If you want to go on holiday with your horse, this farm near Cardiff offers B&B for both you and…read moreyour horse. Stabling for horses costs £10 - £15 per night. This includes shavings bedding and good quality hay. They have 3 12' by 12' wooden stables and a safe two and a half acre turn out paddock. There's also safe parking for lorries and trailers. Set amidst the rolling countryside of the Vale of Glamorgan, there are plenty of decent forest rides and quiet country lanes and tracks. Meanwhile, you can stay in the 17th century farmhouse B&B, also on the same farm, where they have four en suite rooms. It's a former corn mill, full of character, with the old mill pond still sat alongside the house.

Not our first time up here in the North - we always love to come back to this area. But we've never…read morevisited John O'Groats - this year though we made some time for a visit. It's often advertised as the Northernmost point - which it is actually not. That would be Dunnet Head. But it is the northernmost settlement (or village so to call). Also ferries to the Orkneys depart from here. The name comes originally from Jan de Groot, a 15th-century Dutchman who once plied a ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, which had recently been acquired from Norway by King James IV. The signpost is not the original from 1964 but was erected after the Hotel re-opened in the 2000s and is now publicly accessible without any fees. And this landmark brings in a lot of visitors. Restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops, a distillery....it's all here. As the counterpart "Land's End" in Cornwall it's often compared to a touristy theme park. And yes, it completely caters to tourists and visitors. But still, it was worth a visit. Some shops were pretty fun, the ocean views are beautiful and there's also the John O'Groats trail - a nice path along the coast. And if you like it very much, then there's the colourful Hotel where you could stay at.

This is so much more than just a famous sign - it's a whole village built around the sign - with an…read moreold Victorian hotel, lots of whimsical murals, boats, a cute cafe and shops, a row of colorful houses, and even a whisky distillery! The John O'Groats sign marks the "journey's end" on the trek from the southernmost inhabited point in the UK (Land's End in Cornwall, England) to the northernmost inhabited point - John O'Groats village, Scotland! It's not actually the northernmost point in the UK though - that's nearby at a place called Dunnet Head. But it is the most northern village. The British even use the metaphor "from Land's End to John O'Groats" to signify a great, all-encompassing distance - kinda like how we American's say "coast to coast". It's a beautiful little village - very quaint and very windy haha! There's a little park which doubles as a trailhead for the 147 mile John O'Groats trail. It also holds the original bright red foghorn from the nearby lighthouse before it was automated. From the park, you can see the Orkney Isles in the distance and a line of very turbulent waves stretching from Orkney to the mainland - this is where the North Sea clashes with the Atlantic Ocean and is considered one of the most dangerous channels in the whole UK! I so badly wanted to get my drone up in the air but it was WAAAAY too windy lol. It's very remote but we got here doing the North Coast 500 route with Rabbies Tours (which is AMAZING by the way). We spent a few minutes in the cafe and shop - so many cute souvenirs and trinkets and very fun bottles of vodka and gin. We grabbed a coffee and a couple of pastries - all excellent! In the summer, a ferry runs from the village dock over to Orkney. Definitely worth a stop if you're doing the North Coast 500!

While recently doing the "North Coast 500" route around the Scottish coast, we stayed at the John…read moreO'Groats Guest House as a stopping point, and are so glad we did! Under new ownership, the lovely couple that now own it have put their heart and soul into the house, and it shows! The rooms are updated with new furniture and fixtures, as well as upgraded with all the technological plug-ins you could need while traveling, such as Wi-Fi, Netflix, etc. The night before your stay you will get a message from the owners, who live on-site, asking what your special request is for any meals you would like. Since there are limited dining options at John O'Groats, this was hospitality above and beyond most B&B's we have stayed at. The owners are fabulous chefs, and only use locally sourced meat, cheese, eggs, milk, jams, etc. which are delivered to them fresh from local farms. We requested the Local Meat & Cheese Tray as our starter, and it was wonderfully fresh and delicious! Our locally sourced pork burger was fantastic as well. Breakfast is also included with your stay, and the owners did not disappoint with a list of local options for breakfast that you select the night before, and tell them what time you would like breakfast. It was such a nice way to start our day on the next leg of our journey around the Scottish coast. The warmth and hospitality we received at the Guest House was unexpected and very welcome. We would stay again.

We recently stayed at the John o' Groats Guest House, and it was a highlight of our month's…read morevacation in England and Scotland. Located near the ferry landing for trips to the Orkney Islands, we knew it would be a great location for us, surrounded by the stark but beautiful northern Scotland scenery. What we did not anticipate, though, was that the owners, Mary and Mark, would be the most welcoming and accommodating people ever. Not only did they provide a very nice room and great food, they did everything possible to make our stay pleasant. Mark even took us down to the ferry for our Orkney tour and picked us up at the end of the day. We had such a good time dining with them and the other guests and hanging out after! It was what you would always like to experience in a small B&B or guest house, but rarely do. If you are going to be in the area, you could do no better than to stay at the John o' Groats Guest House.

Tiny little ferry pot that runs ferries to Orkney and Shetland all year round weather permitting…read more If you want to eat grab someting in Thurso first. Also fuel on the islands tends to be a bit dearer so fill up on the main land first

Heading north from Fochabers up the East coast of Scotland, I spent one night at A1 Castleviews…read moreKeiss Bed & Breakfast from Tuesday 9 to Wednesday 10 July 2019 as part of my heritage travel trip to Scotland in July 2019. Having had some bumps with my rental car, I was happy to find the bed and breakfast on the left side of Main Street in Keiss on approach from the south. This made parking along the street to check in very easy since driving was on the left side of the road. Checking in and being shown my room and given my keys, the owners also said I could use the off the street parking spot. Later in the day, when going to explore the Grey Cairns of Camster, I managed to pull-off a maneuver backing out of the parking spot into the lane on the far side of Main Street in one go. I got a nod of approval from the owner(s) and built some confidence about driving my stick shift (manual transmission) rental car. For my stay, I went with a standard double room with breakfast in the morning, which had a price tag of $69 through Booking [dot] com. I paid cash on-site after booking online/via the app. A large bathroom was shared between rooms on the upper floor of the bed and breakfast. At the end of the upstairs hallway was a communal room with cushy seats/couches and dining tables. The presentation was immaculate, the breakfast was delicious, and the owners gracious, conversational, and warm in temperament. Surroundings, even on a cloudy day were stunning.

I crossed over from St Margaret's Hope a few days ago on this fast, comfortable little car ferry. I…read morearrived in the islands aboard the Aberdeen ferry but was glad to be returning on one much more comfortable, less crowded and fast.

Pentland Ferries sails between Gills Bay on mainland Britain and St. Margaret's Hope on Mainland,…read moreOrkney. The Pentalina high-speed catamaran (a passenger and vehicle ferry) runs the route in little over an hour, making it the fastest way to access Orkney by boat. Leaving Gills Bay, the Pentalina sails through Pentland Firth and some truly spectacular North Sea scenery. Perhaps most interesting is the small island of Stroma, belonging to Caithness. Until the turn of the twentieth century, Stroma had several hundred residents who farmed the land, but by the 60s, the last two families had left. The stone homes, typical of the Highlands, still stand silently today, as does the lighthouse, church, graveyard and harbor. Locals told us that the island is currently owned by a sheep farmer in Caithness who uses the land to graze his sheep. Otherwise, everything is supposedly preserved within the structures exactly as the residents of Stroma left them when they abandoned the island. A Scottish ghost town. As the ferry passes Stroma, and then Swona (part of The Orkney islands), it's worth braving the whipping wind and chilly North Sea air to keep a lookout for seals and seabirds. Most notable among the wildlife are the adorable puffin, hurtling through the air like feathered missiles. (Once you're sufficiently chilled, there are two lounges below deck in which to relax, plus a tiny window selling hot, homemade soup, burgers and sandwiches.) At last, the Pentalina cruises by Hoy where, if the weather cooperates, passengers can catch a glimpse of the iconic Old Man of Hoy, before the final destination of St. Margaret's Hope comes into view. The quaint village lies like a cobblestone ribbon cutting through the emerald green landscape behind it. The cost of your passage is £14; your car will run you £33. Considering the speed with which you reach the Islands, and the views you're treated to along the way, Pentland Ferries is well worth the price of admission.

Ommmm, so Seaview Hotel is about the only place we could find that was open before a 7:30 pm…read moresailing from Gills Bay on the Pentland Ferries (Pro tip learned quickly in Scotland: outside major cities, everything shuts up tighter than a drum in the evenings). Plus, it's just fun to say "John o' Groats." We scoped the bar area -- depressingly run down, but happily full of rowdy locals -- and the dining room -- clearly going for the "executive ballroom" feel, and probably where everyone in John o' Groats holds their wedding reception. We went with the dining room which, apparently, boasts the moniker "Groatie Room." Service was excellent, friendly and accommodating, as at most places in Scotland. Also, a variety of local craft brews was on offer, as at most places in Scotland. Food, however, perfectly matched the stuffy, outdated dining room. Exactly what you'd expect from a sit-down reception catered by Sodexho. A bland Caprese salad, run-of-the-mill paninis, season-less steamed veggies. But, considering Seaview was about the only thing going in John o' Groats and put much need sustenance in our bellies, it garners the A-OK rating.

My husband and I stayed at the very lovely Anchorage B&B during our September trip to John…read moreO'Groats. The owners of the Anchorage recommended the Seaview for our dinner and we even ran into them there that night. Admittedly, this pub is not much to look at. It's dated and a bit run down. However, don't let that deter you. If you love fish, this is the place to go. We started with scallops and they were the best scallops that we have ever eaten. We live in Los Angeles and frequently eat at high end restaurants...the Seaview had them beat! For my main, I had a grilled haddock that was amazing. My husband had a burger made from local beef. Fresh food makes all of the difference. Our meals were fantastic! Beyond that, this is clearly a place filled with locals and everyone was exceptionally welcoming. John O'Groats has the friendliest people that we encountered during our UK trip. Go here, trust me!

We had a single afternoon in the area and really enjoyed a sight seeing/errand trip in Wicks and…read moreall around to various places. Great taxi service as well as a guided tour. Good experience, well worth it.