4.5 stars
MartyK - England
September 2011
5 stars
lionman - England
Gayle - Australia
4 stars
Herbert and Ethel - England
pashdown - England
bettina - England
A fantastic smallish hostel! The manager was great, extremely accomodating. Great atmosphere. I was delighted with it, especially at the end of my LeJog! Thank you!
Wen - England
2.5 stars
Dave - Scotland
fyreexe - Germany
August 2011
jacopo - Italy
Mr Sacky - England
Perfect :)
3.5 stars
LEJOG cyclist - England
chalamet - France
Lichfield rambler - England
Arrived at hostel enroute to John O'Groats, walking. Lovely welcome and hostel was opened before 5. Would recommend since JoG itself did not look too brilliant.
hayles - England
Marissa - England
Very friendly hostel with a nice comfortable lounge and a good kitchen. Hostel manager was very helpful and friendly.
3 stars
Jogler - England
July 2011
DaveB - England
- Scotland
Aaaa - Scotland
DB - England
Joybells - Scotland
Just had an overnight stop here but had a great walk at Dunnescby Stacks and saw lots of birdlife including the odd puffin. Was followed by a beautiful drive along the northern and western coasts the following day. Was lucky with the weather!
bje - Scotland
pippen - Canada
Mason - England
crossbar - England
A good clean friendly hostel, but no food apart from a packed breakfast!
jane - England
June 2011
arrie - Scotland
Great place for John O'groats but be beware, there are not many decent eating places nearby.
cromarty john - Scotland
Ken - England
Kristin the warden is made for this Job, a very pleasant and enjoyable stay
JH - Australia - Australia
Great hostel with friendly staff. Local buses from Thurso and to John O 'Groats ferry terminal regularly stop at door, but unfortunately the last bus of the day leaves theThurso Railway Station 1 minute before last train arrives.
JJ - England
Dave Brown - England
The hostel is staffed be friendly people and provided just what was needed for my team after completing the 123 miles from Inverness to John O Groats on the last day of our end 2 end adventure. Many thanks.
Cycling D - England
markbf - Scotland
A lovely facility and an enjoyable stay.
Michael - England
This is a comfortable, clean hostel where you are made welcome by friendly staff.
MDT - Spain
Nom - England
Only 5 minutes' drive from the ferry to St Margaret's Hope for Orkney Mainland!
Ewen - Scotland
May 2011
Look out for half day closing on a Thursday. There is really very little in the way of services in John O Groats. The farm shop was our only option. It was good stuff but limited choice.
bryn - England
We completed the LE2JoG cycle ride only to arrive with no food. The Yh did not sell any, ok but we suggest you stock up at Wick 17 miles away. Failing the the YH was excellent
Jill Grundy - England
m_seaborne - Scotland
I spent a week at Canisbay whilst working on an archaeological dig at Nybster. I was given a very warm welcome and extremely well looked after. The packed breakfast was excellent, the room warm and comfortable and the facilities always clean. I was really quite sad to leave in the end.
anonymous - England
Andy.the.Cyclist - England
No local shopping facilities but shop, restaurant, and hotel are at JOG, which is c. 3 miles away.
Roderick - Scotland
ijohn - England
Jhopkins - England
David - Scotland
September 2010
LEJOGGER - England
Kahlo - Scotland
whytemount - Scotland
Ideal base for a trip to Orkney and the north coast of Caithness. Liked the fact that many of the hostellers have just finished Land's End to JoG cycling, therefore they tend to go to sleep at night. Clean, small dormitories, not too big, kitchen/lounge/showers all fine. Helpful staff. And it's far enough away from JoG itself which is quite literally the last place in Britain you would want to stay in. Try the Castle Arms Hotel in Mey for an evening meal if you're not self-catering.
ravens4bowl - England
I'm guessing like me there is probably only one reason you are contemplating staying here. Although not luxurious it had everything I needed and the staff were so nice it more than made up for what the building lacked. Apart from anything else it was much better than cycling to wick after getting here.
clem - France
kieran - England
After LEJOG this was the perfect ending to a 10 day camping trip before flying home. Thanks again...
Marriott - England
The Hostel and staff just great
Rovin - England
Alec - England
Max - Italy
Richie - England
August 2010
Mey - England
We visted The Old School House restaurant, about four miles away, to celebrate the end of our end to end trip, nice food and people and they even offered us a lift to and from the hostel!
Vicrak - India
Sarah - England
Lovely small hostel, good kitchen facilities, really friendly wardens. Comfy lounge area and plenty of good bike magazines to read! Only down side was lack of drying room (or perhaps I didn't find it!)
karate steve - England
A superb location for catching the ferry from Gills Bay to the main Orkney island using Pentland Ferries. Although the rooms has no ensuite wash basin and the showers might be a trip downstairs for gents, the room we had was very spacious, excellent views and the kitchen and dining was 10/10.
SH - England
Ann - England
DM - England
mojopin - Scotland
TJ - England
AJ - England
Plan your meal ahead as the Hostel is not near any shops and has very small supplies in the shop.
Alfresco1 - England
July 2010
Kevin - England
Bungalow - England
The Happy Oldies - England
Enjoyed our stay but be aware that this hostel is some distance from John O'Groats. Good location to explore the north coast and the John O'Groats Maxi day trip to Orkney (in beautiful weather) was well worth while. Dunnet Head and the Caste of Mey were also on our itinerary and we enjoyed visiting them both esp. when Dunnet Head was mist (fog) free.
Stephen Bowden - England
Austria - Austria
angela - Italy
You are made most welcome in this hostel.It is comfortable and immaculately clean.You have the impression that the managers want you to be staying and to have an enjoyable stay.
JGC - England
Richard - England
I have stayed at this hostel many times at the end of a Land's End to John o'Groats trip. Pat and Julia, who run the hostel, are like old friends and give you a warm welcome and a certificate if you have completed the journey! Its the best stay in the area and worth the short distance from the signpost to reach it.
Doris - Austria
June 2010
Great place to stay, Stacks of Duncansby and Dunnett Head (and Bay) are a must if you travel that far North.
JW - Ireland (Northern)
speleoverors - England
chetan India - India
101 - Australia
andy - England
1 stars
hoover - Scotland
Bring everything there are no supplies or drying facilities at hostel and no shops nearby.
tvo - Netherlands
Gill - England
without a car it is necessary to use bus service which is non-existent on Sundays, and also shuts down early evening - even in summer!! It is 2.5 mile hike to John o Groat's.
Traveller - Scotland
John O'Groats is a small and friendly hostel. A good stopping off point for your journey to the Orkneys or looking around the far North of Scotland.
Magali - France
Paula - Scotland
Lovely hostel in a peaceful location, and the staff was the most friendly EVER! I really enjoyed my stay!
kennywoof - Scotland
Bus and public transport limited, plan your travelling well. Nearest shop now two miles away (used to be next door). hostel staff go out their way to help you, whatever your needs.
Dave Smith - England
marbles - England
May 2010
2 stars
Kirsty - Scotland
Steve - England
davidnottingham - England
Hostelling is great, and JOG SYHA is probably the nicest place to stay in the area.
Pip - England
chris - Scotland
Gordon Parker - England
Geoff - Scotland
Wet'n'Windy - England
September 2009
Duncansby Head is well worth a visit
Carnan - Scotland
The Youth Hostel is a short distance from John O'Groats so remember to eat before you arrive or take and prepare your own food.
colin998 - England
The coastal road, A9 and A99, to the hostel is stunning! Stop in the nearby Tesco store in Wick on your way there so that you arrive prepared with food, milk, tea, coffee etc to save going back for it!
ken murphy - England
Orkney - Scotland
There was a bike shed. So good for a cyclist.
132 - Switzerland
livilegless - Scotland
If using John O Groats Ferry Bus to get to JohnO Groats contact them (bus service). before you set off as this service is prone to cancelation without prior notice.If this service is cancelled,The 14:25 bus service X99 to Wick Somerfield Supermarket then 77 service from Wick Railway Station(5min walk from Somerfields) to Canisbay YHA 17:40hrs.Will ensure you get your chance to experience the full splendour of John O Groats.
iaintheexbrewer - Scotland
quite a long walk to the end of britain. sparce bus service (as one would expect in rural highlands. Square root of very little to do on sundays.
Keith - England
The hostel was nice enough but John O' Groats itself is the most pointless place ever. Unless you're doing Lands End to John O' Groats, seriously, don't bother going. There is absolutely nothing there except a couple of cafes... no trees, no mountains, pretty dismal landscape, even the cows looked depressed. We went on a wildlife boat trip thing and we saw one little moving blob thing for about 2 seconds which *might* have been a seal and that was pretty much it. We had to drive back to Thurso to buy food as there's pretty much nowhere to eat or drink and everything closes stupidly early.
mario paoli - Italy
David Bargalló - Spain
Marie - England
bj - England
August 2009
taey - Malaysia
Chris - France
lily - Spain
Mary - Australia
Alan - England
Le-Jog - England
Tina - England
greenbean - England
Stephanie - Scotland
JohnO'Groats is a very friendly hostel with lots of atmoshere
alisonkf - England
tandem rider - United States of America
Joi - Germany
aspoeck - Austria
davide - Scotland
mary - Australia
July 2009
Jeff Austen - England
Would recommend this hostel to anyone who wants take in some of Scotlands best beaches and coastline. Also great as as a stop over for either heading over to or returning from the Orkney Isles.
MikeH - England
Quite a basic hostel. Not a special location, just in a non-descript hamlet. No food and 2 miles from nearest place serving food (Sea View Hotel @ John O'Groats).
an korvat - Belgium
Larger rooms than in most other SYHA's, so, even if you must sleep with 7 other persons in the same room, you can breath and there is enough room for the personal belongings of everybody.
Perksy - England
Why rush off when you've just completed your End2End. Highly recommended as a stop-over for a visit to Duncansby Head and Dunnet Head.
jb - England
7ft - England
June 2009
Alec - Scotland
As this is the first Youth Hostel I have stayed in for 7 years I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had hostelled 45 years ago when things were a lot more primitive; wooden floors everywhere, no comfy chairs. One thing that hasn't changed is the friendly reception you get both from staff and fellow hostellers. I used this hostel as a stepping stone to Orkney, quite convenient (a long walk if you're on foot) for the passenger ferry to the islands.
PBW - Canada
Histon Nikki - England
alex - Scotland
heinz - Austria
John G - England
A good hostel, comfortable and very clean. It is well placed for End to Enders and also for two of the Orkney ferry services. The Seaview Hotel at John O' Groats serves good food in the evenings.
NewtDave - Scotland
bob - England
Paco - Spain
Fraser - Scotland
Mark Webster - England
Gravel parking not safe for motorcyles
Calltainn - Scotland
FlipityJipity - England
Get there early if you need to buy any provisions as the local shop closes at 5.00ish and there isn't much choice of shopping in JOG!
Cal and Del - Scotland
May 2009
Warm comfortable rooms with straightforward facilities
GaViN - England
jamesh100 - England
db - Netherlands