This roundabout is literally the end of the road, there is no more Road
Good morning and welcome to another day on
the NC 500
this is episode two of the series. We are hitting the road this morning again
We have just stayed at Dornoch which is a wee town about 40 miles north of Inverness and in today's episode
Stop number two is gonna be John O'Groats
So we're going from here right up the very very far north east coast of Scotland up to John O'Groats
which is as far north as you can go on the British mainland, John O Groats often talked about because it is
the great stop when you can go from John O'Groats all the way to the Lands End and the south the biggest route in the
UK I'm excited there's a couple of places I want to stop on the way that I think are gonna be really cool
It's a beautiful gorgeous. Sunny day. We've got 19 degrees Celsius, but thanks for watching. Thanks for joining in
It's great to have you here
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Every single Sunday we're learning Scotland together. I'm seeing so many places. I've never seen before right here on this route. Let's get going
Oh
Some of these hills are pretty
Pretty testy and I'm just thinking in my old we Fiat in my petrol car
We just wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now
I
Think we accidentally got the red car memo
Parked up here at this castle walk and we've got like five cars all the same colour
We have arrived in the very far north almost as far north as you can go just outside the time called wick
We have come down here because we're going to visit a castle a ruined castle that looked pretty amazing on Instagram
Called Castle Sinclair.
And it's just down a wee path here, we've parked up
We'll come down and see if we can get a better look it up
See what it looks like in person
but on the pictures there on the map on the noticeboard it looked like it was once enormous so
Yeah, first exploration today. I would say the car it was it's been about an hour and a half drive
so far
Beautiful beautiful. They've got a breeze but it is gorgeous. So clear and bright
All right, here we are this is Castle Sinclair ????
I don't know if I'm saying that right probably not says up here
castle Sinclair
Girnigoe
Castle Sinclair Girnigoe. It looks pretty spectacular from up here is perched up on this kind of High Island Rock thing
Which is pretty impressive and I think this is just going to be such a great option. You take some force and video down here
Signs here are saying loss of information and this one here actually gives you a good picture of how this castle evolved for the ages
But at its peak it was an absolutely enormous place
But as so many of these things go family feud's the Sinclair family and like all the other warring clans and stuff up here
they ended up getting dismantled and this one got dismantled in 1680 and has never ever been repaired since
and apparently Castle Sinclair is the only Castle in Scotland to be listed by the world monument fund on their watch list of castles that
are in severe danger because of where it's pertched, obviously and
Looks like there's a lot of people funded to try and get restored a little bit
But it isn't a precarious position because of how it is situated on the shore
And looks like it's still owned by the Clan Sinclair . Trust
Which is fascinating. How about we look inside because it just looks too good
Not to as I found out this is actually two castles built in different centuries
Castle Sinclair in Castle Girnigoe (which I still can't pronounce)
it can be found just a few miles outside the town of Wick - you can actually see from up here
There's a lot of coastal paths. You can actually go down and walk around the cliffs
It would be or even dangerous to do it
but also pretty interesting that they are opened by or the stone was
Opened or given by Prince Charles who is a patron of Clan Sinclair trust. So, there you go
This is the entrance how awesome
This is just a totally open castle, there's no like entrance fee or nothing like that. This is amazing. This is incredible
it's like a maze in here
Well guys I am impressed, I mean there's only a small part of the castle
you're actually allowed to walk around because the rest is pretty dangerous to be honest if they've closed off the main tower and
which is literally
perched on top of a island cliff but this place
Wow
It's like a maze
You really feel the history. Look at these walls
You actually see down here as well a little narrow window out into the ocean and a hole down there which was probably a loo
The castles history is short, but brutal and
involved proper clan feud
One of the most grisly stories concerns the fourth Earl of Caithness
when his son John, the Master of Caithness
Refused to murder prisoners from a rival clan as he'd been instructed to, the Father
Imprisoned his son at Castle Sinclair for seven years. When John then killed his own brother who'd come to his cell to taunt him
The Earl ordered his son be fed nothing but salt beef and
was then denied water, and he died of a maddening thirst.
I think I've said this before but I prefer castles like this
there are in ruins that you can explore you really are feeling of the history and
Really get to enjoy it more. I think then like properly done up castles like Edinburgh Castle
This is really authentic and I just think it's so awesome to be able to come here and see this on such an amazingly beautiful
day Wow
So you'll see me on the vlog talk a lot about
Right to roam, that we have here in Scotland
so for example
I just walked to that castle right you'll notice all the way around here is farm fields are a sheep in every field here
and the thing is so much the land here in Scotland is
privately owned mostly by farms
if they said
You're not allowed to go through the farm yards. We'd never get to see some of these historic sites like that castle for example
So thankfully here in this location
the farmer has actually built probably in partnership with
The trust that's managing that castle they've built like an access path that goes right through the farmyard
Which we can walk through as long as we keep the gates closed, but there are other sites in Scotland we are
There are no access pass so you literally have to go through the farm field
You can't have historic monuments like that one blocked off to the public just because people wouldn't land are owned it
But it's always worth remembering
It's all on foot. You can't just eat your car anywhere
Definitely not and secondly, you have to be very respectful of the land not leave gates open not damaged property
Not leave rubbish not start any fires
Because it is private property
We can go through it or around it, hopefully but if it's not possible to go around it
You have to go through it. You have to do it with the utmost respect to the land
Alright guys we've arrived
Finally at the end of the road in John O'Groats
Car there, It's charging up right next to where we're staying right here
By the harbor, I'm gonna tell you about that later on
I first of all want to take we walk down the harbor because this place here John O'Groats is actually quite significant for
Roadtrippers up on this region and people doing the route 500. Let's roundabout is literally the end of the road
There is no more road. It's far north fishing on the British mainland right here
A lot of people do challenges where they run or cycle or or drive from Land's End to John O'Groats
Actually a wee sign here that tells you at the end
So that's us right in the very top there's a sign up here the famous John O'Groats sign
Right next to our hotel
Which explains
Some of the distances here to other parts. Look at that
You can actually see if you look over this is a harbor down here John O'Groats Harbor
Ferries here to see wildlife and stuff like that, but just along the road there which we're gonna go.
You can get a bigger ferry over to the Orkney islands, which are there behind me. You can just see them today
It's a nice lovely clear day. I
Will be going there later in the year spoiler alert
New York
3200 miles from here
Edinburgh, there's my home cityEdinburgh
270 miles but it's very windy and actually pretty cool despite the sunshine here. But anyway listen
Let's get our stuff into our room
We're in a room which looks absolutely incredible look at that
Bed all made up there big bathroom
These curtains, but the best thing of all I also got this nice living room lounge area and a kitchen up there
but the best thing of all this window points that really out to the ocean and
To the Orkney Islands. They are what a great view get used to this
We are staying in the Together Travel apartments and lodges at John O'Groats
which are comfortable stylish and
Ideally located on the shore front as far north as you can go. To book your stay, follow the link in the video's description
down below
alright
So that's another day drawn to a close on the NC 500, day two of our tour and John O'Groats is looking absolutely
marvelous as the Sun sets. We are staying at their apartments here in John O'Groats. They're absolutely magnificent
Really really awesome and they just look amazing on the shoreline here all the different colors. Absolutely love this place
I'm gonna make my way inside now and retire for the evening because has it been a long couple it is driving and I feel
Like we're haven't had much rest yet today
It's a good chance to rest because the next two days, let me tell you we are coming up to some of the hardest
Most difficult terrain the longest drives probably some of the most spectacular places as well, but I'm going to enjoy tonight
Recharge the batteries literally on the car recharge our bodies and there will be all ready for a new adventure
So that's it for tonight guys before I go
I just want to give a big shout to all the people listed on the site here. without their support on patreon
I could not be making this series, so big thanks to them
Also remember patreon supporters get to see some of these videos early and I'm also doing an NC 500 set of
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Thank you very much for watching today's episode