Ferry View Campsite

Ferry View sits at Gills Bay on the far northern tip of mainland Scotland, four miles short of John O'Groats and less than a mile from the Orkney ferry terminal. The A836 runs past, which means the North Coast 500 drops you here without a detour. Castle of Mey is down the road. The big Caithness sky does the rest.

Royston and Vikki have thought this place through. The shower block gives each person a private, timed room, which sounds fussy until you realise the result: showers are always clean, always hot, never queued. The site carries itself with the same care throughout. For a campsite this far north, open every month of the year, that level of upkeep says something about the operation.

The standout is the converted bus parked on site. It serves handmade pizzas, homemade porridge, and rotating daily food that consistently outperforms expectations. There's a kids' play area that earns its keep. The pitch mix runs from hardstanding for motorhomes and campervans to grass tent pitches, which makes this one of the more sensible stops on the NC500 for mixed-group touring parties.