ATTENTION ALL WALKERS: TRAIL USE HAS INCREASED SO PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF PRIVATE LAND OWNERS. PLEASE READ THIS.
The John o’Groats Trail (JOGT) is a coastal walking route from Inverness to John o’Groats, traversing shorelines, cliff tops, back lanes and footpaths of the Scottish Highlands. Accommodation, meals and shops are available at the end of most stages of the walk. We are listed by the Highland Rangers as an official virtual trail, by the Long Distance Walkers Association in their database of British long-distance trails, and by walkhighlands.co.uk as a long distance trail. See our page on Facebook. (You don’t need a Facebook account.)
The route is a work in progress. All of the route is walkable, and indeed is walked by both local and long-distance walkers. However, walking in many places and some long sections is strenuous, and much needs to be done to bring the route up to the usual standards. This involves marking a route, putting stiles over barbed wire fences and some stone walls, and building infrastructure such as bridges in a few places. This is where we, the Friends of the John o’Groats Trail, come in. Our purpose is to build and promote the trail, for which we have been granted charity status.
Warning: You walk this trail at your own risk. If you decide to try this walk, please beware that it contains some obstacles that an established trail normally would not. Some stages currently require barbed wire fence crossing, river fording, boulder scrambling, and strenuous walking through summer vegetation. These can be dangerous activities if not done with care by a fit, experienced walker. Also beware that much of the walk is along clifftops, so you need to be surefooted and comfortable with heights. Please check our stage status pages before you start, and contact us if you have any questions.
This web site is a simple attempt to provide information about the trail until a bigger, better web site is developed. We are happy to answer your questions — see our contact page.