North Coast 500 The Road Trip of a Lifetime – NC500 Guide Book by Robbie Roams

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We have written a detailed planning guide for the North Coast 500, which we recommend reading as it contains a great deal of useful information. Note that many businesses don’t have street numbers in the Scottish Highlands but since the towns are so small, just keep an eye out once you are near and you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding them. Once you are in a town, any local person should be able to point you in the right direction if you do get lost.

We’d recommend reading this post in parallel with our North Coast 500 planning guide, to get all the information you need for your adventure. Have at least a tentative itinerary can also help you identify and fit in places you really want to see that have limited opening times (e.g., a museum or attraction only open 3 days a week or a restaurant only open on weekends for dinner). Getting down to the cave is via a series of steps, and it will likely take you around ten minutes from the car park. You can explore the cave mouth area and visit the waterfall via a wooden walkway (be careful as it can be slippery). If you want to explore further, you can do so via a guided cave tour, with information on that available here.Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve– At this nature reserve, kids have the chance to walk across a “scary” suspension bridge and there is also hiking trails. Just be careful to keep hold of young children. Most attractions (from the National Trust or Historic Scotland) close from October to Easter. Many of the grounds are still open. If you have time, we can recommend spending a day or two here at the start or end of your NC500 road trip. We have a guide to things to do in Inverness, as well as some suggested day trips from Inverness. Dornoch is a good place for a coffee or chocolate stop at the wonderful Cocoa Mountain Cafe. This started in Balnakeil, although that location sadly closed in 2022, so now you have to get your chocolate and coffee mix a bit earlier on in your journey in Dornoch.

It depends if you are camping or booking pubs and hotels. For hotels, B&Bs and camper vans the route is so popular many places are booked up a year in advance – so get planning! Coastline & Beaches:The route has coastline (and several beaches) along its western, northern, and eastern sections. Our favorite coastline in terms of views is probably the rugged western and northern sections. Our favorite beaches are around the northwest between Melvich and Sandwood Bay in the northwest, and then around Achmelvich Bay. We have a detailed planning guide for the North Coast 500, as well as a detailed list of reasons to drive the NC500 Of course, getting a little lost is just part of the journey! Which Direction Should I Drive the North Coast 500?

The busiest months are going to be the summer from June to August with some crowds in May and September. Festivals, special events (e.g., music concerts, bike races, car rallies), and holidays (e.g., Christmas, Hogmanay) also bring more people to the area. So avoiding these times of year can help but since they are also when there are the most daylight hours, most open attractions and lodging, and perhaps best chance of warm weather, chances are this is also when you plan to drive the route.

This itinerary assumes you’ll be driving the North Coast 500 in a car or motorbike, and staying in hotels or guesthouses along the way, and we have recommended some of our favourite accommodation options along the route for each night. Whenever you drive the route, Scotland’s NC500 will take you on an incredible road trip around Scotlandyou won’t ever forget…

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If you visit at the right time of year, this is a good spot to see salmon leaping as they journey up to their spawning grounds. Otherwise, it’s a lovely place to enjoy the waterfalls. The RSPB has several reserves around or near the NC500 that help protect the local wildlife. For seabird lovers, there are several spots along the route but I’d highly recommend the Dunnet Head Nature Reserve which is home to a number of species, depending on the season, including cormorants, puffins, razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, and fulmars.