NC500 Pocket Map: Plan your adventure on Scotland’s North Coast 500 route official map

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A few years ago I bought the Lonely Planet book “Epic Drives of the World”. One of the drives was a trip from Applecross to Portree. We made a road trip out of it (Edinburgh-Inverness-Applecross-Portree-Bunarkaig-Glasgow-Edinburgh) and had an amazing time during our first stay in Scotland. The Quiraing Walk being our absolute highlight. It was during this trip we learned about the NC 500 and were sold on the idea. Anyway, hope that helps, and just let us know if you have any questions as you plan your trip to Scotland for next September! We would like to make the most of the NC500, and eventually spend 2~3 nights at your recommended Castle Hotels that might be in our way; Melvich Beach– one of the north coast’s most stunning beaches, just a short walk from the road to Melvich Beach.

For a longer coastal walk you might consider the Dunnet Bay coastal hike within the Dunnet Bay Nature Reserve which is a little over 10 miles. For this hike, anywhere between John o’Groats and Thurso would be a convenient place to overnight nearby. Of course, getting a little lost is just part of the journey! Which Direction Should I Drive the North Coast 500? I know it’s a tough task, but being such an important event for us, we would REALLY love to get the most of our trip, especially because we live in a place where castles are nowhere to be found (Chicago, US)… Your tales got us all excited for the NC500 and We plan on taking the route from Inverness. Could you please recommend a route? considering the actual driving days will be 5 (Fully aware that is no way enough but would still like to make the most of these days). I would like to place Isle of Skye in this route somewhere. Many of the indoor and paid attractions (museums, castles, guided tours, gardens) along the route do not allow pets. If you are traveling with a partner or group, you may want to take turns spending time with your dog and one going inside.

Corrieshalloch Gorge– through which the River Droma falls through a series of waterfalls, including the huge 45 m Falls of Measach. Don’t be scared! If you want to stop, find a safe place to pull off in a designated parking space or lot. Pulling over onto the side of the road or into a field can be unsafe, lead to damage to the fragile environment, cause erosion, and mar someone’s private property. Bealach Na Ba & RVs The North Coast 500 starts in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands. Home to over 45,000 people, there are plenty of things to waylay you in Inverness before you start your journey around the North Coast 500! My concern is do my stops on the west coast give us sufficient time to do that? we do intend to take the scenic route to Lochinver.

If you are arriving elsewhere in Scotland or the UK, you’ll have additional options such as Rent a Motorcycle in Edinburgh. Renting a Campervan and Camping Gear Evanton Woods – There is a very nice woodland playground here developed by the local community in Evanton. It is about a 10 minute walk from the parking area across from the free parking area across from the pub in Evanton. The Bealach Na Ba stretch as it is steep, narrow, and has a number of sharp bends. This is on the southwestern part of the route over by Applecross. It is easy to avoid as you can take the slip road up to the A896 instead. Could you, yes, but you’ll just be driving most of the time and won’t really have time to enjoy much along the route. We’d recommend at least 3 days for the time between Ullapool and Inverness. We’ll also provide information about North Coast 500 tours you can book if you want to experience the NC500 without driving. Where Specifically Does the Route Start and End?Ullapool – a great wee town for an overnight stop on the NC500. Discover more things to do in Ullapool I would recommend starting with our 1 week North Coast 500 itinerary which will help you plan your days around the NC500, I’d recommend spending 7 to 10 days on that route but you can certainly spend more. If you do more than 7, you can just add additional nights to some of your stops so you have more time in some areas. This is especially a good idea if traveling with young kids. The popularity of the North Coast 500 has brought both benefits and negative consequences to this part of Scotland. Some of the negative side effects of increased tourism have been increased littering, overwhelmed local services during the summer, and more traffic accidents and complaints.

Loch Fleet – This national reserve is a nice spot and there are plenty of walking trails, many flat and easy. Good chance for spotting birds. The Skelbo Forest Walk is an easy and mostly shaded option and there are some woodcarved animals along the walk. We have driven Route 66, and we can say that there are a lot of differences between a historic route that spans over 2,400 miles and crosses 8 U.S. states and the North Coast 500. The NC500 is a mainly coastal route that goes through small villages and rural areas in a sparsely populated area of northern Scotland. It is easy to rent a car from Inverness Airport or downtown Inverness. Main rental car companies include Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Arnold Clark, Europcar, Hertz, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Focus Vehicle Rental. I’d recommend getting the smallest size vehicle you need and to be sure your rental is fully insured. A GPS unit can also be helpful for navigation. Enterprise are usually our favourite for car hire.Having said that, it would be great if you could provide us with some advice, considering the following:

Castles and long hikes are not on our itnerary but we love unplanned stops at secluded beaches, wooded paths along the way. The only planned activity i would like to do is the full day sea kayaking near Ullapool i read about above.There are plenty of petrol stations on the route. I suggest filling up regularly as the NC500 is quite remote in places. Petrol stations are marked on my NC500 map. Day 7: Return to Inverness and spend another night in your first B&B, or consider ending your trip with a good value castle stay. Kincraig Castle or Tulloch Castle are two options. Wow! What a terrific source of inspiration! Thank you SO much for taking the time and put it together! Get extra insurance. Our excess waiver this year (covering tyres) will cost us GBP 70. The tyre incident last time cost us GBP 128. So I think with just planning your route in advance and staying off the side roads, you should be fine with the motorhome you have. The route is definitely best explored with the smallest vehicle you have, but I think you can do it with the one you have with some good route planning.