We had a good night sleep at the lighthouse, despite the wind rocking us around all night.

This morning we took our time, then heading on to John O’Groats. It was very touristy so we took the obligatory photo with the sign and got out.

The weather is still pretty dreary and cold so we are going to start heading back. It was probably quite really nice coastal scenery today, but after all the wow factor moments, it just looked nice.

We turned off the main road and found a little spot right on an inlet from the North sea for lunch. It was off the tourist route just north of Dornoch and was stunning. We made toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and enjoyed the view. Apparently there were seals and otters there, but we didn’t see any.

After that we fast tracked it past Inverness where the NC500 circuit starts and finishes. It seems like we’ve accidentally done all of it except for a short section as we didn’t start at Inverness.

Then we turned off the main roads and headed for the Cairngorms, which is a snow road route and is supposed to be really nice.

We got as far as a town called Tomintoul, which is the highest village in the highlands sitting at 345 meters. Apparently the highlands aren’t that high! The malt whisky trail is around here too, and we keep seeing signs for Glenlivet.

They have a little freedom camping spot just outside of the town, and it was very peaceful with just one other van here.