Noss Head, Duncansby Head and John o’Groats

The next leg of our trip was from Golspie to John o’Groats. Our first stop was Helmsdale harbour where we had breakfast.

We’d then planned to stop at the Whaligoe Steps but the car park was full so we moved on to Noss Head.

There, we walked to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, which John found rather disappointing, but I enjoyed. I think he was hoping it would be better preserved, but I loved the shapes made by the ruins, perched on high striated rocks.

Our next stop was Duncansby Head and Stacks. From the lighthouse, we followed the coastal path and were amazed to see hundreds of fulmers and guillemots nesting in the layers of rocks towering above the sea. I hadn’t realised how much guillemots look like little penguins… cute!

I was hoping to get some great shots of Duncansby Stacks but the light was in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, I loved the shapes of them, shooting up out of the waves.

Late afternoon, we arrived in John o’Groats and settled into the campsite before wandering around the harbour. Of course we had to visit the brewery and sample the beer in the last pub on the UK mainland!

Back at Molly Moho, we discovered our LPG had run out. Therefore, we had no gas for the fridge, heating or cooking. Managing to remain calm, we moved to a pitch with electric hook up, opened a bottle of wine and got some fish and chips for tea. We’ll sort out the LPG tomorrow!

As we settled down to watch telly, our phones alerted us to the likelihood of seeing the aurora and, because we were so far north, I knew it was possible. There were clouds, but plenty of stars were shining brightly, so I couldn’t resist finding out if the northern lights were visible. While John slumbered, I spent an hour in a dark field in freezing cold wind!

The colours weren’t visible to my naked eyes but I could see lines dancing around and, when I looked through my phone camera, the greens, purples and pinks came to life. Wonderful!