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John o' Groats
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.
The settlement takes its name from Jan de Groot, a 15th-century Dutchman who once plied a ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, which had recently been acquired from Norway by King James IV. Local legend has that the "o' Groats" refers to John's charge of one groat for use of his ferry, but it actually derives from the Dutch de groot, meaning "the large". People from John o' Groats are known as "Groaters".
The name John o' Groats has a particular resonance because it is often used as a starting or ending point for cycles, walks, and charitable events to and from Land's End (at the extreme south-western tip of the Cornish peninsula in England). The phrase Land's End to John o' Groats is frequently heard. Also, for many years, it was the northern terminal of the A9 trunk road, which now ends at Scrabster. The longest journey possible in the UK is however Lands End to Duncansby Head, 2 miles to the east of JoG.
In 2007, the population of John o' Groats was about 300. The village is dispersed, but has a linear centre with council housing, sports park, and a shop, which is on the main road from the nearest town of Wick.
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.
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John o' Groats
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.
The settlement takes its name from Jan de Groot, a 15th-century Dutchman who once plied a ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, which had recently been acquired from Norway by King James IV. Local legend has that the "o' Groats" refers to John's charge of one groat for use of his ferry, but it actually derives from the Dutch de groot, meaning "the large". People from John o' Groats are known as "Groaters".
The name John o' Groats has a particular resonance because it is often used as a starting or ending point for cycles, walks, and charitable events to and from Land's End (at the extreme south-western tip of the Cornish peninsula in England). The phrase Land's End to John o' Groats is frequently heard. Also, for many years, it was the northern terminal of the A9 trunk road, which now ends at Scrabster. The longest journey possible in the UK is however Lands End to Duncansby Head, 2 miles to the east of JoG.
In 2007, the population of John o' Groats was about 300. The village is dispersed, but has a linear centre with council housing, sports park, and a shop, which is on the main road from the nearest town of Wick.
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.