North Coast 500 road trip

The A836 on the North Coast 500 west of Bettyhill, Sutherland

Photo: Peter Moore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Distance
830 km (516 miles)
Country
Scotland
Difficulty
Moderate
Type of trip
Road trip

The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile loop round the far north of Scotland that starts and finishes at Inverness Castle. It was launched in 2015 and links up existing roads through Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Caithness, by way of Applecross, Ullapool, Durness, John o' Groats and Wick. You can go either way round. The official NC500 site says to allow at least five days, and seven or more if you can. Most people drive it in a car, campervan or motorbike; plenty of cyclists ride it as well. Don't plan your days on Google Maps alone, because single-track roads take longer than it says.

Much of the west and north coast is single-track road with passing places. The driver nearest a passing place pulls in. If it's on your left, pull into it; if it's on the right, stop opposite so the other driver can pull in. Use them to let traffic behind you past too, don't park in them, and don't drive in convoy, as many only fit one vehicle. Long stretches are unfenced, so expect sheep, cows, goats and deer on the road. Scotland's right to wild camp covers people on foot or bike, not campervans or motorhomes. You can rest overnight in a layby as long as you stay inside the vehicle, with no awning, table or cooking outside. Otherwise use campsites.

Highlights along the way

  1. Bealach na Bà: The single-track pass to Applecross climbs from sea level to 630 m in about 6 km, with gradients near 20% and tight hairpins, and it's often impassable in winter. The NC500 site asks anyone in a motorhome bigger than a standard VW T5 conversion, about 16 to 18 ft, to leave it out and take the A832, and to skip the B869 Drumbeg road for the A894. With a caravan on the back you're well over that length.
  2. Kylesku Bridge: This curved concrete bridge carries the A894 over the narrows in Sutherland. It opened in 1984, is 276 m long and replaced the ferry between Kylesku and Kylestrome.
  3. Smoo Cave: About 2 km east of Durness, a sea cave whose entrance, roughly 40 m wide and 15 m high, is said to be the largest in Britain. Boat trips run to the inner chamber in summer.
  4. Dunnet Head: The northernmost point of mainland Britain, 17 km (10.5 miles) west of John o' Groats on the single-track B855. On a clear day you can see Hoy and the Orkney Mainland across the Pentland Firth.
  5. Duncansby Head: Just north-east of John o' Groats, the most north-easterly point of mainland Britain. A minor road runs out to the lighthouse, the Stacks of Duncansby stand just offshore, and puffins nest on the cliffs in spring and summer.

Distance

516 miles (830 km), from Inverness Castle and back. That doesn't sound much for five days, but the official site puts the average free-flowing speed at 48 mph, and on single-track roads you'll often be well under that.

Best time to go

Most visitors come between May and September, when the days are long. Take midge repellent from June to September. The route is open all year, but some attractions close in winter, so check opening times, and the Bealach na Bà is often impassable then. The weather can turn quickly at any time of year.

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