Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

John O'Groats to Duncansby Head loop

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

John O'Groats to Duncansby Head loop

Moderate

4.8

(168)

620

hikers

John O'Groats to Duncansby Head loop

02:23

8.91km

100m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: June 8, 2024

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

154 m

John O'Groats Signpost

Highlight • Monument

This iconic signpost marks the culmination of many long-distance adventures. Whether you have walked the length of Britain from Land’s End, or hiked from Inverness on the John O’Groats Trail, reaching this signpost has been your goal for weeks or months. Your great achievement is documented often by a photograph of you standing next to this sign!

Tip by

1.78 km

View of Duncansby Head Lighthouse

Highlight • Viewpoint

Great coastline with great bizarre rock formations. Wear absolutely secure footwear. Is definitely mandatory

Translated by Google •

Tip by

2.31 km

Bay of Sannick

Highlight • Natural

A quiet cove on the path between John O'Groats and Duncansby Head Lighthouse. The path leads through areas where friendly sheep graze.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

3.82 km

Duncansby Head Lighthouse

Highlight • Monument

Duncansby Head is the north east tip of Scotland, near the village of John o' Groats. A lighthouse built in 1924 stands on the steep cliffs. Duncansby Head is particularly spectacular because of its rugged rock formations and rock needles, the so-called Duncansby Stacks. Many rare seabirds nest in the cliffs, including puffins.
Muckle Skerry is an island in the Orkneys seven kilometers north-east of Duncansby Head.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

4.20 km

Geo of Sclaites

Highlight (Segment) • Cave

The Geo of Sclaites is a narrow and deep cleft in the face of a cliff near Duncansby Head, the most northeasterly point of mainland Britain. It is one of the many geos that are common on the coastline of the Shetland and Orkney islands, formed by the wave-driven erosion of rocks along faults and bedding planes. The Geo of Sclaites is a popular spot for birdwatchers, as it is home to a colony of puffins that nest on the ledges of the cliff. You can see them from the coastal path that leads to the Duncansby Stacks, another impressive geological feature of the area. The Geo of Sclaites is a natural wonder that showcases the beauty and diversity of Scotland’s landscape.

Tip by

4.47 km

Duncansby Stacks

Highlight • Natural Monument

Duncansby Stacks are one of Scotland’s best natural phenomena - and they are easy to view during a hiking tour close to John o’ Groats!

Duncansby Stacks are two visually-impressive 60 m high sea stacks (offshore pinnacles of steep-sided rock) located to the immediate south of Duncansby Head (the most northeasterly part of the British mainland) in Caithness. A third rock promontory called Thirle Door is in the process of becoming a stack but still remains attached to the mainland.

The offshore stacks are remnants of where the coastline used to be. They were formed by sea and storm weathering and have existed for at least 6000 years. The stacks are made of a coarse-grained sandstone rock that dates from the Devonian geological era 385 million years ago. The tallest stack is called the Great Stack and is actually higher than the nearby mainland.

The grassy path that descends south from Duncansby Head and the Geo of Sclaites provides superb views of the Duncansby Stacks and of the Thirle Door arch! The two stacks and Thirle Door will appear nearly-aligned in a row.

An additional highlight of viewing Duncansby Stacks is that - depending upon season - you may see them covered by large seabird colonies.

Tip by

8.91 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

8.50 km

185 m

135 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

3.83 km

3.36 km

1.33 km

276 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Monday 6 July

14°C

11°C

84 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

July 14, 2022,scotland hike🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😎🌦john o‘ groats - stacks of duncansby head

after a fantastic day, a short walk in the evening to the lighthouse in joan o' groats and the bizarre rocks in the sea

Showing Translation

May 15, 2022,H23. John O'Groats - Duncansby Head

A walk from Komoot but again a high flyer from the most northern village of the Scottish mainland, named after a Dutchman. Who started the ferry service here.
The walk leads to Duncanby Head with its lighthouse and on to the 64m high peak cliffs of Stacks of Duncansby. The nicer weather took care of the rest.

Showing Translation

Want to know more?

This route was planned by komoot.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Report restricted access

Nearby routes

Moderate

4.8

620

John O'Groats to Duncansby Head loop

02:23h

8.91km

100m

Easy

4.8

183

Holbornhead Circular from Scrabster harbour

01:51h

6.80km

100m

Moderate

4.8

Dunnet Head Loop Trail

04:45h

17.2km

290m

Easy

4.8

Duncansby Head and Stacks of Duncansby loop

01:30h

5.46km

90m

Moderate

4.5

Thurso Bay via Victoria Walk

02:53h

11.0km

100m

Easy

4.5

Noss Head Lighthouse to Ackergil Harbour via Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

01:49h

7.02km

40m

Easy

4.0

St. John's Point loop from East Mey

00:46h

2.74km

50m

Easy

Wick Centre to Stack o' Brough

00:59h

3.75km

30m

Moderate

Hoxa Head and the Sands of Wright Loop

02:35h

9.64km

120m

Moderate

3.0

Thurso Bay, Harbour and Distillery loop

02:41h

10.5km

50m

Easy

4.0

Newtonhill Community Wood loop from Pulteneytown

01:50h

6.95km

60m

Moderate

5.0

Flotta Wartime Trail

03:30h

13.3km

110m

John O'Groats to Duncansby Head loop

John O'Groats Signpost

View of Duncansby Head Lighthouse

Bay of Sannick

Duncansby Head Lighthouse

Geo of Sclaites

Duncansby Stacks

Nearby routes

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️