuclear warhead test on the stacks. Thankfully, they didn’t, and now the whole area is protected for wildlife. Along with puffins and many other birds, you also have a chance to see seals, porpoises, and the occasional whale.
Wick and the World’s Shortest Street
In Scotland (and the rest of the UK), it takes a bit of time to get used to street names. Unlike many countries, where streets keep the same name no matter how long they are, streets in Scotland change names constantly. For example, the Royal Mile in Edinburgh is just over a mile long but has five different names along it.
The best example of that is in Wick, where you’ll find Ebenezer Place. In the 1880s, a hotel with a narrow wall between two angled streets (similar to what you find in San Francisco) was told to give that side of the building a street name. That became Ebenezer Place, measuring 206 cm (roughly 7 feet) in length, and it’s now in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s shortest street.
Keiss Castle and Brochs
About seven miles north of Wick is a tiny village called Keiss. If you have a few spare minutes, drive down to park by the harbor and then walk along the path that starts at the Sinclair Bay Lodges. Just past the lodges (pods) are the ruins of two brochs. Brochs were Iron Age buildings dating back roughly two millennia, although their exact use is unknown. They may have been built by Danes or Picts.
A few minutes past the brochs are the ruins of Keiss Castle. The castle was originally constructed around the end of the 16th century. It was replaced by the Keiss House in the mid-18th century after the castle fell into ruin. Note that if you try to drive to the castle on Google Maps, it will tell you to drive down to Keiss House, which is private and closed. The only way to get to the castle is by the path from Keiss harbor.
Where to Stay Near John O’Groats
As the North Coast 500 is 500 miles, I haven’t spent many nights just in one spot. As such, I’ve only had two accommodations near John o’Groats, but both were great, although wildly different from each other.
Personally, my favorite accommodations along the North Coast 500 are the countless campgrounds and campervan parks. There’s a great one at Dunnet Beach with good facilities. The beach is a great place for walks, surfing, kiteboarding, and more.
North Point Pods
North Point Pods are two glamping huts just a couple of miles away from Dunnet Head. They are family-run and super cozy. Fair, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of glamping pods along the North Coast 500, and these aren’t particularly special in any way. They just happen to be in a great location and aren’t overpriced, unlike many of the pods.
It’s only a 10-minute walk from the pods down to the sea at Skarfskerry Cove, where you have a great view of the Orkney Islands, and another chance to see puffins, whales, and other wildlife.
Ulbster Arms Hotel
If you’re looking for more upscale accommodations near John o’Groats, the Ulbster Arms Hotel in the town of Halkirk, south of Thurso, is a great choice. The four-star hotel specifically caters to fishermen and holds fishing rights to a large portion of the River Thurso, one of the best salmon rivers in Scotland. The hotel also has a ghillie’s room, a rod room, and a drying room, and has ghillie services and fishing equipment for hire.
The main hotel building has 13 en-suite rooms with views of the River Thurso or Halkirk Church. Three more small buildings offer several more rooms and family suites. As this is Scotland, the rooms are relatively small, but have plenty of amenities, and (most importantly), the beds are extremely comfortable. Stays at the hotel come with free breakfast, including a full Scottish breakfast. In the evening, the hotel’s bar and restaurant opens, serving delicious food as covered below.
Best Restaurants and Cafes Near John O’Groats
Along all 500 miles of the NC500, some of the best restaurants are not far from John o’Groats. You can read about these places in detail in my article about the best restaurants on the North Coast 500.
Puldagon Farm
Puldagon Farm just might be my favorite place to eat on the NC500. The farm restaurant opened in 2019 and serves high-quality dishes. Recently, the farm was able to purchase back several nearby fields that the family had sold off in generations past. Now, they are growing nearly all the meat and produce they use in their restaurant. Definitely go for the Cullen skink, or the full Scottish breakfast if you arrive early enough.
The farm is also worth a visit for its many animals. Along with stock herds, they also have different breeds of horses, hairy coos, a very friendly dog, ferrets, peacocks, and a breed of sheep that loves to be cuddled.
Northern Sands Hotel
The Northern Sands Hotel is just up the street from Durness Beach, and also has a great restaurant. The dishes aren’t particularly fancy, but the quality is exceptional. Every dish Vanesa and I tried was cooked perfectly. We had fresh fish and chips, lasagna, cheesecake, and sticky toffee pudding. Per the staff, everything was homemade, and it certainly tasted that way. No frozen fish or pre-made lasagna.
The menu changes regularly and is very short, so you know you’re getting high-quality, seasonal, locally-sourced dishes without tons of food sitting in the freezer for ages.
Annie’s Bakery
I know Lannan Bakery in Edinburgh won the award as the best bakery in the UK, but I honestly think the award should go to Annie’s Bakery. Even without that award, they’re just as busy as Lannan with a constant line out the door. They make a wide range of bakery products, from meat pies to tray bakes. The prices are unbeatable. You can get products twice the size of anything in Edinburgh, but for half the cost.
As Annie has regular customers coming every day she’s open (four hours a day, four days a week), she changes her products regularly. I’ve had different items on all three visits, and I can honestly say every item was the best of its kind in the country.
Ulbster Arms Hotel
As mentioned, the Ulbster Arms Hotels also has a great restaurant and bar. Just like the Northern Sands Hotel, the menu is short, and the prices are reasonable. The dining area is a bit simple, but the food isn’t. I loved all the dishes I had, from the honey & chilli glazed crispy chicken to the chargrilled chicken & chorizo rigatoni.
As with most restaurants on the North Coast 500, the Ulbster Arms can get quite busy, especially during the high season, so reservations are definitely recommended.
Getting to Thurso and John o’Groats
It’s hard to believe that John o’Groats is less than 300 miles north of Edinburgh (less than 200 as the crow flies). On the freeways in the U.S., if there’s no traffic, that’s a four-hour drive. In Scotland, that takes minimally 6 hours, if you’re not stuck behind a herd of sheep, a tractor, or a caravan.
However, you’ll want to spend a lot longer, potentially days, getting up to John o’Groats. There are countless attractions along the way. From Edinburgh, you can visit Dumfermline Abbey, Scone Palace, Dunkeld, the Hermitage, Pitlochry, the Highland Wildlife Park, Culloden Battlefield, Rogie Falls, and Glenmorangie, just to name a small handful of the key attractions along the route.
If you really want to take public transportation, buses and trains will take you from Edinburgh to Thurso in just over seven hours. However, it’s far more practical to hire a car or jump on a tour. After all, if you’re going to make it up to John o’Groats, you might as well complete the entire North Coast 500. I would recommend minimally 5 days for the NC500, plus a day to get from Edinburgh to Inverness and another day to return from Inverness to Edinburgh.
Further Reading
For more information about Edinburgh and Scotland, make sure to check out the rest of my Scotland articles. And if you’re planning to drive the North Coast 500, make sure to read my article: 7 Incredible North Coast 500 Restaurants and Cafes.
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