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Best North Coast 500 Itinerary – The Ultimate Road Trip
The North Coast 500 is now a well travelled driving route, normally starting and finishing in Inverness. It’s often called Scotland’s route 66, a comparison to the famous American road trip! There’s a lot of potential stops along the way, although you would need a very long time to see everything! With kids it can take a little longer as they won’t want to stop and get out for a short time several times a day. Instead it’s best to choose a North Coast 500 Itinerary that has a few key stops each day with plenty of time to play freely at beaches, parks and other fun experiences.
You can also add in a trip to the Orkney Isles or Shetland Islands too!
Don’t Forget To Plan!
You may also need to check daylight hours depending when you travel. In the summer there is plenty of time to visit lots of stops, however in late autumn or early spring the hours of daylight are a lot shorter. So you will have less time to see the sights. Most people travel the route in an anti clockwise direction, so if you do go the other direction you may find yourself pulling into a passing place more often. Particularly in the summer season!
Google Maps is great, however, please do take screenshots or take a paper map, as the downfall of Google maps in the Highlands is the lack of internet connection! You definitely don’t want to be caught out not knowing where you are. You will also need to check locations of petrol stations in advance. Although they are plenty around you certainly don’t want to wait until you only have a few miles left! Not when it can be 20-30 miles to the next one!
So enjoy the planning, you will find so much to see around the entire route. From scenic views, beautiful castles, white sandy beaches and a little picturesque village around almost every corner! Even in bad weather you will find the moodiness makes a great photograph!
Here is my North Coast of Scotland itinerary with the kids. Pick and choose from these ideas dependant on the time you have to travel.
Preparing For Your North Coast 500 Trip
Where To Start The North Coast 500 Road Trip?
The best place to start the NC500 is definitely at Inverness. You can fly, drive or take the train to Inverness. If you are planning to use a motor home or campervan on this route then it’s best to pick it up at Inverness. So definitely plan a day in Inverness to collect your vehicle before you head off.
If you are driving around the North Coast 500 in your own vehicle, then it’s still a great place to start. There is a lot to see around this area (including the famous Loch Ness!), plus it’s an easy access point from the A9 heading North out of Central Scotland.
How Long Does It Take To Drive The NC500?
How long is a piece of string?! Although the route itself isn’t actually that long and could be driven fairly quickly if there was no traffic, there a couple of things to consider. Firstly you are going to want to stop off at all the interesting sights along the way, which can take some considerable time. If you are visiting during the peak season (June, July and August) then the roads will be very busy with traffic and despite the many passing places it can take some time to drive along the single-track road sections.
I would suggest at least 7 days to do the NC 500 road trip justice, with enough time to stop along the way. If you have longer than a week for the NC500 trip then you can plan in more stops along the way and longer stops to relax at the many beautiful beaches or longer hill walks.
If you have less than a week I’d recommend choosing your favourite places and planning your trip around those. You will definitely miss out on a lot of sights, so it will take careful planning to see your main stops.
What Is The Best Time Of Year To Drive The NC500?
Every time of year has something going for it! Although perhaps Winter not so much as the roads can be icy and covered in snow, plus most places are closed!
Spring – For me spring is the best time to visit. The roads are quieter, less people around and most things are open. The weather can often be quite nice too, especially during May.
Summer – It can get very congested on the roads and at all the sights during the summer months. So although the weather is better and everything is open, you will definitely need more time to drive the busy roads!
Autumn – We visited in Autumn and the roads were certainly a lot quieter. However, many attractions, including wildlife boat trips, stop at the end of September. So you could still miss some activities.
Should I Book My NC500 Campsites In Advance?
If you are travelling in the peak months of June, July and August it’s best to book in advance. Most campsites will be fully booked over these months. So please do book in advance to guarantee a space, otherwise you may find it difficult to find a location to stop. Please read the section below about the possibility of ‘wild camping’ in a motorhome.
At other times of year when it’s outwith school holidays you will find it easy to just rock up to a campsite and get a space.
Can You Wild Camp on the NC500?
Wild camping is defined under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code as:
Access rights extend to wild camping. This type of camping is lightweight, done in small numbers and only for two or three nights in any one place. You can camp in this way wherever access rights apply, but help to avoid causing problems for local people and land managers by not camping in enclosed fields of crops or farm animals and by keeping well away from buildings, roads or historic structures. Take extra care to avoid disturbing deer stalking or grouse shooting. If you wish to camp close to a house or building, seek the owner’s permission. Leave no trace by:
- taking away all your litter
- removing all traces of your tent pitch and of any open fire (follow the guidance for lighting fires)
- not causing any pollution
The Access Code notes that access rights do not apply to motor vehicles.
Tips For Wild Camping on NC500
If you would like to stop your vehicle away from campsites then you will need to remember that the access code does not apply to vehicles. So if a landowner asks you to move, you must comply! Follow these tips below to ensure that you have an enjoyable visit to Scotland if you are choosing ‘free range vehicle camping’.
- Do not park anywhere overnight that says ‘no overnight parking’.
- Use an app such as Park4night to find suitable parking places.
- Leave no trace, if you do not have a toilet then you should bring a shovel to dig a deep hole well away from paths etc. Otherwise consider bringing a portable compost toilet or similar.
- Do not park overnight in sight of people’s properties unless it explicitly says overnight parking allowed.
- Do not block access to tracks and fields.
- Do not stay for more than one night.
- Dump chemical waste in locations where you are explicitly allowed (check online for places you can get rid of waste).
- Do not light open fires during dry summer months, this is how most wildfires are started in Scotland.
7 Day North Coast 500 Itinerary Overview
This is a quick overview of our 1 week NC500 Itinerary.
- Day 1: Inverness – Golspie
- Day 2: Golspie – Wick
- Day 3: Wick – Tongue
- Day 4: Tongue – Lochinver
- Day 5: Lochinver – Ullapool
- Day 6: Ullapool – Torridon
- Day 7: Torridon – Inverness
Detailed 1 week North Coast 500 Itinerary
Day 1 – Inverness – Golspie
Starting at Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands. Here you can spend time visiting Inverness Castle and Inverness botanic gardens as well as several nearby museums. We’d recommend the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery as a great museum in Inverness.
Just North East of Inverness is Chanonry Point, on the Black Isle. It’s one of the best places to base yourself to watch for dolphins. If you don’t have time to visit Loch Ness at the beginning of your trip, make sure to stop on the way back from the West coast. You can, take a boat trip along the Caledonian canal, look for Nessie and visit the famous Urquhart Castle.
Dornoch
North of Inverness, on the East coast, you arrive at Dornoch, where there is a long sandy beach to walk along. You can also visit the remains of Skelbo castle and walk through Skelbo woods to admire the sculptures. To the East you can detour off the main road to visit the Falls of Shin (beautiful waterfall, lovely walking trails in the forest and a great place to watch salmon leaping), which also has a great kids play park next to the car park.
Further North of Dornoch is the village of Golspie where there is another long stretch of beach, Dunrobin Castle and gardens (more of a stately home), plus a ruined broch – Cairn Liath. These are all worth a stop on your trip North, but if you don’t have enough time to see everything then consider an extra day in Inverness at the end of your trip.
Day 2 – Golspie To Wick
From Golspie head North toward Brora, there are miles of beautiful beach along this stretch of coastline. Park at the Ousdale broch car park to walk along to this small but interesting broch. If you like looking at brochs you could also check out the Caithness Broch Project, which details all the brochs in this area and are planning on building their own broch. The first broch to be built in over 2000 years, which will be amazing to visit when it’s completed. You can also find out lots of excellent information on broch structure and use on the Broch Project website.
Slightly further North is the Badbea clearance village where you can learn about the history of the Highland clearances. It’s also the perfect place to experience the sunset, as you can see from our photo below.
You will also find several fantastic museums along this stretch, including Laidhay croft museum and Clan Gunn museum. These weren’t open when we visited, but I’ve heard good things!
South of Wick
Before you reach Wick you can detour off the A9 to visit the magnificent Camster Cairns. Camster cairns are two large neolithic chambered cairns, that are rather impressive to look at. Just off the A9 South of Wick is the Hill O Many Stanes. Which is literally a hill full of small stones sticking out the soil! It’s not quite known what they were placed there for, but they were placed there by the Pictish tribe of the area. Slightly further North are the famous Whaligoe steps (a must do stop on the North Coast 500 itinerary), which lead down to an ancient harbour. There are 365 to descend (and return back uphill again!).
Another good place to visit local archaeology is the Yarrows archaeological trail. Amongst the archaeology you can visit neolithic chambered cairns, a broch and standing stones.
Day 3 – Wick To Tongue
After good nights sleep near Wick, start early today to visit all the many sights along this section. Starting with Noss Head where you can walk along to the ruins of Castle Sinclair and look out at the sea from a nearby lighthouse. You can’t visit this lighthouse, but it is possible to stay in the keepers cottage as a holiday house!
As you reach John O’ Groats you will need to visit the signpost that heralds your location at the North of mainland Scotland. However, contrary to popular belief this isn’t actually the most Northernly point in Scotland. You need to head over to Dunnet Head, West of John O’ Groats to be at the very North of the country. Dunnet Head is home to many seabirds and also a nearby beautiful beach to the West of the village of Dunnet and the Castlehill Heritage Centre.
East of John O’ Groats is Duncansby Head stacks and lighthouse. The sea stacks are a rather awesome geological landform, plus the Thirle door is an archway carved into the cliffs beside the sea stacks.
West of John O’ Groats is the Castle of Mey and Gardens. Only open in spring and summer, you can enjoy the beautiful mansion castle, gardens and tea shop during your visit.
Just to the West at Gill’s Bay is where you can also catch the Pentland Ferries ferry across to the Orkney Islands. There is a second Orkney Islands ferry via Northlink a little further along at Scrabster too. Find out more about where to visit on Orkney with this itinerary.
The North Coast 500 Itinerary to Tongue
Follow the scenic route from Thurso to Tongue, where you will find several beautiful beaches, including Melvich, Strathy and Bettyhill beaches. The beautiful scenery here is well worth a stop to admire. For a more sheltered walk you can head into Borgie Forest to shelter from rain and wind. There’s also a lovely short walk to Strathypoint lighthouse, excellent for watching sea life. Or a slightly longer walk from Armadale to the abandoned village of Polouriscaig.
Strathnaver museum in Bettyhill details the history of the highland clearances and Clan Mackay. The ancient Farr standing stone is located nearby.
In the village of Tongue you can park up and walk along the short path toward Castle Varrich (signposted beside the Ben Loyal Hotel). The views from the top of the castle are usually amazing, although it was wet and misty when we visited! Not unusual for Scotland, even in summer!
Day 4 – Tongue to Lochinver
Starting from Tongue continue along the North coast, stop in lay-bys to see the views. Don’t stop in any passing places though, these are signified by the white square or diamond passing place sign.
Near Durness is the well described Smoo Cave, a huge cave which you can walk part way into. During summer you can also take boat trips further into the cave, which is part of a guided tour.
Nearby is the Golden Eagle zipline on Ceannabeine beach which is open from spring into autumn. This is where you can fly across a beautiful highland beach on a zipwire. It’s £14 per person and open between spring and autumn when the weather is suitable!
The beach Sango Sands is well renowned for its beauty. Although it is beside a caravan park and can get busy during the summer months. This would be a good spot to camp if you want to split the journey up further. There is also the Balnakeil beach a little further round the corner. This tends to be a little bit quieter and is long enough to absorb many visitors.
West of Durness is a small craft village called Balnakeill, which also has Cocoa mountain. Cocoa mountain is the place to head for delicious hot chocolate! Unfortunately the machine was broken when we visited. However, we still left with a few chocolates in our bags and some other crafts from the shops. A favourite of the kids was the geological exhibition that’s hidden away in the complex.
Durness to Lochinver
Travelling South down the West coast from Durness you will find plenty of great beaches along the North Coast 500. You will also notice that it’s mostly single-track roads on the West coast. If you haven’t used single track roads before then check out how to use passing places before you visit! From the stunning Old Shoremore beach and the remote pink sands of Sandwood Bay beach to the beautiful Achmelvich beach you’ll find plenty of space along the sands. Don’t miss the Hermit’s castle, a 10 minute walk from Achmelvich Bay!
Just past Achmelvich is the town of Lochinver. From here you can take a boat out to see dolphins and seals, get some tasty treats at Lochinver larder and visit some sweet craft shops.
Day 5 – Lochinver to Ullapool
Today is actually a much shorter day, so you can spend a bit more time relaxing on a beach or exploring the area. I highly suggest swimming at Achmelvich if it’s a warm day or making time for a boat trip today. On the road toward Ullapool you will find beautiful landscapes and plenty of history.
At Loch Assynt there are the ruins of Ardvreck Castle, dating back to 1490. The castle was owned by the Macleods, but was later captured by the Mackenzies of Assynt. Only a small part remains of the castle now, along with the later Calda House that lies in ruins after a fire.
Further South you will come across many different signs in laybys for the North West Highlands Geopark. The landscape around here is amazing and it’s well worth stopping at a few places to read more about the local geology.
You can also take a walk up to the bone caves where ancient animal bones were found. The caves may well have been used as shelter by humans too. Bring a torch to explore the caves thoroughly, especially if you have explorer kids like mine!
Further along toward Ullapool you will find Knockan Crag. A must stop visit to find out more about the fascinating geology of the area. There are plenty of information boards and sculptures to discover along the trails.
From Ullapool you can also catch a Calmac ferry across to Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. Have a look at this Outer Hebrides itinerary for more ideas.
Day 6 – Ullapool to Torridon
To get to Gairloch from Ullapool you will pass Corrieschalloch Gorge. It’s a deep ravine with a suspension bridge and viewpoint. The kids will love running across the bridge and looking down at the waterfall below.
From here it’s a beautiful drive along the coast, with plenty of small villages and beaches to stop at to stretch the legs. Mellon Udrigle is a short drive off the main road and a great beach to enjoy the views of the mountains over the sea.
Just before you get to Poolewe you will find Inverewe Garden, where you can explore the unusual plants, spot Scotland’s Big 5 animals or take a boat trip around the peninsula. A great stop for summer adventurers.
At Gairloch you can visit the local museum and let the kids run riot along the stretch of beach or take a trip out to sea on a glass bottomed boat!
you will pass the stunning Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve. There are several trails in the NNR, make sure you are well prepared if you choose to climb Beinn Eighe. It is a mountain and will take several hours to reach the top and return, the weather can also be unpredictable.
Continue along the road to Kinlochewe, turning off the main road here toward Torridon. The A896 is a very slow road, despite not looking long on the map it is a potholed and windy narrow road. I suggest not driving it at night in torrential rain as happened to us! Torridon is a lovely spot to spend the night, with a fab beach and a deer museum. Relax and enjoy the views!
Day 7 – Torridon to Inverness
Today you can follow the longer route along the coast to Applecross and then drive down the Bealach Na Ba.
Applecross is well known for it’s dramatic road, the Bealach Na Ba (Pass of the Cattle), to the summit of the pass. Treacherous in the winter months and not suitable for large motorhomes at any time of year, mainly due to the incredibly tight twists and bends as the road weaves its way up the hillside. I’ve never visited the pass when it hasn’t been shrouded in cloud. But I’ve been told that there are magnificent views from the summit on a good day and a very popular location that is worth visiting on a clear day during the summer months. Large vehicles may struggle on some of the tight corners, so please be aware if you are in a camper van or motor home.
The village of Applecross is friendly and you can grab a tasty lunch or dinner. There is also a lovely stretch of white sands.
Dornie
From Applecross most people head back to Inverness via Achnasheen and Garve. However if you have your own vehicle it can be easier to just head South on the West coast.
I would recommend at least a visit to Dornie to visit Eilean Donan castle and perhaps a quick trip across the bridge onto the Isle of Skye to visit some hidden gems. This would be a great side trip after the NC500!
To get back to Inverness head along the A87 to A887 to Invermoriston. Then drive alongside Loch Ness on the A82. Stop at Loch Ness, Urqhuart Castle and the Nessie museums on the way!
Gem says
This had been such a helpful post! I am using this miserable day to begin planning a trip for next year. Do you have any recommendations for accommodation along the route? We have camping gear too but don’t fancy setting up just for 1 nighters!
Jenny Eaves says
Sorry it’s been a miserable day! But the best time for future planning! We stayed at various Airbnb’s on the east coast, then the glamping pods behind Ben Loyal Hotel in Tongue (loved the layout with a bunk bed and double bed, good for families!) and the North Coast 500 pods at Achmelvich beach, a fantastic location. You can easily walk down to the beach in 5 minutes ready to jump in the turquoise sea!
Rhiannon says
This has been a great post to help us plan our first family camping/roadtrip in Northern Scotland this summer. How many days did you take to do the NC500 trip?
Thanks!
Jenny Eaves says
I’m glad it’s been useful! We did the trip in 7 days, but as it was in November the roads were quieter, I’d recommend a bit longer for summer time, simply because the roads will be very slow. Especially on the single track roads in the West. 🙂