No trip to Caithness, or the North Coast 500, would be complete without a trip to the famous John O' Groats, and a picture by the sign. However, up until 1902, John O'Groats as a place didn't really exist - the area was all covered by is now lesser known neighbour Duncansby (a lesser known, but nevertheless beautiful place for another blog). The previous grocer, George Manson, in 1902, charged the name of the Post Office and postal district to John O'Groats (a shrewd marketing move) and was also the first person to import souvenirs (not from China!) for the tourists to by and take home. Prior to 1902, the most famous landmark in the area was "Johnny Groats House", as written about by Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns - a landmark seen on the early Ordnance Survey maps, but a landmark that has left no trace, but in the mind. The man, John O'Groats (Jan de Grot (Groot) to give him his proper name) was granted a charter by King James IV (1488 - 1513) of a ferry and lands at Duncansby in 1496. According to records, he ran the ferry until 1715 - a long running family business! The legend says that his seven descendants continuously quarreled about precedence so to resolve the quarreling John built a house with 8 doors, and a table with 8 sides, ensuring no one entered the house before anyone else, nor sat at the head of the table.
To continue our local tour of Caithness places, I decided (well, Jake made the final decision as I couldn't decide between Canisbay Kirk & John O'Groats) on Canisbay Kirk. Canisbay Kirk sits on a prehistoric mound, covering the ruins of a broch (a topic I will touch on in a later blog), the site of an earlier Celtic church dedicated to St. Drostan. Drostan headed a mission Pictland in the 6th century. There is mention of a church in church documentation of 1222. Legend says that the current steeple was erected on the site of a previous round tower, which would have been seperate to the small church of the time. The church, as it stands now, was erected around 1720.