The North Coast 500 is perhaps the most scenic route in the UK covering over 500 miles around the northern coast of Scotland! From breathtaking landscapes to towering mountains and lovely wildlife, it’s hard not to fall in love with the North.
The NC500 is one of the best UK adventures and we highly recommend spending at least 5 days exploring the region. With this 7 day North Coast itinerary, you’ll truly get to experience real nature and the best things to do.
Being 1/4 Scottish, I’ve always felt connected to Scotland (and visited a few times as a child) but never really thought of conquering the famous NC500 itinerary. About 5 years ago Dan told me we needed to visit Scotland, so we planned a weekend trip to Edinburgh with one day in the Highlands, and fell in love with Glencoe!
Fast forward to 2025, and we have now spent more than 2 weeks exploring the region in our self-converted car camper Now, I wish I visited sooner and it definitely won’t be the last time!
Our 7 Day North Coast 500 Itinerary hits all the best spots on the infamous loop with a few hidden gems along the way. We’ve included recommendations on where to stay along the way whether you’re camping or staying at guesthouses.
The Best 7 Day North Coast 500 Itinerary
Now we’ll jump into our 7 day NC500 itinerary starting and ending in Inverness. This itinerary also works if you start elsewhere as it’s one big loop following a ring road.
Note – Driving in the Scottish Highlands is an adventure! A journey will always take longer than what Google Maps says. Some of the roads are single-track and if it’s a busy day, you’ll be thanking the many ‘passing places’ Scotland has.
We’ve added a rough total driving time to each day on this NC500 route. Your journey may be slightly longer depending on traffic, but it’s a good estimate of how much driving you can expect to do in the Highlands!
Day 1 – Inverness – Torridon
Total Driving Time: 3.5 – 4 hours
Inverness
Inverness is the great capital of the North and the best place to start your NC500 itinerary! It’s a popular city for car rentals, which is why it’s known as the starting and ending point for most routes.
We chose to explore Inverness at the end of our trip, so we’ll circle back around to exploring Inverness at the end of this itinerary!
Rogie Falls
After about 30 minutes on the road, you’ll hit the first nature spot of your trip! The powerful falls are only a 10-minute walk from the car park, which costs £2. If you’re visiting in September, you may get to see the salmon run (which is a dream of Amy’s).
Bealach na Ba Pass
Hit the road for 1.5 hours to travel over to the west coast of Scotland and you’ll reach the infamous Bealach na Ba Pass!
Bealach na Ba Pass is the steepest road in the UK climbing up to 2,053ft (626m) from sea level, so you can imagine it’s a pretty scary but impressive road! The winding mountain pass was an incredible start to our NC500 itinerary!
You should only take this route if you’re very comfortable with driving, the road is not for the faint-hearted! Luckily Dan’s had some experience of these serpentine roads during our Tenerife road trip to Masca!
Note: Motorhomes and caravans are discouraged from the road for safety!
Applecross to Shieldaig
From the Bealach na Ba Pass continue driving to Applecross following the coast to Shieldaig. This journey is absolutely beautiful and should take another 1.5 hours as most of the road is one-way. Take your time and admire the surroundings! We tried to look out for lots of wildlife but only saw cows and sheep!
Both Applecross and Shieldaig are quaint towns to explore and a perfect way to stretch your legs. Shieldaig Bar & Coastal Kitchen had a great menu when we passed by!
Torridon
We spent the night in Torridon after a long day of scenic driving. Luckily it’s only a 15-minute drive from Shieldaig.
Torridon is surrounded by beautiful Scottish nature including mountain and lake views. There are a few trails in the area if you have time! Otherwise, you can set up for the night.
We saw wild deer when we woke up in the morning, but there’s also a Deer ‘Museum’ in the village. Stop at Wee Whistle Cafe if you need a bite to eat!
- Free Camping Spot: Torridon Campsite with toilets, water & showers (donation-based)
- Hotel: Torridon Youth Hostel (double rooms & dorms)
Day 2 – Torridon – Ullapool
After a night stay in Torridon, we hit the road towards Ullapool passing through incredible beaches and the small village of Gairloch!
Total Driving Time: 2.5 hours
Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve
The first stop of the day is a visit to Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, the first national nature reserve in the UK! There’s lots of trails to do here, including the 6-7 hour hike up to Beinn Eighe. We stuck to the short woodland trail near the (free) car park of Loch Maree and also admired the views of the lake!
Look out for eagles and wildlife in the area!
➤ Check out our 1 Day Scottish Highlands Itinerary from Edinburgh
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is only a 15-minute drive away from Beinn Eighe and a quick visit on your NC500 itinerary. The falls are only a short walk from the (free) car park and they’re definitely worth a stop! If it’s been raining recently, the falls will be even more impressive!
Gairloch Beach & Big Sands
Gairloch is a hidden gem on the North Coast 500. We may be biased as Amy has family there, but the beaches are beautiful!
Big Sands and Gairloch Beach are golden sand beaches with turquoise waters! We couldn’t believe we were in Scotland! There’s a huge campsite at Big Sands if you need a place to stay along your route.
We also walked around Gairloch Harbour which is a great area to spot seals at the right time of year.
If you’re on the hunt for a cafe, The Mountain Coffee Co is the perfect place to grab a coffee and vegan scone. They are incredible and you can even grab one to bring your journey.
Gruinard Beach
After Gairloch, follow the road north for another 30 minutes and you’ll reach Gruinard Beach. Scotland is honestly so underrated. The North Coast 500 is getting busier each year but we never meet anyone that talks about the beaches!
Gruinard Beach has free parking and you can either take a quick photo, walk along the beach or go for a swim! As it was 10°C, we opted for a short walk.
Falls Of Measach
The Falls Of Measach are a must-visit on any NC500 itinerary! Walking along the wobbly suspension bridge across the gorge was a highlight for us and the falls are 46m high!
The trail took us at least 30 minutes (return) with time for admiring the Falls Of Measach. We parked in the free parking closer to the falls and walked straight down.
You’ll find paid parking at Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve, but it’s also a longer woodland walk with a cafe and toilets.
➤ Plan the perfect trip with our Scottish Highlands Bucket List!
Ullapool
The last stop of the day is Ullapool, one of the larger fishing villages on the west coast of Scotland. It’s a great place to refill on snacks at Tesco or find somewhere to stay for the night.
We walked around the town and grabbed some chips from a local shop to go with our vegan burgers! There’s lots of outdoor and boutique shops to wander around but they’ll be closed by 5 or 6.
Ullapool Hill is one of the best hikes in the area starting right in the village. It will take around 2 hours with lovely views of the village, the hills and Loch Broom.
- Paid Camping Spot: Badrallach Campsite (nearby)
- Hotel: Croft No.8 Bed & Breakfast
Day 3 – Ullapool – Durness
Total Driving Time: 4 hours
Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve
The first stop on day 3 of your North Coast 500 route is Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve. We spent a while here admiring the ragged landscapes and mountains – it’s a very beautiful stop!
There’s a few trails to do around the area that take you through the mountains (about 1.5 hours for one of them). Sadly we didn’t get to do any with the crazy weather we had! If it’s raining the terrain on the trails can get very slippery. The car park is free and there are also toilets!
The Bone Caves
Just down the road is a hike to Bone Caves that takes around 1.5 hours. The climb is pretty steep to the top, but the views of the caves are the reward! There’s a waterfall at the beginning of the trail if you don’t want to spare the time to climb to the top.
Ardvreck Castle
Another highlight during our 7 day NC500 itinerary is Ardvreck Castle. It’s not really a castle anymore, but we had fun bouncing around the area.
Ardvreck Castle is a crumbled castle sitting on a small island-like piece of land. It’s completely open to the public with a free car park, although there are signs asking for respect of the castle grounds.
It’s only a 5-10 minute from the car park and we managed to climb up into the castle! Its worth a visit because you’ll pass right by!
Lochinver
At the point of Ardvreck Castle, you can either continue straight on or turn left and take the official North Coast 500 route. It feels like a detour, but it’s worth adding to your itinerary for the incredible beaches and charming coastal villages.
Lochinver was our first stop and we managed to find a cute cafe called Driftwood Cafe serving vegan haggis rolls! We warmed up with tomato soup and vegan cheese toasties.
The village itself is small with a few cafes and shops. Lochinver Larder is another popular food spot serving fresh pies and pasties! They have a few vegetarian options but only serve soup as a vegan option. Maybe one day they’ll have a vegan pie!
Achmelvich Bay
Achmelvich Beach is said to be one of the prettiest beaches in the UK with white sand and turquoise ocean waters. And the water is crystal clear! The beach feels extremely natural and it’s rarely ever crowded. It’s popular to go for walks on the beach or go paddle boarding!
When we visited the car park was under construction and you had to park on someone’s private land for £5 for 5 hours, pretty expensive sadly, but worth it if you’re spending a while here.
Clachtoll Beach
Only 20 minutes down the road, there’s another white sand beach with immaculate water. Scotland started to feel like our trip to the Philippines!
As we’ve mentioned before, our time in Scotland was windy and cold, so beach chilling was sadly not on the cards, but we did manage to go for a walk along Clachtoll Beach to feel the sand on our feet! Imagine what our photos would like on a sunny day – the beach is beautiful! The car park is only £1 here.
Allt Chranaidh Waterfall
Continue driving for around an hour passing Drumbeg and admiring the Scottish landscapes until you reach Allt Chranaidh Waterfall (also known as Wailing Widow Falls). You’ll have to go back on yourself slightly, so if you don’t have time, it’s okay to skip!
This trail is a very muddy 15-minute walk as it follows the river to the falls if you park at the bottom, but you can also see the waterfall from the upper car park. The car parks are just laybys on the road and there weren’t any spaces when we visited!
The waterfall looks spectacular so we’re sad we missed it on our NC500 itinerary.
Kylesku Bridge
Kylesku Bridge was built in 1984 and looks quite impressive! The landscapes surrounding the bridge are incredible, like most of the west coast of the Highlands which are coming to an end!
➤ Visiting more of Scotland? Here’s our 3 day Isle of Skye travel guide!
Durness
Another 1 hour of driving up the west coast and you’ll reach the most Northern West point of this North Coast route. Durness is a little coastal village on the NC500, it’s home to many accommodations, more incredibly turquoise beaches and green cliffs.
The village is quite small but has quite a few things to do, we chose to sleep first and continue in the morning!
- Free Camping Spot: Laybys near Ceannabeinne Beach
- Paid Camping Spot: Sango Sands Oasis
- Hotel: Craft Village Holiday House
Day 4 – Durness – Thurso
Total Driving Time: 2.5 – 3 hours
On day 4, we spent the morning in Durness and all the points were within 5 5-minute drive of each other!
Cocoa Mountain
We heard that Cocoa Mountain did some of the best hot chocolates but we didn’t manage to try one (there are two locations in Scotland). Instead, we grabbed a vegan chocolate croissant which was a treat for breakfast!
The chocolate shop is located in a craft village, although nothing was open when we visited. You can find art, crafts and galleries
Balnakeil Beach
After our pastry, we visited Balnakeil Beach but stayed in the car to admire the views. It’s the perfect place to spot water birds! The beach is great for walking but not recommended for swimming due to riptides.
There’s also Sango Sands Viewpoint which is part of a campsite nearby.
Smoo Cave
Smoo Cave was another highlight of our North Coast 500 itinerary! We recommend arriving at the car park early to secure a space, but there’s also laybys to park in!
From the car park we walked down some steep steps where we were greeted with a view of the great cave! Inside there’s £10 tours where you can take a boat to explore deeper into the caves. Due to the weather, the boats weren’t running for us, but we would have done it!
There is also a beautiful trail leading to the coastal cliffs and you can loop back to the car park.
Ceannabeinne Beach
The last stop in Durness is Ceannabeinne Beach, close to the Golden Eagle Zip Line. We camped (in our car) in the car park just near this beach, so we woke up to these views and we saw some surfers in the evening.
Ceannabeinne Beach is impressive as you get to see the golden beach from above or take the trail down to the bottom and walk along the sand.
Tongue Causeway
A 45-minute drive heading east takes you along the Tongue Causeway. The long bridge joins the islands up and feels like it goes on forever! It’s also super windy, but the views are wonderful! We didn’t really expect to come across a bridge like this in Scotland!
Farr Bay & Betty Hill
If you feel like stretching your legs after another 30 minutes of driving, you can stop at Betty Hill and Farr Bay. The tourist information centre has a little cafe with vegan cakes!
Similar to other beaches on our North Coast itinerary, Farr Bay is a large golden sand beach with vibrant blue water!
Melvich Beach
Another 30 minutes down the road will take you to Melvich Beach if you’d prefer to explore here! Melvich Beach is pretty quiet and you may even have the beach to yourself.
Thurso
Thurso is one of the major towns on the North Coast 500 and also the most northern town on the mainland of the UK! It’s a great place to end day 4 of your itinerary and there’s lots of choices of accommodation or restaurants.
As Thurso is on the coastline, the town overlooks the lovely Orkney Islands. We noticed old historic buildings when we drove through the town, but we camped at a free spot nearby.
- Paid Camping Spot: Thurso Bay Camping & Caravan Park
- Hotel: Westlea Bed and Breakfast
➤ Plan the rest of your Scotland trip with our 1 Week Scottish Highlands itinerary!
Day 5 – Thurso – Dornoch
Total Driving Time: 3.5 hours
Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head is a must-visit on your NC 500 route! It was one of our favourite stops of the trip because we saw… PUFFINS! We’ve always dreamed of seeing puffins, but thought we missed our opportunity by visiting Scotland in June.
It’s an out-and-back road to get to Dunnet Head, but it’s 100% worth it and it’s also the Northernmost Point of Mainland Great Britain! Although it’s not technically accessible due to the lighthouse, there’s a sign near the car park, which of course we took a photo with.
Dunnet Head is one of the best viewpoints for bird watching on this North Coast itinerary. We saw so many colonies of seabirds from Puffins to Gulls, Razorbills to Kittiwakes and Fulmars to Guillemots. The views are also incredible, even in extreme wind!
The Castle & Gardens of Mey
If you’re finished with Dunnets Head by 10:30, you can visit The Castle & Gardens of Mey. Double check for opening times as they’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Unlike the ruins we’d seen along our route, the Castle of Mey is still standing and here’s a £16 tour around the castle.
The Castle of Mey was originally built by George, the 4th Earl of Caithness back in the day. After a line of owners, the castle was sold to the late Queens Mother back in 1952. It’s now in the hands of the Castle of Mey Trust and open to the public!
John O’Groats Signpost
One of the most iconic stops on this NC500 itinerary is the famous John O’Groats Signpost. John O’Groats itself is very touristy now with paid parking and lots of souvenir shops. There are some nice cafes and places to grab some food if you’re feeling hungry.
The John O’Groats Signpost marks ‘Journey’s End’ and is the sign of accomplishment for travellers cycling from top to bottom of the UK.
➤ Here’s our Scottish Highlands Bucket List where you can explore the best things to do!
Did you know? The NC500 name was only created in 2015! Since then, tourism has been increasing every year and it’s one of the best road trips in the UK.
Duncansby Head
Only 10 minutes round the corner is Duncansby Head Lighthouse, built in 1924, standing on the east coast cliffs of Scotland. It’s also possible to see puffins here, but we didn’t see any at the time. The Lighthouse car park is the main car park for also visiting the unique Duncansby Stacks!
Duncansby Stacks are rocky formations bursting out of the ocean. They’re really cool to see and although you can see them from the car park, it’s worth the walk down to see them closer.
Castle Sinclair Girnigoe
We tried to visit Ackergill Tower but discovered it’s a private estate after trying to find the correct road. It looks awesome from the road though, like Tower of Terror.
Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is another crumbled castle in the Scottish Highlands! Some of the areas around the castle are blocked off, but it’s still worth exploring if you have time!
Whaligoe Steps
The Whaligoe Steps are stone steps leading down to the ocean and was used as a small fishing harbour back in the day. There’s a total of 365 steps and it’s a pretty steep incline, although they are well maintained.
The cliffside views alone make this stop worth visiting during your North Coast 500 itinerary!
Dornoch
After a 1 hour and 20 minutes drive from Whaligoe Steps, we reached Dornoch where we stayed for the night. You might notice we skipped Dunrobin Castle & Gardens, but don’t worry, we’ll go back for it in the morning! Instead of wild camping, we chose to stay at Dornoch campsite for the night which meant we had to double back.
This might be the case for you, depending on where you stay. Dornoch is a very charming town with a beautiful beach! We recommend visiting Dornoch, even if you aren’t spending the night.
- Paid Camping Spot: Dornoch Campsite (we stayed here one night, photo below)!
- Hotel: Strathview Lodge (looks so beautiful)!
Day 6 – Dornoch – Inverness
Total Driving Time: 2.5 hours
Dunrobin Castle & Gardens
Start your morning with a visit to one of the most famous castles on the NC 500, Dunrobin Castle. You’ll have to drive 25 minutes from Dornoch to reach the castle, and it’s best to get here early before it gets too busy. We arrived for opening time and it was still pretty busy.
Dunrobin Castle is one of the UK’s oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the 1300s. The rooms inside have been very well preserved and it was really interesting to walk around.
One of the staff said to us ‘The castle is still standing because the family or army were so good at defending and fighting’. I’d never really thought about it like that! A visit inside the castle and gardens is £14.50, but it was the only castle on our NC500 trip that we chose to visit!
➤ Here’s our travel guide on how to explore Edinburgh in 3 days!
Golspie Burn Waterfall & Gorge
The Golspie Burn Waterfall trail takes about 1 hour with some stops for views. There’s multiple falls throughout the forest trail and it’s a lovely way to spend the morning. Plus it’s only 5 minute drive away from the castle!
Tarbat Ness Lighthouse
The next stop is a little off-route from the North Coast 500, so if you don’t have time, this is the one to skip. It will add an extra hour of driving time compared to heading straight to the next point.
If you do want to visit, you’ll be greeted with a beautiful red and white striped lighthouse at the most Easterly point in Easter Ross! It’s also Scotland’s third-tallest lighthouse!
Chanonry Point
Another one of our favourite stops during our NC500 itinerary was Chanonry Point because we saw dolphins! As we driving to Inverness, Dan was searching for free camping spots to sleep and we came across Chanonry Point by chance! You can’t actually free camp here though.
The best time of day to see the dolphins is when the tide is coming in as they like to play around the water. For us, this time ended up being 9pm! So we spent the evening watching the dolphins, seals and waterbirds! You can’t miss this spot on your trip!
- Paid Camping Spot: Fortrose Bay Campsite
- Hotel: Kingsmills Hotel (Inverness)
Day 7 – Inverness
Total Driving Time: 1.5 hours
The last day of your North Coast itinerary will be spent exploring Inverness, Loch Ness and the surrounding area!
Urquhart Castle
Start your morning with a visit to Urquhart Castle just south of Inverness. It costs £14.50 (or £13 online) to enter the castle, which is the going rate for castles in Scotland.
Urquhart Castle was once one of the biggest castles in Scotland! It was sadly blown up after multiple ownerships and struggles through war. So the castle is in ruins and you can still explore the crumbled interiors of each of the buildings!
You’ll also find amazing views of Loch Ness from here, plus boat cruises from the Clansman Harbour. Book your boat trip here!
Dores Beach
We stopped at Dores Beach to admire the famous Loch Ness and the scenery is amazing! It will take about 30 minutes to reach the beach from Urquhart Castle.
If you’ve already gotten your Loch Ness satisfaction from the castle grounds, feel free to skip this spot and head straight to Inverness!
Inverness
After spending a whole week looping around the north of Scotland, we finally made it back to Inverness. Now it’s time to explore it! If you’re renting a car for this trip, you can now hand it back and explore the city by foot or bus.
We parked in the leisure centre in the south and walked into the city centre for the day. The city is quite small compared to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and you’ll only need half a day to soak up the best things to do in Inverness.
If you have an extra day in Inverness, take a day trip to explore more Scottish nature. Visit the Isle of Skye in one day by guided tour or take a trip to Cairngorms National Park with a whisky tour.
Inverness Botanic Gardens
The botanical gardens are opposite the leisure centre (where we parked) so it made sense for us to visit! The gardens are full of cacti, koi ponds and a variety of plants! We loved it! Plus, the gardens are free!
Ness Islands
The River Ness runs from Inverness all the way down to Loch Ness and along the way you’ll find the adorable Ness Islands. There’s five small islands and you can access two of them by bridge to cross the river. They were one of our favourite parts about Inverness!
The Ness Islands are a 30-minute walk from the city centre, but the walk is along the river, which is lovely!
Leakey’s Bookshop
Our next stop was the famous Leakey’s Bookshop, the largest secondhand bookshop in Scotland. It’s been running since 1979 and you’ll find so many historic books, prints and maps inside. Although we didn’t need to buy anything, the bookstore is worth a visit!
The Victorian Market
Once we reached the city centre we started browsing around all the shops and tried to find somewhere to eat! The Victorian Market is the place to go! This arcade is full of eateries and shops, and it’s not hard to find something to eat.
They even have a vegan stall called Salt’N’Fire serving up international street food. We also recommend Culture (Cafe & Deli) for a vegan meal out in Inverness, outside of the Victorian Market.
Inverness Castle
Inverness Castle sits high on the cliffs near the River Ness in Inverness. When we visited the castle was under construction so we didn’t check it out. But, after looking at Google reviews, you should be able to see the front through the fences!
Join a whisky-tasting tour in Inverness at Speyside!
That’s the end of our North Coast 500 route! This itinerary is based on our experience and if you have more than 7 days doing this route, we would just add more hikes to this list! We’ve also shared more tips below!
Where to stay in the Scottish Highlands
We’ve added a suggestion on where to stay after each day on our itinerary. As we were car camping our way through the NC500, we didn’t stay in any hotels. This helped keep our budget lower and we didn’t book anything in advance.
Wild camping is legal in Scotland (it isn’t very welcome in England) and as long as you respect the surroundings, it’s okay to park in laybys out of the way.
If you’re doing a road trip around the North Coast 500 and you want to stay in guesthouses or hotels along the way – we recommend booking in advance! Places book up really fast, especially during the peak summer months.
We’ve seen everything from boutique camping pods to guesthouses that look like mini-mansions. Booking.com and Hostelworld are our go-to’s when travelling around the UK, so you can explore our recommended spots on there or find your own!
Campsites can also fill up fast, especially in the summer months. We managed to get walk-in spots when we visited in June. However, we did get turned away at a few places on the Isle of Skye.
➤ Find more places to stay in the Scottish Highlands!
Budget for our North Coast 500 Itinerary
The UK isn’t known as a cheap destination to visit and that includes Scotland too!
Before we bought our Berlingo, we looked at the price for renting a campervan for 2 weeks and the prices ranged from £1200 +. So for a 7 day NC500 itinerary, you may spend up to £600 on a campervan for the week! This is a huge cost, but one of the best ways to travel the Highlands.
If accommodation averages out at £420-£500 and you can rent a car for £300, you may be looking at spending £800 on rental and accommodation.
- Guesthouses: from £70 per night
- Campsites: from £22 (no electric) or £35 (electric)
- Restaurants: from £15
- Cafes: £3-4 for a coffee or a cake & £7-10 for lunch.
- Castles: £15
Our NC500 Travel Costs
We made the mistake of not jotting down our costs whilst spending 3 months travelling across Canada and it’s one of our most asked questions! So for this trip we roughly tracked how much we spent during our 7 days driving the NC500, so now we can share them with you!
So as we already own our car (which we are keeping for the summer and will sell again) and we already live in the UK, our travel costs were much lower than renting and arriving in the UK.
| Restaurants | Groceries | Petrol | Campsites | Parking | Showers | Bristol to Scotland |
| £43.34 | £59.82 | £88.88 | £24.00 | £3.00 | £6 | £75 each way |
This means we spent £225 on the basics and a total of £374 if we include our travel costs getting to Scotland. We slept in our car, cooked most of our meals and tried not to pay for parking where possible.
We stayed at a campsite on the Isle of Skye right before our NC500 itinerary and we stayed at a campsite in Dornoch at the end of our route. These stops were perfect for doing laundry, showering and refilling our water. We managed to find paid showers along the way.
To make your 7 day North Coast 500 trip budget-friendly consider travelling off-peak, book accommodation in advance and cook your own food as much as possible.
Check for any public holidays on your date of visit. This will affect your budget too!
Driving the North Coast 500
A road trip around the NC500 is a bucket list adventure in Scotland! We still can’t believe we’ve done it.
If you’re new at driving, the Scottish roads may be a little difficult at first. We came across single-track roads, sharp bends, animals darting around and even a few potholes on laybys. Generally, most of the North Coast 500 roads are in good condition, but some car parks and laybys are not.
We found ‘Passing Places’ all over the Scottish Highlands – and we needed them! There’s many single track roads that are only big enough for one car at a time. The rule of the road is to wait in a passing place if you see a car coming or if there’s a car wanting to overtake.
The Applecross area of the North Coast 500 is the most difficult (and steepest) road you’ll find on the whole journey. It wasn’t too bad for us in our Berlingo, but motorhomes and caravans are not really permitted on these roads.
Just keep in mind, that Scotland looks huge but the roads are not. American-sized motorhomes and RVs are too big for most of the roads and most of the time we were glad we just had a car.
How long does it take to drive the North Coast 500?
The short answer is the North Coast 500 takes around 9 hours to drive without stopping, but what’s the fun in that? We recommend spending at least 5 to 7 days exploring the lovely stretch of 500 miles.
Best Time to the Scottish Highlands
The best time to visit the Scottish Highlands is between April to October. However, the bugs during summer can be a pain!
Summer – The summertime in the UK usually has the best weather of the year with long days and warmer weather, but in the Scottish Highlands, the mosquitos, and midges thrive in the warmth. They are everywhere in Scotland, especially in the mornings and evenings.
Spring & Autumn – We visited at the end of Spring in June and the bugs already started to come out. Generally, we recommend visiting the Scottish Highlands in Spring or Autumn if you want to enjoy warmer weather and avoid big midge swarms.
Winter – Two years before our NC500 trip we explored the lower lands of Scotland in December and it was magical. The quiet season is so underrated with dark starry nights, snow-topped mountains and fewer crowds. But, short days come with less exploring and it can make an NC500 itinerary a little harder.
The weather in the Highlands changes quickly, so be prepared for anything and bring the right gear (including bug spray and sun cream!
How to get to the Scottish Highlands
Flight – Inverness is the best airport to fly into to start your North Coast itinerary, but Edinburgh and Glasgow are also good options if you’re happy with an extra journey. Check prices on Skyscanner.
Train – There are multiple stations all over the Highlands, which means you can explore the region by train, but it doesn’t give you much freedom. Check ScotRail for routes.
Bus – CityLink has many routes covered in the Highlands if you need to start your trip somewhere specific. You can also use Megabus, National Express and Flixbus to get to Inverness or other major cities.
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