Foghorn takes centre stage in seafarers' memorial at John O'Groats
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Work on a seafarers' memorial at John O'Groats is progressing well with the old Duncansby foghorn now taking pride of place on the seafront.
The freshly painted red foghorn has been moved to its new home behind the Last House in an area that had been spruced up for the occasion.
"The whole place is starting to look very good," said Andrew Mowat, treasurer of the John O'Groats Development Trust.
"It is all coming along. It looks amazing, and you can now take a wheelchair along the path."
He explained that the trust had secured funding for the project which meant that the entire area behind the Last House could be newly landscaped and stone chippings put down.
Praising the job done by plant hire operator Gordon Robertson, of Barrock, Mr Mowat said: "He has done an enormous amount of work and was really helpful.
"He is a local person who wants to see the community go forward – it is excellent to have someone like that here."
The Barrock contractor did more than he costed for, including work on the football pitch and concreting an extra 40 metres of the path at the start of the coastal trail to Duncansby Head. The trust hopes to secure funding to create a new 300-metre section of path above the tideline.
Work has also been carried out around the harbour which has been tidied up and painted, with all the public areas at the popular destination pressure-washed in readiness for tourism reopening again.
In addition, the John O'Groats signpost has been cleaned up and a new board is in place for people to put stickers on instead of on the sign itself.
Equipment for the new play park, which will be positioned in front of the Groatie Buckie shop and toilet block, is set to arrive at the end of the week ready for installation.
The work is all part of a permanent memorial to commemorate seafarers lost in the Pentland Firth.
