We were eager to get out the door for our next step of the journey. We were heading 106 miles north to Scrabster, Thurso. As we were doing the NC 500, we travelled via John o’ Groats rather than cutting across to ensure that we made the most of the experience. And, you can’t really travel to the very north of Scotland without a quick visit to John o’ Groats. After all, you need to take the typical selfie with the signpost to prove you have been there at all! But anyway, back to our travel. Our first stop off was to the Hill o’ Many Stanes, located just of the A99 in Lybster. This was where we learnt the hard way to look out for the brown signs. If not, you may find yourself up the wrong road! The Hill o’ Many Stanes is an arrangement of 200 small stones in rows running down a small hill. It is estimated that the stones date back 4,000 years. It is hard to capture the beauty of this, but it provided us a small walk around the stones. Be warned though, there isn’t much parking at the site, only enough for up to about 3 cars. As we chose a quiet time of year we fortunately managed to get a space.
The next place we visited was again just off the A99, but this time we stopped at Cairn o’ Get in Ulbster. The parking here was a little better, but only for an extra car or two, however the views of Loch Watenan whilst eating our lunch were spectacular. I didn’t know what to expect when arriving at the cairn as I had no idea what one was, but reading the information provided at the site, I learnt that a cairn is a type of tomb that can date back 5,000 years. It was amazing to see the historical remains. The walk to the cairn is well marked, with black and white marker sticks, and was not too challenging. However, it is essential to wear the appropriate shoes as when we went it was very boggy! There are some beautiful views to enjoy on the walk there and back. If the weather was a bit nicer on the weeks leading to our arrival we would have been able to get to the dam and the fort which are located not too far from the cairn. However, the more we adventured in, the more boggy it got. Maybe something to go back to if we are ever that way again.
The next part of our journey took us over to the Old Castle of Wick, located in, you guessed it, Wick. Now make sure if you are using google maps to locate this, you type in the parking because you may miss some stunning views of the North Sea if not. This is then just a short walk across a field to the Castle. There is a small channel between you and the castle where the views of the bright blue sea are breathtaking. We were both in disbelief about how blue the sea was! It’s definitely worth taking some time to appreciate this. We then walked back past the car park to the Trinkie Pools. This was a thriving hub for the community back in the day and I imagine that this may also be the case in the summer, but we located this on a very cold and rainy day. If you enjoy a spot of swimming, I am sure you could take a dip, but it may be a bit cold depending on what time of year you go. Be warned though, the stones down to the pool are very slippery when wet. I learnt the hard way when I took a very hard thump down! Not to worry, my caring wife was close to hand, except she thought I had just decided to take a seat of the soaking floor and took pictures all the way until she got close to me! It was something we laughed about, even though my bum and wrist were very sore for a good week after! Trying to get changed was an interesting experience, I couldn’t carry on the journey as I was, I was soaked from the waist down in freezing cold water. Take this as your warning, and enter with extreme caution. I would have liked to get a bit closer to the pool, but either way, it was worth a quick stop.
We then continued north to John o’ Groats along the A99 to make sure that we get to absorb as many of the breath-taking views out to the sea as we could. Now, this wasn’t what we had planned to do, we planned to go to Duncansby Head Lighthouse, but it was getting on a bit and I was very sore! But everything worked out as we found out the next day, as it was a bit more of a trek then original thought. John o’ Groats was very wet and very cold. I wanted to stop for an ice cream whilst we looked around, but fortunately the ice cream shop was closed so we stopped in the Stacks Deli, Bakery and CoffeeHouse. This was a much appreciated find! We each got a hot chocolate (they have plant milk options available – which made Nicole happy). The lemon tiffin we shared was delicious! I had never had a tiffin so was not sure what to expect. I am glad we shared this in the end as even half of it was rich and sweet, I would not have been able to eat a full one! This is the benefit of having a wife I get to share things with as it meant we could both enjoy this not-so-little delight. The shop was also packed with local produce and eco-friendly products. I would advise going if you happen to find yourself in the area. We have started a little memory box of our life together, so I recommended to Nicole that we stop off in the souvenir shop that is by the coast. I have been here before and got a £1 note (yes, a note!), and this trip didn’t disappoint. The £1 note would be perfect to add to our memory box!
Once we had finished having a look around the gift shops and the little wonders to find at John o’ Groats, we carried on along to our Airbnb for the next 3 days. We decided that it would be worth staying in one place and venturing out from a set location starting all over again in a new place to stay each day when it’s only 20 or so miles down the road! It also provides you with the option to enjoy a lie in and not having to make sure you are out the door by check-out time! A whole two weeks of moving locations daily would have been a bit full on – I guess this wouldn’t have been the case if you were camping as you play by your own time sheet, but as previously mentioned this is not how Nicole and I would have enjoyed our holiday.
Our Wee Hoosie Airbnb was hosted by Angela. She was a very friendly and attentive host. We were greeted with a small basket of goodies (muffins, bagels, breakfast bars and a variety of fruit). They were all delicious and were very much enjoyed! The freshly laid eggs from the chickens also made a perfect scrambled egg to enjoy for breakfast! Although the Wee Hoosie is, as suggested, small, it did not feel small and was cosy. There is certain attractions we would have liked to have seen, such as the Castle and gardens of Mey, but this was closed to the public. This is the risk of travelling up out of peak season. However, it gives us a perfect excuse to holiday in the Highlands again and enjoy another stay at the Wee Hoosie!
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