John o' Groats (John O Groats in General)

Member Name: llamass

Product:	John O Groats in General
Date:	11/09/09 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: End point of many journeys

Disadvantages: Expensive, dreary and tacky

John o' Groats, the famous northerly point in Scotland supposedly takes its name from Jan de Groot, a Dutchman who obtained a grant for the ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, the islands having been recently acquired from Norway, from King James IV in 1496

An early important point to make is that, as has been said, John o' Groats is not the most northerly point in the mainland UK as there are actually various places which are further north and Dunnet Head being the place most widely credited with being the real most northerly point. However, the village is still full of plenty of kitsch end of the line memorabelia and the end point of many end-to-end trips of Britain so anyone looking for that experience will not be disappointed.

I'm surprised at the other reviews on John o' Groats being very positive as to be completely honest, aside from the ticking of boxes to say that you have been to this well known end point it is not a remotely inspiring place. Indeed Lonely Planet descibed it as a'seedy tourist trap'. Not that LP is the authority on everything but in this case they are spot on. The village is small (maybe 300 people live here) and drab-it mostly consists of grey, dreich and slightly run down houses from the '50s and '60s, not quaint or pretty traditional Scottish cottages. The area up on the bay where the tourist tack is, is even worse. The buildings for the sports centre, cafe and shops are all very square, very dull and have absolutely no charm-there is something very badly-maintained council estate about them.

The shops sell a lot of tacky souvenirs as you might expect, but these really are bad-the type that will probably break two minutes after you leave the shop. The cafe was also quite expensive and frankly, not very good-the coffee was weak and the paninis were hard and fairly tasteless.

The one building that is worth having a look at is the John o' Groats House Hotel established in 1875 and on the site of Jan de Groot's house in the village which is a rather stately building with a famous octagonal shaped side room. Unfortunately this is currently under refurbishment and it is unclear if and when it will reopen.

The most annoying part of the John o' Groats experience is probably the fact that the 'Journey's End' famous sign with the distance to Land's End is privately owned meaning that you must pay for a man to take the sign out his car and take your photo. Apparently this is the same as at Land's End but the idea of having to pay to get a photo at a sign that could easily have been made public is maddening. Just off the main hillock with the main sign by the pier is a sign nailed on a wall with all the same stuff on it. It isn't as picturesque getting a photo against a white wall instead off a wooden sign against the grass and sea but it really irritated me that someone would try to make money out of something like that so I refused to pay. I don't know how much it is and can't seem to find it on the internet other than people moaning that you have to pay 'too much'!

The scenery around John o' Groats is pretty although it isn't as spectacular as many areas on the coastline around this northern part and so I wouldn't make a detour to come here for that. It is possible to walk along the coast for around 2 miles to the point which is the furthest possible to travel in one line from Land's End and this is a pleasant walk along a windswept and pretty path. However, I would still say you are better to go elsewhere and have prettier scenery and nicer towns.

The best point about the town is that there is a ferry service that crosses to Orkney in around 1 hour and that parking is free. My overwhelming memory of the village is as a large grey carpark and being ripped off, the complete opposite to most of my experiences in the highlands and islands where people were warm, welcoming and not just after money from tourists. Only recommended if you really want to get a photo of that signpost!

Summary: Go with low expectations