John o Groats
John o' Groats Taigh Iain Ghròt | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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County | |||
Caithness | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Highland | |||
Places related to the A99 | |||
Places related to the A836 | |||
John o' Groats is a small village near the north west tip of mainland Scotland. Although it is not the northernmost point of mainland Britain (that is at Dunnet Head, 18 km to the west-northwest), John o' Groats and Land's End (in Cornwall) together constitute the two most distantly separated settlements on the main island of Great Britain. John O Groats is therefore the northern destination on the popular end to end, or LEJOG (Lands End - John O Groats) route which sees thousands of charity fundraisers and others travel the length of Britain every year.
John o Groats proper is the small cluster of buildings on the coast at the end of the road. Here there is a craft village, the 'Last House' and Hotel, some of which are undergoing some form of refurbishment in an attempt to try and make them a profitable destination. The village to the south which seems to also now be known as John o'Groats is more correctly Duncansby, although the need to draw in the tourist trade has seen the name change in common usage.
Junction
The village is the site of the junction between the A99 and A836. The A99 continues north to John o'Groats itself, whilst the A836 terminates here, after a long cross-country run that saw it start a long way south near Tain. The A99 has had a somewhat shorter route, starting at Latheron, although both routes start on the A9, and indeed the A99 is the former A9 before it was re-routed west to Scrabster near Thurso. The junction is actually a staggered crossroads, with the unclassified road east out to Duncansby Head starting a little to the south of the main junction.
Originally, it was two very different routes that met here, the B875 and B876. It didn't take long, however, for the roads to be upgraded to A roads, and so the A882 was moved to pass through the village, the B875 curtailed to a short stub leading to the shore. A few years later again, and the A9 arrived at John o Groats, continuing right to the shore, whilst the A836 was extended at the same time, to end as it does now at the junction.
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
Wick | ||
Thurso, Castletown, Gills Bay, ferry | North and West Highlands Route: Ullapool 170 | |
Duncansby Head | ||
Wick | now A99 | |
Thurso, Castletown, Gills Bay, ferry | now A836 | |
Wick | now A99 | |
Wick | now A99 | |
Thurso, Castletown, Gills Bay, ferry | ||
Ferry |
Passenger Ferry to Orkney | |
NORTH POLE 2200 MILES, ORKNEY 6 MILES | Tourist signpost | |
LANDS END 876 MILES, LONDON 690 MILES | Tourist Signpost |
Links