The wild beauty of John O’Groats is being given a makeover as TIM HUGHES discovers

Walter Mowatt surveys the scene from the tiny harbourfront he calls home, and gazes with misty eyes over the choppy waters to the hazy islands beyond.

“People always say this is the end of the road,” he says with a twinkle, “But we think differently. For us this is the start of the road!”

It’s an appealing perspective on a place which is synonymous with remoteness – John O’Groats.

At very nearly the most northerly point of the UK, all of 876 miles from Lands End, the place has missed out on the tourists and tat which have marred its Cornish opposite number at the other end of the road. And it is all the better for that.

John O’Groats itself is little more than a cluster of cottages and a quayside. Its best-known landmarks are the ‘Journey’s End’ sign, at which alternately fresh-faced or exhausted-looking ‘End to Enders’ pose for pictures, and Walter’s ‘First and Last’ shop – a treasure trove selling everything from hiking maps and cassettes of Scottish folk songs, to the obligatory ‘Jimmy’ hats – complete with ginger sideburns.

But the real attraction is all around, because this most remote of communities sits in a landscape of wild beauty and haunting emptiness.

Despite the claims of those cheery locals, with their sing-song Caithness accents, it really does feel like the back of beyond, but it is all the better for it – with adventure to be had in every direction.

Due north are the furious waters of the Pentland Firth which, at 16 knots, is one of the fastest tide races in the world; boats crossing to the deserted island of Stroma and the Orkneys physically dropping off a step of water. To the south, miles of dune-backed beaches are broken only by windwept (and bargain-priced) golf courses.

To the west, the heather moors rise then plummet into the sea at Dunnet Head – the most northerly point on the mainland. While to the east, along a glistening white beach of broken shells, the coast splinters into stacks, blow holes and jagged pinnacles at the even more dramatic Duncansby Head.

It’s a fantastic and other-wordly landscape – more like something dreamed up by J R R Tolkien than a creation of the forces of nature. And, best of all, other than a few sheep and rather more sea birds, you’ll have it all to yourself.

John O’Groats is Scotland’s Cinderella. For long written off as a place to rush away from, either on the way to the Orkneys, or to Land’s End. But all that has changed, thanks to the vision of a group of stylish nature lovers – who are turning this secretive beauty into its hippest nature destination.

Last summer an area of rough pasture overlooking the sea was developed into a groundbreaking complex of eco-lodges by the Natural Retreats group.

Clad in timber, hidden behind grass and gorse bunds and given ‘living roofs’ of insulating grass and wildflowers, the three-bedroom residences are almost invisible in the natural landscape, but offer high-end living with state of the art facilities – swish fitted kitchens, open plan dining and a lounge area with a wood-burning fireplace and central heating, lavish bathrooms and private decks perfect for relaxing in a deck chair and gazing out to the Orkneys.

Next door is the brand new Storehouse cafe and bar, for cakes, coffee and great locals beers; and an Outfitters activity centre and shop where you can stock up on trendy outdoor gear, book a massage, or hire mountain bikes for calf-burning clifftop trails or gentler road tours. Even better, you can also book an exhilarating sea safari on a ‘rib’ to spot seals, orca, minkie whales and puffins among the cliffs and wrecks of Stroma.

Matt Spence, the MD of Natural Retreats is proud of what the company has achieved: “John O’Groats has some of the most amazing wildlife and natural beauty so was the ideal spot for our next venture. “And we have worked hard to help establish it as a premium tourist destination.”

And they are not stopping there. Symbolic of the area’s renaissance is Natural Retreat’s £2m redevelopment of the landmark John O’Groats House Hotel into a luxurious new complex of self-catering apartments, which is due to open before the summer.

Ambitious and slick, it follows the company’s creed of sustainable, sympathetic development; conserving what has already been here while securing its vitality for the future. This is definitely not Land’s End.

“What they are doing is amazing,” says Walter, as I join him for a spot of malt whisky tasting at the homely Seaview Hotel, on the edge of the village. “They are bringing people to John O’Groats. That’s good for us – but also great for visitors who may not have realised what we’ve got up here – which is everything that Cornwall has got, but without the tourists.”

He’s right, of course. And you’ll be treading in illustrious footsteps. When the late Queen Mother felt the need to get away from it all, it was to the pretty Castle of Mey just a few miles away she came – with the rest of the royals following. It’s not hard to see why.

Natural Retreats (naturalretreats.com 0843 636 4625) is offering a three-night stay at Natural Retreats John O’Groats from
£480 for a six-person residence.
To get there, point the car north and stop when you reach the sea.
Alternatively, fly to Inverness or Wick and hire a car, or take the train to Wick or Thurso.
After releasing a selection of luxury residences for sale in 2012 following interest from guests holidaying at its various locations around the UK, Natural
Retreats has seen strong interest at its locations on the stunning Llyn Peninsula in North Wales and Fistral Beach, Newquay in Cornwall. For details go to naturalretreats.com