The NC500 in a VW T3 Campervan – Part 3 – John o’ Groats and the Northern Coast.

Day 4 - Brora to Dunnet Bay, via John o’ Groats 81 miles (130.36 km)

We had several things on our itinerary for today; The Whaligoe Steps, Duncansby Stacks, John o’ Groats, Dunnet Head and finally Dunnet Bay for our overnight stay. The weather started out well, a warm sun helped as we packed down. However, high winds and a storm were forecast for later in the day. Better get the waterproofs ready!

The Whaligoe Steps

Our first stop-off point was The Whaligoe steps to visit the quirky Cafe Louise had been looking forward to. Unfortunately, the Cafe was closed on Tuesdays which I found myself in the dog house for a while! Good job we had Bellamy for a warming cup of coffee and a sandwich after negotiating the 365 steps down and back up.

Duncansby Stacks

Our next stop was for a brisk walk near the Duncansby Stacks, a place we had earmarked as somewhere we’d like to visit as we loosely planned our trip. The weather had turned a bit as we arrived with some high winds and driving rain, perfect to help keep the pace up across the fields to the view of the stacks.

John o' Groats

Then onto John o’ Groats to complete our Lands End to John o’ Groats journey that we started all those weeks ago. We got the obligatory photo, but couldn’t manage to get Bellamy on the mound as it was busy. We didn’t spend that long here as it was all a little too touristy for our liking, so we set off for the ‘real’ most northerly point of mainland Britain.

Dunnet Head

Dunnet Head may be only a few miles away, but it felt like a world away from the busy John o' Groats. A nice walk gave some wonderful views with brooding skies, it even stopped raining!

We arrived at our final destination of the day Dunnet Bay Caravan Club site for a walk along the deserted beach before a relaxing evening in the van with the rain and wind lulling us to sleep.