The North Coast (NC) 500 is a scenic coastal loop around the Scottish Highlands, starting and ending in Inverness. ‘Scotland’s route 66’ encompasses sandy beaches, rugged mountains, pretty villages and historic castles. Nick and I took a week and a half off in September and headed north with the aim of discovering what the area had to offer.
Our first day was spent leaving the A9 and crossing the Scottish Highlands from east to west. We drove most of the way along Loch Ness, sightseeing Urquhart Castle enroute. This was probably the busiest of anywhere on our route and I can imagine it’s busy in the school summer holidays. There was lots on offer – we had booked for kayaking but it was deemed a bit choppy. We ended up renting bikes from Erraid Cycle, a small rental business operating out an enterprising couple’s front garden at Fort Augustus (they also have an Airbnb and an honesty box).
We then spent the majority of the day at Loch Ness before heading across to our Guest House on the north shore of Loch Duich near Dornie. Eilean Donan castle is well worth a photo, although bear in mind local pub The Clachan may well turn you away!
Where to Eat: Glen Rowan Cafe at Invermoriston was a great lunch stop near the banks of Loch Ness.
We were both excited for Ullapool and so set off fuelled by a home cooked full English (Scottish?) made to order by our Guest House.
We wound our way to Ullapool via several stops. The first was Benn Eighe Nature Reserve which has walking trails catering to all abilities and the coolest visitor centre I’ve ever been in. For me it was a geographers’ heaven, Nick just preferred the views.
Next stop was the village of Gairloch, a quaint coastal village with a wind that was suitably wild for being so far north. I had snuck this stop in for lunch as I had noticed The Mountain Coffee Company, a bookshop with one of the most enormous scones I’ve ever had.
The final stop was the Falls of Measach near Garve, a spectacular deep gorge waterfall with an easy to reach viewing point. The waterfall on its own was well worth the stop, but slightly further along there is a visitor centre and car park as well if you wanted to make more of it. The only thing to note is the parking was expensive (but there is another free layby across the road, but don’t tell anyone I told you).
Having reached Ullapool the heavens had fully opened, but undeterred we headed out to see what it had to offer. After some lovely shops and fish so fresh it practically jumped out our hands, we were greeted with a locked door at the (very much open) Ferryboat Inn. The lady who came to the door reacted with horror to the idea of two people coming in for a drink and essentially told us to get lost. We did and therefore we took our trade to the Argyll Hotel to warm ourselves up.
Where to Eat: The Seafood Shack in Ullapool is highly recommended online and rightly so, it was unbelievable.
Otherwise known as Stac Pollaidh day, this paragraph puts the Where2Walk into this blog!
Parking at the base was simple, and it was pretty obvious where you were meant to go. We crossed the road and headed up, choosing the path winding to the right and around the back of the summit. The climb was steep but the path is good, and after about an hour we reached the top. The 360 degree views are fantastic on the summit ridge whichever way you looked, it is a unique and special landscape. However we had to make a hasty descent as the clouds rolled in.
Driving north from Stac Pollaidh, we passed Kylesku Bridge and Ardvrek Castle which are both worth a stop and special views. Sadly I had been struck with car sickness and didn’t really appreciate them at the time. I perked up as we arrived at our home for the night at Badcall Bay Retreats. This was a pod in the middle of nowhere in the best way – totally peaceful, amazing view and complimentary wine!
Where to Eat: Another Ullapool one: Ceilidh Place did a great breakfast and had a bookshop attached which was a win from me. We wanted to enjoy the pod and our view this evening, but heard universally great things about Crofters Kitchen in nearby Scourie too.
Looking at this on the map felt quite a daunting drive but we headed off to our first stop, Durness. We had a quick wander along the lovely beach before making our way to eerie and impressive Smoo Cave. This was clearly a tourist spot (for good reason!), with well kept stairs down to the cove and plenty of visitors.
We wandered back to Durness to go for Golden Eagle Ziplines, run by a laid back chap who rather casually strapped you in and off you went. It was short but fun and I’d highly recommend the detour. The sun coming out as we sped over the beach was even better.
It was then a long drive around Loch Eribol but after that we whipped along the north coast quite quickly. Having heard many people rave about the west, I was pleasantly surprised to see how beautiful the north coast is too. We picked Armadale beach as the beach to stop off at but we could have picked any one.
Having had a successful day, Thurso was a let down. It genuinely felt like it had been plopped in the middle of the NC500 by some freak accident. No restaurants, no pubs, we genuinely discussed having a drink in the comparatively buzzy Premier Inn. Wouldn’t recommend it for your Saturday night.
Where to Eat: None, The options in Thurso were poor
Having got out of Thurso as fast as possible, we set our sights on John O’Groats. The sun was shining on the beautiful landscape in this iconic spot. We visited Lands End to John O’Groats sign (it’s over 1,000 miles to walk but Nick was tempted by the faster cycling option) before heading south. Not really any other direction to go in, north led in to the sea.
I’d been told that the best part of the trip was over, but while steaming down the east coast we stopped at Whaligoe Steps, a completely random stop but ruggedly beautiful hidden gem. These steps lead down to a small bay which used to be a fishing harbour, the steps having been built for the fishermen’s wives to do the hard work of hauling the fish up to the village (no change there!). A lot of effort has clearly gone into maintaining the steps from the locals and they are in incredible condition, if a workout! Note the car park and steps are both completely free, but the car park only holds about 8 cars.
Final stop of the day was Dunrobin Castle – the most northerly of Scotland’s great castles. The glimpses of it from the outside as you drive are suitably fairytale-like. There is a cost to get in, which we did as we had the time, and there’s plenty in the house and gardens (including a falconry display) perfect for history lovers.
This night was spent in pod number 2, the fabulously named ‘Hot Toddy’ pod at Delny Glamping.
Where to Eat: Had a fab evening meal in Platform 1864 in Tain train station.
We had the morning to kill this day and spent it wandering Dornoch and Tain (both lovely towns).
However, the main event of the day was a tour of the world renowned Glenmorangie Distillery. This is just outside of Tain and close to where we were staying. I dislike whisky personally, but even I found the tour fascinating and the guides great (one worked at the distillery, so clearly knew his stuff). There’s also a tasting at the end and a shop for any whisky connoiseurs, although they might have to be quite rich whisky lovers!
We had decided to travel a bit (!) further south and stay in the Cairngorms for our final night to slice a chunk off the long drive back the next day, so this is sadly where our trip came to an end.
Where to Eat: Dornoch and Tain both had no shortage of nice cafes.
We completed this trip mid September, and despite reservations beforehand about the weather, it ended up being a great decision. I’d had some dire warnings from my Scottish colleagues about the midges, but we didn’t see any. We achieved an excellent balance of all the attractions and sights being open, but not crowded at all. Even the weather wasn’t that bad. What’s not to like?
We went for a few nights in the ‘towns and cities’ of the NC500 partly out of curiosity, partially for the ‘tick’ and partially so we could both have a drink and not drive. I was curious about both these, but in hindsight, not worth it. Both were a very different vibe to the rest of the trip, and the other nights were a lot nicer.
(However, if you do start or finish in Inverness, MacGregors Bar bucked the ‘bad pub’ trend, particularly for anyone who likes an IPA or ‘quirky’ beer).
We briefly looked into hiring a campervan, but it was quickly obvious that Airbnb and my Corsa were both the cheaper and simpler option. The places we stayed and the hosts were without exception lovely. The highlight for me were the two nights we stayed in ‘glamping’ pods. There are quite a lot of these around. Apart from being both great fun and beautifully situated I was amazed how well equipped they were. Even if you’re a non camper, you can get hotel comforts with bathrooms, kettles, hot water and even Wifi.
On reflection, we didn’t have quite enough time on the West Coast and missed some of it, namely Applecross and Bealach na Ba (though that may have tested my driving) and Sandwood Bay north of Ullapool. One more night may have meant we could take more time.
There were a few occasional mishaps with a lack of signal, but on the whole Google Maps was perfectly fine as a navigation tool on the drive. My dad would say however that Google Maps are no good on the mountain.
In addition, a lot of the stops I have described were discovered by clocking them while scrolling around Google Maps. You could find more to discover than those we stopped at. Have a go to break up the driving, I’d be amazed if you don’t find a hidden gem.
Mine had been raised by my dad and Uncle Barry’s ravings about ‘a drink in the seat by the window at the Ferryboat Inn’. I think you’d have had more chance at a seat on the moon, the Scottish pubs seemed to be actively trying to repel people.
Our disappointment with the attitude in the pubs was in direct contrast to how lovely everyone else was: Airbnb hosts, restaurants and cafes, other tourists, anyone running anything – all very relaxed and accommodating, even to last minute tourists.
Those living on the NC500 are also seriously entrepreneurial, with many running several small businesses out their front gardens. A personal favourite was a pet shop honesty box near Durness, but I have to shout out Ellaid Bikes (who we hired from in Loch Ness) here too.
Try it yourself.
Charlotte
Great blog Charlotte, covering lots of great places. Thank you.
I would add a few recommendaions. The full Ben Eighe walking trail is remarkable for both geology, differentiated flora and fauna zones, plus the opportunity to bag two Corbetts (fabulous views of both Beinn Eighe and Beinn Dearg). The Falls of Measach have been much improved for visitor access. Before the falls and before Aultguish a real treasure is hidden from the hoards. Gravel/ mountain bike enthusiasts will enjoy parking at Black Bridge and explore Strath Vach and the Corbett’s secreted up and beyond the remote Loch Vach. North of Ullapool has to be my favourite destination despite its increasing popularity. Stac Pollaigh is a must. The Grahams, Corbetts and the Munros present outstanding hill days. To pick one is foolish as every top gives a stunning walk, but to select one would be Foinaven. The Lairg road gets you off the circuit and into stunning areas of hill walking. Loch Eribol. To visit Lotty Glob’s Pottery Studio and Sculpture Park is an education. Originally a member of the Art & Craft commune at Balnakeil Craft Village in 1968, she has subsequently moved and is internationally recognised. You don’t have to like pots and plates to be knocked out by the visit (free!). The interior of the ‘flow country’ ( Caithness and Suthrland) isn’t visited, and deserves exploring for the wild and remote ‘volcanoes’. A bike helps with the big distances, and although the hills are Grahams they are significant challenges. Choose a time which is midge free! The east coast has caught on fully to the commercial possibilties of the NC 500. The steps are a fun place for a quick pause. Dunbeath has a great little harbour, Seafood Shed (not cooked) and visitors centre. On a beautiful day Tain can suffer from a ‘haar’ – the town is immersed in cloud and temperaure drops 10 degrees. Campervan – not motor home. I can spend up to ten weeks a year in Scotland. A small camper is absolutely ideal but needs 50 nights a year to make the investment worthwhile. Very flexible and gets you places others fear to go! Your trip, was ideally suited to the emerging variety of hospitalty and accomodation. When first at Durness you couldnt buy a carrot, now look at the huge offering in the Spa shop. Finally, I have’t completed a full continous round of the NC 500! My travels have been on every road, Strath and hill with just a few Grahams to bag. I have done most things but not a full round. Always something more to do in Scotland. Possibly the best investment of time, effort and money I have ever made. I am sure you will go back.
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