Scotland Dunnet Head to John O'Groats & Duncansby Head

This particular leg of our trip was rather short, all of 30 miles to John O'Groats!  The shorter distance allowed us more time to explore Duncansby Head Stacks.

A lighthouse sits upon this headland, and it's surrounded by fields that you are allowed to walk on.     (Most of Scotland is that way anyway!) Just as long as you don't pester the livestock and you shut the gates, you can wander just about anywhere.

The three of us headed off to explore.  With the steep cliffs its a nesting area for many birds - Tom was very happy.  I found the scenery to be stunning.

We all had such a good time that we decided to take the afternoon wildlife cruise out around the stacks and the headland.  The weather was, once again, spectacular with bright sunny, warm skies and very little wind.

The village of John O'Groats claims to be the northern most point on the Scottish mainland, but after visiting Dunnet head we knew differently.  They've got some really good marketing people, and the white pole with all the different signs on it.  We didn't take that photo, but opted for this one instead!

This one had more meaning since we'd been to Bluff New Zealand just a few months ago.

The village is quite small: an RV camp located at the far left of this photo, a hotel- the building on the right, a few tourist shops, and cafes and the ticket office for the ferry that goes to the Orkneys, which will have to wait for another visit. It was pretty underwhelming considering the touristy hype that we'd been reading.

A bit of marine layer rolled in the late evening to provide a subtle, watercolor sunset.