John o' Groats
Encyclopedia
John o' Groats is a village in the Highland
council area of Scotland. Part of the county
of Caithness
, John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain
, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants. It is, though, one end of the longest distance between two inhabited points on the British mainland, Land's End
being the other. The actual most northerly point is nearby Dunnet Head
.
, a Dutchman
who obtained a grant for the ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, recently acquired from Norway
, from King James IV
in 1496. The lower case and second space in "John o' Groats" are regarded by many as correct, as the "o'" means "of" and thus is not cognate with Irish names that begin with O', even though that usage also denoted "of"; but the name can be found with the capital and/or without the space. People from John o' Groats are known as "Groatsers". Local legend has the name John o' Groats termed to reflect the dutch ferryman's charge of one groat
payment for the ride to the islands.
The name John o' Groats has a particular resonance because it is often used as a starting or ending point for cycles, walks and charitable events to and from Land's End
(at the extreme south-western tip of the Cornish
peninsula). The phrase Land's End to John o' Groats
(LEJOG) is frequently heard both as a literal journey (being the longest possible in Great Britain) and as a metaphor
for great or all-encompassing distance, similar to the American phrase coast to coast
.
The village is dispersed but has a linear centre with council housing, sports park, and a shop which is on the main road from the nearest town of Wick
.
, described the village as a "seedy tourist trap" and in 2010 John o' Groats received a Carbuncle Award for being "Scotland's most dismal town".
-based photography company which operates its counterpart at Land's End
, with a fee payable for having pictures taken next to the signpost. The signs, including the 'John o' Groats' roundel at the top, are removed after the photographer's booth closes for the evening – so travellers arriving in the late evening or early morning may be disappointed in their quest for photographs at the signpost. It used to be left in place until someone threw it in the sea. A free plastic signpost is situated on the wall next to the First and Last souvenir shop and the harbour.
Amateur Football, they also enter a team into the Winter 7s which are played in Thurso
. They also have the distinction of being the most northerly British mainland club. Canisbay Juniors are the "feeder" team to John o' Groats FC with many of the key first team players having played for the juniors side at one time. They play in the youth development leagues in Caithness where they enter teams at all age groups.
Labour
MSP
Rhoda Grant
as "one of the UK's most famous landmarks". It is currently closed and has fallen into disrepair although there have been plans for renovation for several years.
"John O'Groat's House was an ancient house believed to be situated in front of the present hotel and was mark with a flagpole now removed, deriving its name from John of Groat, or Groot, and his brothers, originally from Holland, said to have settled here about 1489. The house was of an octagon shape, being one room, with eight windows and eight doors, to admit eight members of the family; the heads of different branches of it, to prevent their quarrels for precedence at table. Each came in by this contrivance at his own door, and sat at an octagon table, at which, of course, there was no chief place or head." (Haydn's Dictionary of Dates, 1876, by Benjamin Vincent, pg 408).
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area of Scotland. Part of the county
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
, John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants. It is, though, one end of the longest distance between two inhabited points on the British mainland, Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
being the other. The actual most northerly point is nearby Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head is a peninsula in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, that includes the most northerly point of the mainland of Great Britain. The point, known as Easter Head, is at , about westnorthwest of John o' Groats and about from Duncansby Head...
.
Name
The town takes its name from Jan de GrooteJan de Groote
Jan de Groote was a Dutch politician.-References:...
, a Dutchman
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
who obtained a grant for the ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, recently acquired from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, from King James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
in 1496. The lower case and second space in "John o' Groats" are regarded by many as correct, as the "o'" means "of" and thus is not cognate with Irish names that begin with O', even though that usage also denoted "of"; but the name can be found with the capital and/or without the space. People from John o' Groats are known as "Groatsers". Local legend has the name John o' Groats termed to reflect the dutch ferryman's charge of one groat
Groat
Groat or Fuppence is the traditional name of an English silver coin worth four English pence, and also a Scottish coin originally worth fourpence, with later issues being valued at eightpence and one shilling.-Name:...
payment for the ride to the islands.
The name John o' Groats has a particular resonance because it is often used as a starting or ending point for cycles, walks and charitable events to and from Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
(at the extreme south-western tip of the Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
peninsula). The phrase Land's End to John o' Groats
Land's End to John o' Groats
Land's End to John o' Groats is the traversal of the whole length of the island of Great Britain between two extremities; in the southwest and northeast. The traditional distance by road is and takes most cyclists ten to fourteen days; the record for running the route is nine days. Off-road...
(LEJOG) is frequently heard both as a literal journey (being the longest possible in Great Britain) and as a metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
for great or all-encompassing distance, similar to the American phrase coast to coast
Coast to Coast
Coast to Coast is a colloquialism for reaching or traveling from one coast to another, especially across a continent or nation.Coast to Coast or Coast 2 Coast may also refer to:-Films and television:...
.
Demography
The population of John o' Groats is approximately 300 ± 10.The village is dispersed but has a linear centre with council housing, sports park, and a shop which is on the main road from the nearest town of Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
.
Tourism
John o' Groats attracts large numbers of tourists from all across the world all year round. Not all commentary is good − in 2005 a popular tourist guide, Lonely PlanetLonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
, described the village as a "seedy tourist trap" and in 2010 John o' Groats received a Carbuncle Award for being "Scotland's most dismal town".
Signpost
The famous "Journey's End" signpost at John o' Groats is privately owned and operated by the same PenzancePenzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
-based photography company which operates its counterpart at Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
, with a fee payable for having pictures taken next to the signpost. The signs, including the 'John o' Groats' roundel at the top, are removed after the photographer's booth closes for the evening – so travellers arriving in the late evening or early morning may be disappointed in their quest for photographs at the signpost. It used to be left in place until someone threw it in the sea. A free plastic signpost is situated on the wall next to the First and Last souvenir shop and the harbour.
Sport
John o' Groats is home to two football clubs, John o' Groats and Canisbay Juniors. John o' Groats FC are an amateur outfit who play in the top flight of CaithnessCaithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
Amateur Football, they also enter a team into the Winter 7s which are played in Thurso
Thurso
-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
. They also have the distinction of being the most northerly British mainland club. Canisbay Juniors are the "feeder" team to John o' Groats FC with many of the key first team players having played for the juniors side at one time. They play in the youth development leagues in Caithness where they enter teams at all age groups.
Hotel
The John o' Groats House Hotel was built on the site of Jan de Groot's house and was established in 1875. Although no longer a hotel or public bar, it has been described by Highlands and IslandsHighlands and Islands (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
The Highlands and Islands is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Eight of the parliament's first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament .The...
Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
Rhoda Grant
Rhoda Grant
Rhoda Grant is a Scottish Labour politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Highlands and Islands region from 1999 to 2003 and since 2007....
as "one of the UK's most famous landmarks". It is currently closed and has fallen into disrepair although there have been plans for renovation for several years.
"John O'Groat's House was an ancient house believed to be situated in front of the present hotel and was mark with a flagpole now removed, deriving its name from John of Groat, or Groot, and his brothers, originally from Holland, said to have settled here about 1489. The house was of an octagon shape, being one room, with eight windows and eight doors, to admit eight members of the family; the heads of different branches of it, to prevent their quarrels for precedence at table. Each came in by this contrivance at his own door, and sat at an octagon table, at which, of course, there was no chief place or head." (Haydn's Dictionary of Dates, 1876, by Benjamin Vincent, pg 408).