Prior to our UK trip last year, my only reference to the name Land's End, was a catalogue clothing company for middle-aged, semi-active, conservative women. If I ever shop there, I've officially turned into my mother. Shoot me, please.

Land's End in the UK is a peninsula that is the most westerly point of mainland England. About three weeks before visiting Land's End, Dan and I visited John O'Groats in Scotland, which contains the most north-easterly point. The distance between the two towns is approximately 876 miles and taking a trip ( by bike or walking) is often used a a fitness accomplishment. We drove it, taking several diversions along the way, including bringing the kids along for the second half of our UK vacation.

We found a Magical Mystery Tour Bus in the parking lot.

Land's End was considerably more touristy than John O' Groats. It's located in Cornwall, a major tourist destination with beaches, castles and theme parks. There was so much to do in Cornwall, that we are going back in August to see more things! The little area surrounding Land's End has several restaurants, Historical buildings and gift shops. It also had a great playground that the kids loved.

The children's playground had a cool pirate flag and the creepiest mannequin I've ever seen. Just look at the hands...it's stuff of nightmares...

I ate my first Cornish Pastie, a meat-filled flaky pastry. Yummy. We also took an artsy shot of our doughnut.

The view from Land's End was spectacular.

At both Land's End and John O' Groats, there is an official sign post, where for a fee, you can stand next to it for a picture. The one at John O'Groats was so heavily barricaded, that we couldn't get anywhere close to it, but we managed to get a sneaky picture at the Land's End sign.

Whether you travel by foot, bike or car, the trip between John O'Groats and Land's End is a must-do!

Remote and sparsely populated, John O' Groats is located on the northeastern tip of Scotland, right on the North Sea. In recent years, tourists have given John O'Groats a bad rap, calling it a "Seedy Tourist Trap" and labeling it the "Most Dismal Town in Scotland".

We visited in early September and we were met with beautiful blue skies and nice locals. We had the best accommodations at The Anchorage B&B and quite honestly felt more welcomed in John O'Groats than in any other city on our vacation.

I endeavor to convince you to make the trek to John O' Groats and to dispel some of the negative press.

John O' Groats with it's rolling hills is a place for animal lovers. There are cows and sheep absolutely everywhere. It reminded me of the Milk Advisory Ads, with the happy California cows.

The animals in John O' Groats are like the cows in the milk ad. They wander in beautiful pastures with views of the sea. Most of the area wasn't owned by a specific farmer, so we could walk through the fields and get very close to the animals, who didn't seem to be bothered by us.

We also found a huge field filled with "Swiss Rolls".

We walked down to the beach, which was completely deserted and filled with huge shells.

We walked along a lovely path to the town center for lunch.

After our disaster at The Curry King in Wick, we asked Gail, the owner of The Anchorage B&B for local dining recommendations.

Gail pointed us towards The Storehouse as a great spot for coffee. Apparently, when The Storehouse first opened, it was quite the talk of the town, being modern and fancier than the other local establishments. It's a great place to sit and watch the boats in the harbor.

One of the big attractions in John O' Groats is the ferry ride to the of Orkney Islands.

The islands are known for their prehistoric archaeological sites and wildlife, including seals and puffins. There are seventy islands that make up the Orkney Archipelago. The ferry that departs from John O'Groats goes to the largest island called The Mainland. We didn't do the Orkney tour on this trip, but it is a good excuse to return to the area.

We found the fishing boat that belongs to the owners of The Anchorage Inn, named of their two children.

The AbbyJack fishing  boat. — The AbbyJack fishing boat.

Here is a closer look at the mural in the harbor.

One of my favorite travel foodie activities is trying local ice cream parlors. John O' Groats has a fantastic creamery called Flavors.

It was in Flavors that I had the best ice cream flavor combination ever = one scoop of Rum Raisin + one Scoop of Honey Comb. So yummy. Every time I saw a John O'Groats cow, I was thankful for the ice cream!

A portion of Flavors was a candy store and they sold Fluff. I've only seen Fluff packaged like this in the New England states. I've never seen Raspberry Fluff.

I can understand a bit of the bad rap that John O' Groats gets when it comes to its famous sign.

An enterprising individual realized that tourists would like to be able to take a picture with an official signpost notating the most Northern spot in the mainland UK. They also have a sign at the bottom of the UK in Lands End.

If you show up to take a picture, you have to pay a fee. There is a small shed where a photographer sits and guards the sign. The entire area is roped off, so that you can only take a decent picture if you pay.

I know that you're probably thinking, why not just show up late at night or very early in the morning? Someone can't guard it all day.

They don't.

The sign is taken down each night.

We didn't think that it was worth paying, so we took a picture in front of another (free) signpost on a building nearby. It's not official, but it was close enough for us.

My favorite building in John O'Groats was this pretty row of apartments with a colorful paint job.

On Gail's recommendation, we had dinner in the pub adjacent to the Seaview Hotel.

The pub was mostly filled with locals and we even ran into Gail's family having dinner. They kindly bought us a beer. They are the best B&B owners ever!

When you visit an area known for fishing, you have to get the fish.

This pub had the best scallops that I have ever eaten and that was just the starter.

My main course was the grilled haddock with a dill sauce. Ridiculously good!

Dan opted for a burger, which was also fresh with local meat.

The Seaview Inn might not be much to look at, but the food is first-rate. The fish, in particular the scallops, were on par with any fine-dining restaurant that I have visited. Don't judge this book by its cover.

We returned to The Anchorage and experienced a beautiful, golden sunset to end our wonderful day exploring John O' Groats.

UK August-October 2013- Land's End

UK August-October 2013- John O' Groats