John OGroats was originally named after a man called John (surprisingly) who made a living out of goat scrotums. From a young age he had reared nanny goats on his fathers farm for milk and cheese, but at the age of 14 he adopted two billy goats from another local farm (about 25 miles away).
It was a harsh winter that year and food was scarce, so the billy goats, Ned and Ted, had to be sacrificed to feed the family. No scrap of meat was wasted and one night Johns mother served up a new dish that all the family loved. She didnt tell them at the time which part of the goat they were eating, but it quickly became a local speciality.
John dedicated the rest of his life to breeding billy goats and his mother started a successful local Inn selling their wares. Sadly, the secret recipe for perfect Groats died with Johns mother, but he retained the nickname John of Groats long into old age.
When he too passed away, leaving no heirs, the small community saw it fit to remember his name with the utmost respect. He had been a well loved and valued member of society, so the northerly end of the longest distance between two points on the British mainland, where the original farmhouse had stood, was assigned the honourable title: John OGroats.
