Duncansby Head Walk

The Duncansby Head Walk follows the dramatic coastline from John o'Groats to the true north-easterly point of the British mainland, passing sandy beaches, an otter-frequented burn, and the towering Stacks of Duncansby — sea stacks that rise as high as the red sandstone cliffs they were once part of.

The route starts at the large car park in John o'Groats, passing the famous distance signpost at the harbour before following a surfaced path along the back of the pebbly beach. Two kissing gates lead across a burn favoured by otters, though rarely seen, before the path reaches Robert's Haven, a sandy beach worth a look for "Groatie Buckies" — small cowrie shells once used locally as currency. Rounding the Ness of Duncansby, an area of open common grazing best crossed along the top of the beach head, the route continues to Sannick Bay and climbs towards Duncansby Head Lighthouse, built by the renowned Stevenson family of lighthouse engineers.

Beyond the lighthouse, the coastal path passes the Geo of Sclaites, a deep cleft in the cliffs often filled with wheeling, deafeningly loud seabirds in season, before reaching the clifftop viewpoint over the Stacks of Duncansby themselves — most visitors turn back here, though continuing further south rewards with real solitude and the constant call of nesting fulmars, kittiwakes, guillemots, and skuas.

This is mostly grassy, easy cliff-top walking with occasional boggy patches, but genuine care is needed near the unfenced cliff edges throughout, and the weather here on Scotland's most northerly coast can change in minutes.

The John o'Groats car park is free, with cafés, toilets, and craft shops nearby; a regular Stagecoach bus service connects John o'Groats with Wick, Thurso, and Inverness.