North Coast 500 The Road Trip of a Lifetime – NC500 Guide Book by Robbie Roams

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I am thinking of doing the 5 day tour, I will be driving alone and not good at map reading . I would depend on my Sat Nav. Is that practical giving reception etc. Are places well signed. I intend to follow your 5 day Itinerary We also have a general guide to where to book holiday cottages in the UK which will give you more options for accommodation along the route. Dunnet Head and Lighthouse – the most northerly tip of the UK. There is an RSPB reserve – the Dunnet Bay Nature Reserve which is worth a short walk. You might even spot puffins! At Dunnet there is also the Dunnet Bay Distillery who make gin and whisky. We also have a guide to whisky distilleries on the North Coast 500 if you’re interested in visiting more distilleries along the route.

Being flexible also applies to where you might stop to eat and drink, what attractions you may visit or what outdoor adventure you might find yourselves involved with! Restaurants and attractions may not be open all day everyday. Due to the current situation being seen across the UK with staffing issues largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some establishments are being forced to close unexpectedly for a day or two at a time. One of the North Coast 500’s charms is the remoteness. This also means however that there sometimes isn’t an abundance of places to eat! It’s important for visitors to be flexible and have another idea in mind, just in case your first choice isn’t available. 13. Enjoy yourselves!Most attractions (from the National Trust or Historic Scotland) close from October to Easter. Many of the grounds are still open. The road is also well known as being home to the Bealach Na Ba, an alpine style road which is one of the highest roads in the UK. The view from the top of the pass is legendary – as are the curves and gradient on the way down! Just take your time and enjoy the views. If you are staying in a smaller guesthouse or B&B, it is likely that they will not offer an evening meal. If this is the case, make sure you eat before you arrive, or have a plan for a nearby location for a meal, as some spots can be fairly remote. You don’t want to arrive somewhere hungry and realise you have to drive another 40 minutes to find some food! Stac Pollaidh – one of Scotland’s best hill walks, with a well-made path to the summit, easy and fun scrambling over its pinnacles and ridges and incredible views over the Assynt mountains. From Dornoch it’s another 20 minutes drive north to one of the highlights of the day, the spectacular Dunrobin Castle. This is a beautiful castle that looks like it has fallen straight out of a fairy tale, and we highly encourage you to stop and spend some time visiting.

Visit the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve– explore the woodlands, home to 350-year-old Scots Pines remnant of the ancient Caledonian forest. Beinn Eighe is a Unesco Biosphere, covering 500,000ha meters of protected landscape. We would suggest that five days is a good amount of time in which to drive the North Coast 500. Five days will give you enough time for sightseeing and stops along the way, without feeling too rushed.Climb up to the Fyrish Monument – one of the NC500’s hidden gems, the view from the Fyrish Monument is well worth the 3-hour round trip walk. You can take a detour from Dunnet up to Dunnet Head. This is home to an RSPB wildlife reserve, and is also the most northerly point in mainland Britain. Continue from Corrieshalloch on the A832 out around the coast. If you want to visit a beautiful and fairly deserted white sand beach, a detour to Mellon Udrigle beach is a great option, after which you’ll come to the village of Aultbea where there is a nice memorial to the wartime convoys. You’ll find this in a small park just north of the village.

Leakey’s Bookshop – home to thousands of second-hand books, Leakey’s is an Inverness treasure trove. Day 4 Accommodation: In Torridon if you want to spoil yourself we can highly recommend The Torridon, which is one of the few 5* hotels on the North Coast 500. We had a lovely nights stay, evening meal, and afternoon tea here. They also operate “ The Stables” next door, a high end B&B style option. A very popular time of year in which to visit the North Highlands. The spring and summer months bring long days and lighter evenings, allowing you to stay active for longer – you’ll be able to take an evening walk, play golf until late, or just get out and about and explore. During spring and summer, you’ll also be able to see seabirds nesting, and perhaps even spot dolphins and whales. To maximise your chances of seeing these majestic mammals, why not book a boat trip? During spring and summer, the North Highlands hosts plenty of events, from traditional Highland Games, to food and music festivals. See the RSPB Tollie Red Kites– watch the RSPB volunteers feed beautiful Red Kites from the pretty farmsteading at RSPB Tollie. The Kites can also be seen flying over the A9 as you head north. Entry to RSPB Red Tollie is free. Carn Liath is a broch – an iron age structure that is around 2,000 years old. There are many of these all around Scotland, and this is one of the better preserved and more easily accessible brochs along the North Coast 500, which we think makes it worth stopping at.Strome Castle– stop on Loch Carron to discover one of the National Trust for Scotland’s little gems. We hope this is the year you get to do it, it’s one of our favourite parts of the world. We’re actually setting of in a few days to do it again, and also to visit Orkney, Lewis & Harris as well 🙂 Can’t wait! Visit Loch Fleet –just fancy a stroll? Walk around Loch Fleet to Little Ferryand explore Balblair Woods. You might spot Ospreys and Crossbills in the trees. For car hire, there are a range of providers and it’s always worth shopping around to see what prices are on offer. The main car rental companies include Avis, Budget, Europcar, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, but there are of course many options out there.

The North Coast 500 brings together a route of more than 500 miles of stunning coastal scenery – 516 miles, to be exact. Not only is the NC500 one of the world’s best road trips, but it’s also one of the most beautiful. While the North Coast 500 is an experience in itself, you’ll also find plenty of adventures to be had along the way. We want everyone who visits the North Highlands to have the best time possible when driving the North Coast 500, so, in this article, we’ll bring you some top tips on how to make the very most of your trip. Stop at Mhoine House– Banksy in the highlands? The ruined Mhoine House has some amazing graffiti art to photograph. If you have an interest in WW2 relics, a detour up to the Cove Light Anti-Aircraft battery from Poolewe is a good option. This is around 20 minutes drive each way. The coastal battery was built in 1941 to provide anti-air defences to the coastline here. Whilst it was manned throughout the war, it never saw action. Set in a peaceful location with picturesque just a few minutes’ drive from the centre of Dornoch, your accommodation is a charming and well-appointed family run guest house offering warm and welcoming rooms. Nestled in the heart of Wester Ross, with its spectacular sunsets and golden sandy beaches, your hotel offers a fabulous location with stunning, panoramic views across the loch to Skye and the Hebrides. Stylish and comfortable, in contrast to its rugged surroundings, it’s the perfect location to explore the local area. You must experience the conservatory, it’s the ideal place to sit and enjoy the stunning vistas after a day on the road.For more on castle hotels along the route, you can see our North Coast 500 accommodation guide which has over 25 recommended places to stay along the route, from castle hotels to B&B’s and guesthouses. Planning a North Coast 500 road trip can be a bit overwhelming as it is a relatively new route and there isn’t as much information available online or in guidebooks compared to other top road trips around the world. But not to worry, we’ll provide all the information you’ll need to plan your NC500 road trip. If you want to extend the route, you could do so from Inverness with the North East 250 driving route – see our 3 day NE250 itinerary for ideas. You could also visit the Isle of Skye or the Isle of Raasay. Alternatively, why not base yourself in Inverness and do some day trips from Inverness? Next head further north, following the coast road as it traverses deeply set lochs, and pass more soaring mountains. Plenty of time today to explore as you tour. Your next stop is the colourful harbour village of Ullapool. The majority of visitors to the North Coast 500 take their trips between May and September. However, while summer brings longer days, lighter evenings and warmer temperatures, the autumn and winter seasons are becoming more popular – these colder months open up a magical world of different activities and experiences that can be enjoyed even when the temperature drops.