Ferry Link

THE popular ferry service that operates from John O’Groats is continuing a long tradition that began with the Dutchman who gave the village its distinctive name: Jan de Groot.

A mound and flagpole near the John O’Groats House Hotel mark the site where Jan built his famous octagonal house during the reign of James IV, between 1488 and 1513.

Jan was the leader of a small group of Dutchmen who settled in the area to start up the first regular ferry service to Orkney on the orders of the king.

Orkney had previously been part of the combined kingdom of Denmark and Norway, and the Scots monarch wanted a ferry to link the islands firmly to his domain.

At the end of the road

THE Last House in Scotland, perched on the northern edge of the UK mainland at John O’Groats, is one of the county’s most- photographed landmarks. These days it is home to a small museum which offers a glimpse into the past via photos of John O’Groats and Stroma, the now-uninhabited "island in the stream".

Shipwrecks of the Pentland Firth are also featured, underlining the dangers faced by generations of seafarers in these turbulent northern waters.