NC500, Day 3 Part 1 - Wick to John O'Groats

I have split Day 3 into two parts as we managed to fit in quite a lot - we drove from Wick(east coast) to Durness(north west coast), taking in a Castle, a cracking breakfast, Duncansby Head, John O’Groats and a beautiful drive along the north coast to our next overnight stop, Sango Bay, Durness. For this entry I shall focus on the Wick to John O’Groats section.

The video relating to this blog can be seen here, NC500 Day 3 Part 1 Now, this video is pretty unique in that it contains a scene of me apologising. That’s a collectors item right there, make the most of it. Oh, please do subscribe to the channel if you can be bothered - I need my numbers up. :-)

Moving swiftly on from that apology debacle, for anyone interested in travel photography, this is a book I often refer to…worth checking it out

Lonely Planet's Guide to Travel Photography

Also, some of my own Scotland images are available on the Redbubble store

With that out of the way, let’s get on with the real business - the wonderful NC500 and the first part of Day 3.

For me, this was almost the start of getting into the real heart of the NC500 - hitting the North Coast proper, standing in John O’Groats looking over towards Orkney, driving along the North Coast itself and watching the scenery slowly change as we headed west. It really was a wonderful day and we were lucky to have some great weather to boot.

With no further ado, let’s get into the photos!

We were up at the crack of dawn and, even before breakfast, we headed towards this hidden gem - Castle Sinclair, Girnigoe. This ruined castle sits in a spectacular location just north of Wick, high on a cliff with views over the sea towards Duncansby head and beyond. The weather certainly helped - lovely sunny day and a warm breeze. That breeze is important in these parts - it keeps the midgies away.

For those unaware, midgies are hard-as-nails little devils that will swarm all over you and bite the living daylights out of every visible patch of skin. They are the violent cousins of your tropical mosquito. Do not mess with a midgie. Seriously, before heading into these parts do your midgie research.

Don’t believe me? Check this video. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

I don’t know who puts up all the information boards around the NC500 route, but as mentioned previously, there were a lot of them and they were very much appreciated - loved this one of the castle!

And here it is! It’s a beauty and no mistake, very well worth including in your itinerary especially if you have weather like this. With a breeze, don’t forget the breeze.

You can access the castle over the wee bridge on the left - but parts are fragile, so just be a little bit careful. Otherwise it may come tumbling down on you, you’d be trapped and easy midgie fodder. They’d cover you in a heartbeat and then you’d be sorry.

Slightly different view of the castle…

IT HAD A PORTCULLIS!!! Joy of joys, I love a portcullis, adds to the whole feel of the place and reminded me that I’m a bit of a Robin Hood character (please refer to earlier blog).

Me and the Big Yin on the way to the castle. Yep, I should have put this earlier in the sequence. I messed up the continuity, I can only apologise for any confusion caused and promise to try harder in future…

Looking north from the castle. The east coast scenery is very different from the west, but still has its own beauty and charm. The cliffs in the distance are by Duncansby Head, a destination for later in the day. Anyway, after the castle we headed for breakfast…

And here’s where we ate - The Rumblin’ Tum. I had read some cracking online reviews, so expectations were high…

And those expectations were met - what a breakfast! WHAT a breakfast! Piping hot, delicious and the beans not touching the egg. I’m going to throw this out there - this was the best breakfast of the trip. I’m salivating.

And it came with toast. So good I photographed it twice.

Let’s throw caution to the winds and add in a third, the Big Yin deserves his moment in the sun. I think even he was impressed with the quality of food, although I do believe he went on Tripadvisor later to complain about the small portions. No, I’ve no idea why he’s wearing a 1980’s body warmer. Get used to it though, he never takes it off.

Anyway, after breakfast we drove up to Duncansby Head. I genuinely had no idea what lay ahead…

And here is my new Food Hero. Glyn runs the cafe, does the cooking, is an accomplished local author and, I believe, makes the wood carvings sold in the cafe. I sincerely hope his business pulls through the current crisis…The Rumblin’ Tum was a great stop on the NC500 route…

Duncansby Head lies to the east of John O’Groats and from the car park - at the end of a narrow road, be careful - there’s a short walk to this wonderful view. I loved this place, just spectacular. Once you park and get out of your car, depending on the way the wind is blowing, you may be hit with a pretty distinctive smell. Now, I was kinda getting used to odours, what with sharing a van with Bodywarmer Boy, but this was something else - it was the smell of guano (posh word for bird poo) coming from the seabirds nesting on the surrounding cliffs.

I’ve lost the word for this. Inlet? Gorge? Crack? I dunno - whatever it is, this geological feature adds to the dramatic coastline - birds nesting on the sides, flying in and out of the gully (is it a gully?), the wind blowing the guano smell into your face…

But that view…oh my days, that view! I didn’t expect this and my photos cannot do just to the impact this will have on you if you visit the area. And we were spoiled by the weather, it was glorious! I could easily have stood here for hours, taking this in…

OK, I’m having a bit of a ‘mare here - this sea stack is back from the start of the day, pre-breakfast at Castle Sinclair Girnigoe. I was going to leave it out, but I changed my mind as I thought it worth sharing. There’s a raw, natural beauty about sea stacks and I don’t get to see them very often. So, apologies for another continuity error, I’m not proud of myself.

After those wonderful views, we paid the obligatory trip into John O’Groats. Not much there, really - bunch of tacky souvenir shops, busy car park, cafe…and the sign! Oh yes, the sign - you have to get a photo of it - actually looked quite nice, with the wee harbour behind it and the view over the sea. We had to wait a few minutes though, lots of people doing that predictable selfie thing . And I bought some tacky souvenirs, I must confess. Sticker for the van, key rings for family - you know the drill.

And, yes - we did the predictable selfie! Well, you have to, really…

OK, that’s part 1 of Day 3 done with - tomorrow I’ll do part 2. In the meantime, Stay Home, Stay Safe, Be kind.