Behind you, with logs glowing in the wood-burning stove, is your warm and welcoming home for the next three nights, a cosy and perfectly appointed Shepherd’s Hut. You’re at The Crofter’s Snug, handily close to either John O’Groats or Thurso, but you feel like you could be on the very edge of the Universe.
That hot chocolate in your mug? You’re enjoying it with the last of the batch of hand-made chocolates you made that afternoon at CC Chocolatier in Bower. You chose your favourite fillings and flavours; they chose theirs. CC Chocolatier make personalised wedding favours, and you wonder whether you might ask them to make some for your own nuptials… but you’re getting ahead of yourself. You’ve not plucked up the courage to pop the question, yet!
Tomorrow you’re heading to John O’Groats and, once you’ve taken a few selfies at the world-famous fingerpost, you’ll be heading out along the clifftops from the lighthouse at Duncansby Head to the wild and dramatic Duncansby Stacks, holding hands to make sure you don’t blow away!
In the spring and summer months, you might be planning a trip onto the Pentland Firth in the expert care of the crew of John O’Groats Ferries. It could be a wildlife trip, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the orca. There’s something so special, so invigorating, about seeing them in their natural habitat. And where better than the north coast of Scotland?
Afterwards, the plan is to drop in at 8 Doors Distillery. The UK’s most northerly mainland distillery offers whisky tours and tastings, but maybe you’ll head straight for their whisky lounge, to warm up by the fire over a dram with a view. Just the two of you.
Still on the agenda is a visit to Lindsey Gallacher’s jewellery workshops in Thurso. You’ve been working on your own designs in anticipation of this trip and are looking forward to each creating a special piece which will be a lasting memory of your time together in Caithness.
