Jay Wilson is the founding chair of the Friends of the John o' Groats Trail. He had the principal guiding role in the creation of the Trail. In 2014, Jay walked from Drumnadrochit to John o' Groats, looking for a walking route connecting the Great Glen Way to John o' Groats avoiding A-roads but providing access to accommodation. In 2015 Jay was back, walking from Inverness this time, and talking to local walking groups along the way about developing a marked trail. In June 2016 the Friends of the John o' Groats Trail was founded as a charity. Later that year, Andy Robinson called Jay and they decided to work together on a guidebook for the new trail, then in its infancy. Since then, they have been walking the Trail and documenting it, and generally annoying each other.
