Carol Gunn, the project director for HIE overseeing the John O’Groats redevelopment, said: “”What we’re trying to do is a paradigm shift for John O’Groats; for more than 10 years there has been a lack of investment and a lack of co-ordination and a lack of planning. People want things to happen. There’s a large ‘staycation’ market and we’re looking to capitalise on that. We’re one of the last wilderness areas, which is easily accessible and we have a fantastic coastline; John O’Groats is the location associated with these areas.””
Street artists will transform John O’Groats House – and the views of the village – by using the rambling building as a huge canvas.
Fin Macrae, from Dufi, the street art company working on the hotel, said their project was inspired by the village’s long decline, its status as a landmark for tourists travelling across the northern Highlands and the starting point for charity walkers heading to Land’s End in Cornwall, a group collectively known as “”End to Enders””.
It will be called “”Are we nearly there yet?””, he said, and would combine nostalgia for childhood holidays with a celebration of modern graphic and street art.
