Last night I managed to avoid accepting wine from a stranger. It was another man on a campsite (younger this time, but still pretty middle-aged). They’re just getting irritating now!

Anyway, my very exciting first stop today was Duncansby Head near John o’Groats. It’s the most north easterly you can get on mainland UK. There were plenty of cyclists around either starting or finishing their Lands End to John o’Groats (or the other way around) cycle. There were actually four guys who had just completed it when I arrived at the main tourist part of John o’Groats and they celebrated by jumping off of the pier. Lovely! Anyway, the lighthouse was in an amazing location. There was some great coastal scenery going on there! Big old coves full of really noisy birds and the dramatic Stacks of Duncansby, two huge pointy rocks sticking out of the sea. I have no idea how the coast managed to get in that state, but it looks amazing!

My next port of call was Dunnet Head (pictured), which actually marks the most northerly point of mainland UK, but not so well-known as John o’Groats. It’s a great little lighthouse with some fantastic surrounding views. My most amusing moment of the day happened as I was driving up the road to the car park. Suddenly this sheep, shortly followed by a lamb, came galloping down the road towards me. It was hilarious. I stopped the car, just to be on the safe side, but she just carried on running past the side of the car with the little lamb behind her. Brilliant!

My third stop was disappointing, but I knew it would be. Holburn Head is in Scrabster, just north of Thurso. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is in an area owned by Cunard (or one of those big companies), so I was only able to see it from a distance.

Finally (but by no means the end of my journey today, was Strathy Point. It was a bit of a walk to the lighthouse here through a grassy area full of sheep (and really cute lambs). You get some amazing views of the coast towards the west and the shapes of the rocks and coastline were brilliant!

My most epic journey today was the drive from Strathy Point to Durness. I’m staying the night in Durness so I’m ready to cross the Kyle of Durness and get the minibus to Cape Wrath in the morning. The road is fine up until a certain point when it becomes a one-track road with passing places and too many over-confident drivers for my liking. I’m not afraid to admit it was a bit scary and I did pull over a few times to let some crazy motorcyclists fly past. I made it here in one piece though! Success! 🙂