John o'Groats Trail

Home
United Kingdom
Berriedale
John o'Groats Trail

The John o’Groats Trail is a coastal walking route from Inverness to John o’ Groats in Scotland Visit our web site at jogt.org.uk.

The Friends of the John o’Groats Trail is a charity (Scottish charity number SC046737) whose purpose is to create a walking route from Inverness to John o’Groats, via cliff tops, shorelines, back lanes and footpaths of the Scottish Highlands. Accommodation, meals and shops are available at the end of most stages.

18/06/2026

✂ Strimming Season 2026 is well and truly underway ✂

With 147 miles of trail to look after, this is one of our busiest times of the year!

Not every mile needs strimming, of course. Many sections follow beautiful, well-established tracks, but there are still considerable stretches that require regular maintenance to keep the route accessible, enjoyable and safe.

Working alongside our fantastic local contractors and phenomenal volunteers, we do our best to stay one step ahead of the fast-growing grass and bracken. It's a challenge, with our annual strimming costs reaching anything between £10,000 and £12,000. To put that into perspective, cutting just a single mile of trail can cost around £400. eeek!

Some days, it's the best "office" in the world. Other days, we're battling midges, wind, rain, and even the occasional gale! But despite the challenges, it's work we genuinely enjoy, and an essential part of our work to keep the trail open.

A huge thank you to everyone who helps make it possible.

Our thanks to the local support we have had to cover the costs of strimming this year so far, these include Foundation Scotland RWE Camster Wind Farm Community Fund, North Highland Initiative, Café Groats / , Pentland Ferries and Tannach and District Fund.💪

A special thanks also to the landowners that allow us access to maintain the Trail and to our members of the Trail, whose ongoing support means we can fund this vital work!

🙌 Can you help support our work?? Join as a member for only £10 today for a years membership. Your £10 helps to demonstrate support for the Trail, and enables to key into larger amounts of grant-funding.

https://www.jogt.org.uk/for-you/

👀 Join as a JOGT Warden - we depend on local 'Trail Wardens' to pinpoint where improvements are needed - just email [email protected] to find out more. This support makes such a difference us as a small charity!

Feeling abundant? Give a larger one off donation - https://www.jogt.org.uk/make-a-donation/

Finally, a share, a like, a comment or a tag helps us spread the word about our work and increase engagement! If you have got this far in the post, a big thanks. :)

Give us a wave or a comment below!

12/06/2026

👣Delighted to report that the Bridge over Forse Burn on Stage 10 Dunbeath to Lybster has now been repaired and route diversion is no longer in place. 👣

Wee reminder to keep us posted on any Trail issues, 147 miles of coastal path is a lot of path, so any updates or issues you can report when walking are gratefully received! Link for reporting issues is below 👇👇

https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdBFjFJboQATa.../viewform

09/06/2026

Summer on the trail ....... and we've got the gear for you! 👇👇

😍From Wednesday 10th to Tuesday 16th June, buy any two t-shirts from our store and save 10% with the code JUNE10 at checkout (minimum spend £40).

Our t-shirts make a brilliant gift for any walker, adventurer, or lover of the Scottish Highlands 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿and every design is created by talented local artists....... every penny of the proceeds goes straight back into the development and maintenance of the John O'Groats Trail, so its win win win win! 🙌

Browse the full collection here 👇
https://johnogroatstrail.teemill.com/

07/06/2026

📌UPDATE 📌
Bridge has now been sorted! Huge thanks to Jules, our local contractor for helping sort the issue so quickly.

‼️ROUTE DIVERSION FORSE AREA‼️

We have had a bridge fatality following the flash flooding on the east coast (Yes, in June!). Sadly the bridge over Forse Burn in Stage 10 Dunbeath to Lybster, has been displaced. There is various stones in the burn which could be used to ford if you are prepared for this, but please be aware the burn is flowing fast at the moment- hopefully this will die down in a couple of days.

While we work on bridge repairs, we would suggest using the following diversion if you don’t fancy getting your feet wet:

HEADING NORTH: Leave the trail at the Clan Gunn Museum in Latheron ( if you head towards the museum, there is a stile over the wall to the left of the building) and continue north on the A99 before turning right at Forse, continuing down the track to Forse Castle. The silver lining of the diversion is you could pick up a coffee at Coffee,Cakes & Bakes 😊

This a good reminder to be prepared for all eventualities, as well as carrying a map in either paper form or an offline version in case you do need to alter your route.

Thank you to everyone who reports “bugs” on the trail, this allows us to put a plan into action as quickly as possible. The walker who reported this also highlighted it on OS maps, which can be seen as the red icon on the map.

PLEASE REPORT ANY ISSUES HERE-
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBFjFJboQATaTdHwIdZfGrpUV2M-z5VAq7VKE4np4gMSDz1Q/viewform — at Forse.

01/06/2026

🌷It is literally BLOOMING on the Trail just now! 🌷

Are you walking??

... a wee dander along the Trail for us the other day.. and we were tripping over our feet every few yards in wildflowers!

Share your photos below, if you have any other gorgeous flowers from recent walks..... (because I'm not sure my camera did it justice!) 😁

30/05/2026

🌿 Walking the Trail and the Outdoor Access Code 🌿

The Access Code is one of the most progressive access rights in the world and it is proudly Scottish! It's built on mutual responsibility and we encourage every walker and explorer on our intrepid Trail to read up and adhere to the code when walking.

Our trail is supported by the incredible local community along the way, please respect and adhere to the code at all times.

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code is based on three key principles:

👉 Respect the interests of others.
👉 Care for the environment.
👉 Take responsibility for your own actions.

We have popped a link to the Access Code in the comments below - but as the season (literally) heats up, and the Trail gets busier.. please ensure that you have read up (and are following!) the advice.

Thanks to Giada Jade Canova for this stunning photo from her trail walk last month!

29/05/2026

💪 Welcome to the team 💪

We’re a small (but mighty!) charity, and this month we were delighted to welcome Sharon to the team.

Sharon has joined us part-time, with a focus on developing community paths in the Halkirk area, and she’ll also be getting involved in many aspects of the John O’Groats Trail and North Coast Trail paths.

A fan of long walks (which definitely helps in this job), Caithness sunsets, and chasing her kids around the garden on sunny afternoons, Sharon brings a strong background in community development and a real passion for the county.

We’re thrilled to have her on board.

Thanks to funding from Halkirk District Benefit Fund and the ABH Fund for supporting this role.

28/05/2026

☀️Lovely update from us today here in sunny Caithness ☀️

Stiles in Whaligoe just south of the steps on the route to Bruan are now complete and looking phenomenal.

A thanks to the landowner and his contractors for doing this important bit of infrastructure and to Socio Economic Fund Dounreay NRS for the funding support that enables us to work with local landowners to find solutions to sometimes tricky sections of the Trail.

15/02/2026

Winter is a great time to go for a walk anywhere. But nowhere better than along our beautiful coastline. The trail has left a green ribbon along the cliff tops. What better way to shake off the winter blues?

Address

Berriedale
KW76HA

Website

http://jogt.org.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when John o'Groats Trail posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to John o'Groats Trail:

Shortcuts

Want your organisation to be the top-listed Non Profit Organisation in Berriedale?