County Road, John o' Groats, Wick KW1 4YR, United Kingdom
Beautiful sunset enjoyed from the campsite
The famous John o'Groats signpost
My picnic bench. With a little yoghurt experiment ;)
John o'Groats is the end point of the legendary LEJOG, or the start point of the JOGLE. It is the most Northern point of the British mainland. It is popular with cyclists and RV tourists alike. The signpost is a very popular photo spot and you'll see groups of people taking pictures of each other. The little village itself is very much built around being a tourist attraction, with souvenir shops, restaurants and a brewery. Despite being quite busy, the area invites its visitors for walks along the coast.
County Road, John o' Groats, Wick KW1 4YR, United Kingdom
Beautiful sunset enjoyed from the campsite
The famous John o'Groats signpost
My picnic bench. With a little yoghurt experiment ;)
To have a little bit of a framework to evaluate campsites for bike travelers, I wrote my criteria down in another post. The review is based on these criteria.
When I arrived I had to wait a little bit. The campsite only opened at 2 pm, I was a bit early. The check-in was friendly and quick.
They don't have an area that is forbidden for cars, but they do have a slot that is reserved for tents. In this part you won't have any big RVs, but only cars. Not super ideal, but an ok compromise. What was really nice though, was that the tent area was at the best spot, closest to the coast.
There are picnic benches in the tent area.
Yes, you can charge your phone in the shower rooms
There's no common room on the campsite. The campsite seems generally more like a campsite at a tourist attraction and less a campsite that is an attraction in itself. There's nothing wrong with that, it just means that they don't have extensive facilities on site.
They do have a little shop at the reception though. It has the essentials you might need, which is quite nice. The local general store is very sparsely stocked and does not sell any alcohol. The onsite shop is open during the reception opening hours, which is mainly in the afternoon. There's no onsite imbiss, but in John o'Groats, there are plenty of little food trucks and restaurants. I spent quite some time in the Cafe Groats, I had to wait for the ferry. They do have scones with clotted cream (not really common in Scotland, but one of my favorites) and really good loaded fries. There's as well a little brewery where you can get a nice pint.
Spot on, it's the start or end point of Land's End to John o'Groats. The North Coast 500 is as well passing John o'Groats. The EuroVelo 12 is passing as well, it's the arrival point of the ferry from the Orkney Islands.
It's beautifully located! If you ignore the buzz of John o'Groats itself you'll find beautiful walks and views directly close to the campsite. The sunset and sunrise are fantastic!
It's a nice, functional campsite. I would not go there to simply visit the campsite, but it's located at such an important point for many bike routes, that you'll find yourself eventually there. Especially as the ferry to the Orkney Islands leaves only two times per day.
Note on the ferry: I saw on their website that they are not running in 2024. I'm not sure whether this is true, but you can't buy any online tickets right now. If you plan to use it as a transfer to the Orkney Islands, I would give them a call to confirm.
