John O’Groats, famous for being the north-eastern most tip of the British mainland is to receive a £6 million investment package to revamp its appearance. It may be the starting point for many who wish to travel the length of the country down to Lands End, but it is also known for being extremely ugly.

The Lonely Planet guidebook calls it an embarrassment of a tourist destination which boasts a car park as its most important attraction. It does however have some stunning panoramic views and it is hoped that a facelift will tempt more visitors to the town.

Part of the plan involves redeveloping the John O’Groats hotel into self catering apartments and revamping the Journey’s End cafe and Last House Museum. There are also plans by Natural Retreats, a holiday firm which specialises in luxury self-catering, to develop holiday cottages on the site surrounding the hotel.

The redevelopment project is being spearheaded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise which has already agreed to put up £1.6 million. Transformational projects head, Carole Gunn, said John O’Groats boasted a variety of natural assets as well as a diversity of wildlife and a number of historical sites. She added that a lack of investment over the last few decades meant that there had been no development of such resources.

She went on to say that residents were enthusiastic about the plans as they will supply a boost to local businesses. The first of the new properties is set to start receiving guests by the beginning of 2013.