Have you heard about the North Coast 500? It’s the Scottish equivalent to the American Route 66. 500 miles around the north coast of Scotland from Inverness to Applecross, Gairloch and Durness to John o’Groats taking in some of Scotland’s most spectacular coastal scenery. It is a fantastic idea, I have no idea why no one has thought of it before! Can I get a ROAD TRIPPPPP?
North Coast 500 have fancy interactive maps, guides and now even an NC500 App, but thanks to all the lovely comments on this post I’ve been able to put together my own little guide. Click on the markers for more information.
What to do on the North Coast 500
Green – landscapes, views, lochs and things you have to see
Purple – things to do
Yellow – food & drink (and some places to stay)
As well as driving, mountain scenery and some of the best beaches in the world, the main focus of the NC500 is of course on Scotland’s wonderful food and drink, and being a bit of a beer obsessive and greedy foodie there are few rather excellent pubs along the route. Try the Plockton Hotel (the Wester Ross & Highland’s Camra pub of the year) and of course the famous Applecross Inn.
This summer we were lucky enough to complete part of the North Coast 500, you can view our trip & guide below:
How to get to the NC500 – Consider a night camping in the spectacular Glencoe and a visit to the famous Eilean Donan Castle
Don’t miss out on: a trip over the Sea to Skye (we loved staying at The Old Inn at Carbost)
Recommended stop in Wester Ross: Attadale Gardens
Drive the famous Bealach Na Bà road (I was petrified, just look at this film of the route) and stay in the lovely village of Applecross.
Top tip: make sure you don’t forget your ‘Smidge’ that’s for sure. Summer is beastie heaven in Scotland.
Let me know if you are planning your own North Coast 500!
Love from, Scotland x
If you’d like more info on the North Coast 500 visit:
w: northcoast500.com
t: twitter.com/NorthCoast500
f: facebook.com/northcoast500
Or keep scrolling down for a guide & lots of helpful comments if you fancy doing your own trip!
26 Comments
I LOVE SKYE. If I was going I’d head to Staffin Bay to see Mr Mac’s grandparents, climb up to the table at the Quairaing and probably go for food at the bay I cannot remember the name of, where there is a cracking pub at the harbour and picnic tables you can eat at outside looking out to sea.
But generally I am massively jealous of your trip. It sounds excellent.
20/03/2015 at 1:17 pmWe’re hopefully going to Skye next month and I can’t wait. I’ve never been and there’s so much I want to see there. We were actually also watching a programme about Applecross and that road last week as well and I think that Stephen is dying to go on it.x
21/03/2015 at 12:23 pmHa, I’ve just looked at the map of the North Coast 500 and if you change to west coast for Skye, Harris and Lewis, then it’s basically the same route my parents used to take us on every summer holiday in a motorcaravan when I was a teenager – I think we did it every year from about 1988 to 2000.
In Skye, there’s a great little fish and chip shop on the harbourside, a tiny little place, almost just a doorway but an incredibly tasty meal.
The Cocoa Mountain in Balnakeil, Durness is worth a visit, there’s a café but there’s also samples of free chocolate!
In Thurso, Caithness Horizons is a visitor centre all about the area but it also has a section dedicated to Dounreay Nuclear Power Station – which is strangely fascinating!
On Skye, do the Giant Angus MacAskill Musuem in Dunvegan and also opposite the museum is cake shop (Jan’s Cakes I think it was) with excellent slabs of homecooked bakes.
Smoo Cave up on the north coast is worth a visit and somewhere along the road between Tongue and Bettyhill we pulled up next to a newsagent/general store advertising ice creams and ended up with one of the best ice creams we’ve ever had – obviously my description of where it is isn’t exactly great but if you see one along that road, it might be worth pulling in
If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know
xx
22/03/2015 at 12:27 pmYou might want to check out Cups Tearoom at the harbour in Scrabster. They do picnics too for walkers/explorers
http://www.cups-scrabster.co.uk
23/03/2015 at 11:47 amThe Whistle Stop Cafe in Kinlochewe serves excellent food, well worth a visit. Gairloch Heritage Museum has a great collection. A walk up Flowerdale and at Big Sand beach. For a trip on the water – http://www.seawildlife.co.uk/. Bridge Cottage Cafe and Gallery in Poolewe is another great pit stop…Inverewe Garden, a drive up past Inverasdale to Cove …..
23/03/2015 at 11:55 amif you make it up to the most spectacular corner, our finest chocolates and the best hot chocolate in the whole wide world awaits! http://www.cocoamountain.co.uk
23/03/2015 at 12:07 pmHi there, if you’re into food come to lochinver, where we have six superb eateries, including the Roux brothers restaurant at inverlodge hotel and the Michelin starred albannach, not to mention the famous pie shop! Assynt also has the most stunning scenery, you’ll love it!
23/03/2015 at 1:07 pmHey Kate, I’m on authority that if you take your swimming costume, you can take a dip in the fairy pools! But as long it’s warm enough!
23/03/2015 at 3:49 pmLast summer we drove that part of Scotland, and I have to admitt we were so lucky with the weather.
We also spended more nights in Carbost, the Talisker distillery and the Old Inn (good food and order a Talisker Coffee!) are both great.
Just follow the road towards Glenbrittle, there is a sign on the road for the Fairy Pools (we didnt walk this)
We walked towards Talisker Bay, another smal road starting just behind the distillery till you have to park your car at a farm.
If you have good weather the road Belach Na Ba is a really great ride.
23/03/2015 at 4:05 pmBut the road from Applecross to Shieldaig and Torridon is absolutely amazing, especially the second part!
Then the area gets another view towards Kinlochewe. Don’t forget to go the A832 a couple of miles towards Achnasheen, to reach the amazing viewpoint over Loch Maree from there.
Gairloch has a couple of whalewatch operators and good food at the Myrtle Bank hoetel with a stunning view towards Skye an furtheron Harris
Then the road to the north to Poolewe with great views over Loch Ewe and furtheron Little Loch Broom.
After leaving the last loch, you come to bushland and then just before reaching the A835 theres a great viewpoint towards Loch Broom. From there you can drive to Inverness, a less more interesting road after the days before 😉
Do come and see us at Attadale Gardens, en route from Skye to Applecross…. For a change of scene, if you have time… Lots of sculpture, rhododendrons, blue poppies and lots of different gardens to see.
23/03/2015 at 9:12 pmI too would follow the A832 from Gairloch via Dundonnell. You have Inverewe gardens at Pollewe, Loch Ewe has the Arctic convoys museum, Seals are easily viewed on the rocks a couple of miles from Laide with great views across Gruinard bay to Assynt and the big mountains up north. Gruinard island which has had Sea Eagles (you may see them anywhere in Wester ross). Great views from high above Little loch Broom out to the summer Isles and across to Scorraig and inland to Dundonnell. Through Dundonnell and up to the Fain: goats and deer aplenty but may be high up the hills by summer, pine martens, red squirrels, otters lots of wildlife. Once over the Fain there is Corrieshalloch Gorge – a 200 feet deep box gorge managed by SNH with suspension bridge, viewing platform and enormously deep waterfall. You are then only 12 miles from Ullapool – well worth a visit. And Lael Crafts Gallery at Lael, Opposite Lael Forest garden is worth a visit and we’ll always put the kettle on. Just introduce yourselves. Then just 50 good road miles to Inverness over the high moors, big mountains, dams, Rogie falls past Garve.
Actaully there’s more than enough that you’ll miss in Wester Ross not to need to go to Skye.
24/03/2015 at 1:57 pmHello and thank you for posting this.
I too had plans to head up north this summer, which then crystallised around the NC500 when I first saw it. This post will certainly help and I’m looking forward to the follow up posts as you go around.
I’m thinking of heading up the A9 to Inverness, continuing on that road all the way to the top (part of the 500), then heading west to continue the loop. On the way back there’s a stretch of the West Highland Way that I’m hoping to fit in (near Inverarnan).
Let’s hope there’s enough wind to keep the midges away in August!
David.
10/04/2015 at 3:50 pmAs someone living in Inverness I can give a few local recommendations: If you want to do a boat trip then take one of the Jacobite Cruises down to Loch Ness. Walk down the river around the Ness Islands. Enjoy soup/salad, coffee and cake at Velocity cafe, and go to Leakeys (biggest secondhand bookshop in Scotland).
A little detour on the way to Inverness but well worth the trip is driving round the Black Isle (Cromarty-Fortrose) Cromarty is an artsy village with great pizzas at Sutor Creek and you can also spot dophins from Chanonry Point (tide permitting!). There’s also a brilliant restaurant called the Anderson in Fortrose, and both Cromarty and Black Isle breweries.
It’s great to read this post (and all the comments!) as we are going to Skye in summer, followed by 10 days doing the Calmac Hopscotch from Barra – Ullapool. Midges ahoy!!
05/05/2015 at 1:39 pmThanks Susan! Do you have any suggestions of where to stay around Inverness? (or in the city) looking for somewhere nice & quirky, not big & touristy.
05/05/2015 at 2:25 pmHi – I really enjoy your blog. I’ve just moved to Edinburgh for a short while (working) and has been very inspired from your posts on what to do. Next weekend we are doing a small roadtrip to Glencoe – can you recommend any particular good walking tracks and good places for breakfast/lunch and dinner in the area of Fort William?
08/05/2015 at 2:45 pmThanks in advance // Camilla
Hi Camilla!
I’ve put out a tweet asking for help, however, I’d recommend the walking site Walk Highlands – they have lots of walks (with photos and maps) around Glencoe –
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/glencoe.shtml
As for food – don’t miss the Clachaig Inn – https://www.clachaig.com/ – I’m looking forward to visting myself!
08/05/2015 at 2:59 pmWe did the NC500 last month, taking a leisurely 10 days to complete. Recommend Clachtoll Beach near Lochinver, Faraid Head walk from Durness, Cocoa Mountain for hot chocolate at Balnakiel Craft Village after the Faraid Head walk and the Old Pulteney distillery tour in Wick. Wish we had spent more time on the Westcoast too but we were so eager to reach the North coast! I’m quite envious, would love to go round again – maybe I will! Enjoy.
30/05/2015 at 9:49 pm[…] ruins’. Hard to argue with that. Other blogs to cover large parts of the route include those by Miss Smidge and Julie’s This International Life. An online search will provide plenty of mainstream media […]
23/08/2015 at 9:06 pmHi I wanted to do this trip so much . Is this trip recommended at this time of the year ?
08/01/2016 at 12:45 amIn Dec/Jan – it really depends on the weather. Some of the roads (Applecross for example) would be impassable in the snow. I suggest spring time or early summer is best. Thanks for popping by!
19/01/2016 at 2:26 pmBookmarked! And yes, when is the best time of year to do this? Assuming there is a best time. I’m thinking probably not in winter unless one has snow tyres!
19/01/2016 at 2:18 pmHi Jude! We did our trip in July, which was pretty good weather wise, but beware the midgies, we actually ended up cutting our trip short because of them
I suggest May or June, when the weather is getting better but before breeding season.
19/01/2016 at 2:25 pmMay June sounds perfect! My favourite time of the year. I do love a good road trip!
19/01/2016 at 2:28 pmHi. I want to do the NC500 this year on my motocycle would I have to pre book accommodation before setting off?
22/01/2016 at 4:52 pmThanks
Hi Bob!
It really depends if you are camping or booking pubs and hotels. We found we could easily find camping spots (and change nights dependent on the weather)
For some of the more remote places, such as staying at Applecross, I would recommend booking in advance. The Applecross Inn for example is great, but there isn’t much accommodation there, so if you are planning on staying for food and drink, i’d make an effort to book.
Temptation is here! http://www.lovefromscotland.co.uk/applecross-scotland/
23/01/2016 at 11:11 amOhh I would love to do that some day, what a great idea indeed 😀
I hope to visit Scotland soon!
By the way, your blog looks amazing, I love the look 😀
Thank you for linking up with #MondayEscapes.
27/01/2016 at 2:28 pm