This route is archaeological based where you can uncover some of the history about Northern Scotland.
First you will discover Cairn Liath. This was first excavated in the 1800s by the Duke of Sutherland and as the name implies it was thought at the time to be some sort of burial mound or cairn.
Heading further north you will discover the archaeological trail. This includes The Hill O Many Stanes, a memorial site which has around 200 stones marking the graves of dead warriors. This site was the original battle site between two rival clans in Scotland - the Keiths and the Gunns. The Gunns won the battle and set up a memorial by burying the dead of each clan in rows. The rows are fan shaped (from north to south) and the stones mark the grave of each warrior that died.
The Cairn O'Get is a chambered tomb and the Grey Cairns is one of the best-preserved Neolithic chambered Cairns in northern Scotland.
John O'Groats is famous for being the most northern point in Britain. The name "John O'Groats" originated from a Dutch gentleman called Jan de Groot. He used to run a ferry to the Orkney Islands and charged 2p. The coin denomination for 2p was called a "Groat." Jan de Groot also built his house in the reign of James IV. This house attracts attention because it was built to overcome a family feud about the precedence of the family inheritance. Jan de Groot solved this problem by building an octagonal house with eight doors and an octagonal table. The purpose of
this was that each of his seven sons had their own entrance to the house, and that no one would be head of the table. His grave lies in Canisbay Churchyard.
