Hoping to drive the North Coast 500 but a little overwhelmed by how to plan the route? In this post we share our in-depth guide to the best NC500 route and itinerary with tips on what to do, eat and where to stay along the way!
This post was fully updated in December 2023
In the lead up to your own North Coast 500 road trip, a large chunk of your time will spent working out just how to structure your itinerary and trying to answer key questions like...
Where to stay each night? What activities can't you miss? Are there any restaurants or distilleries along the way that you simply have to visit? Will you leave enough time for hikes and walks up Munros or to spot some wildlife? Are you being realistic in terms of daily driving times?
And we’ve got the answers for you!
However, with so much variety on offer up in the Highlands, we'd be lying if we told you there was one perfect way to structure your North Coast 500 trip in terms of nights in this place instead of that place, doing this so that you miss out on that, or telling you that you have to follow our own route down to the last mile and petrol stop. But, by providing you with an overview of our own eight-day summer NC500 route - along with some of the highlights we saw in each section and some of the things we’d have changed - we hope to give you a lot of help and ideas for designing your own perfect North Coast 500 itinerary.
Although we didn't manage to stop off and visit everything we hoped for on our eight-day roadtrip, we did see and do a great deal on the route which we can happily recommend to others, alongside our own valuable lessons learned about the realities of driving Scotland's answer to Route 66.
We will also leave you with the most important piece of advice before any roadtrip: there is no right route and no wrong route, there is only the North Coast 500 route that is best for you and your own adventure!
Let’s get started!
North Coast 500 Route Map
Before we share our specific route, we wanted to share a few essential things to know when it comes to planning any North Coast 500 route. We've gone into much more depth on some of these over on our cornerstone '23 Things To Know Before Driving the North Coast 500' post, so we won't bore you with too much repetition here:
1. The North Coast 500 is a defined 516-mile road trip route starting and ending in Inverness. It takes travellers along the coast and through beautiful valleys across six remote regions of the Scottish Highlands: Inverness-shire, Wester Ross, Easter Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, and the Black Isle. We’ve plotted it all out for you in the below map in blue (feel free to zoom in and click around - the red pins are where we stayed along the way).
This of course makes planning NC500 route a lot easier, because you just have to stick to this coastal trail.
2. You can go west from Inverness towards Applecross, or go east and north along the Black Isle. We chose to go west because we wanted to go straight to the landscapes and roads most closely associated with the Scottish Highlands - we personally highly recommend going the same way as us. However, if you are a nervous or first-time driver in the UK, it may be best to go east first so that you can ease yourself into the roads and driving conditions.
We have shared key information about the driving and road conditions in specific route sections in our day-by-day breakdown below.
3. The absolute minimum length of time we'd advise is five nights for the NC500. Ideally, you should have 7-10 days, but 2 weeks up here would be amazing, especially if you love the outdoors, isolation, the sea, and slow travel.
4. If following the same route as us, i.e. heading west first, then the direction of travel for your NC500 route will be Inverness > Muir of Ord > Applecross > Shieldaig + Torridon (via Kalnakill on the coast) > Kinlochewe > Gairloch > Ullapool > Loch Assynt > Stoer > Scourie > Durness > Tongue > Thurso > John O'Groats > Wick > Dornoch > Dingwall > Beauly > Inverness.
5. The reason it's important to know some of those place names in particular is because this is a coastal loop route, but it is not a single coastal road - and your GPS will not like that one bit! Indeed, at various points, it will try to put you back on yourself or via a quicker route because that's what GPS is for. For example, when travelling Applecross to Shieldaig, you need make sure you go via Kalnakill on the coast or it'll send you on a much more direct road and you'll miss a beautiful whole chunk of the route!
6. Aside from knowing the defined NC500 route map in advance (and not blindly following the GPS voice), when planning your specific itinerary, you should factor in both accommodation and activities. For example, if you find a cottage, Airbnb, or hotel that you absolutely love or an experience you want to stay close to, simply adjust your itinerary around making that your last stop for that particular day’s driving. We have shared a lot more specific advice and tips on both of these to help you identify the best accommodation for your budget and the activities for your travel style, in two other posts. Check them out after you read this one!
It's also essential to book your accommodation in advance once you've worked out your dates - otherwise you'll have to go back to the drawing board on certain aspects of your itinerary.
7. If you’re doing the North Coast 500 before or after the summer season, please factor in the shorter days and early nights; you don’t want to be driving sections of this trip in darkness.
8. Never, ever, underestimate the Highland Mile! 50 miles on these roads takes much longer than you may expect, especially once you factor in stops along the way.
9. Whatever your experience level, if you’re renting a car for the North Coast 500, we recommend that your this post - 9 Essential Car Rental Tips For Travellers - which will reduce your stress levels and is guaranteed to save you money on the insurance side.
Our Ultimate North Coast 500 Route
Day One | Arriving in Inverness
We drove from Aberdeen to Inverness, although it is possible to arrive by plane, bus or train.
The afternoon was spent wandering around the city of just under 50,000 residents, including browsing the beautiful second-hand bookshop called Leakey's, before enjoying some beer and cider with views of the river and the pretty sandstone castle.
A real highlight of the evening was visiting Hootananny's for an evening of live traditional Scottish music. The bar had a good mix of locals and tourists and the music and atmosphere got us both really excited for the forthcoming week in the Highlands.
Miles on the clock | 0
Where we stayed | A wee guest house called An Grianan Bed & Breakfast, but our top pick for a lovely hotel is The Glenmoriston Townhouse Hotel.
Tip | We recommend looking + booking your car via Rentalscar.com or AutoEurope to find the best deal for your dates.
Changes | Nope!
Plan // You’ll likely spend a night in Inverness at the beginning or the end, so get ready with our guide on the best things to do in Inverness.
Day Two | Inverness to Applecross
After a lovely cooked breakfast, we picked up our rental jeep (check out Rentalcars.com to find the best car deals in Inverness). A quick stop off at the Morrison's supermarket near the centre of town allowed us to stock up on essential snacks and drinks for the upcoming few days.
We knew the highlight of today's section would be the notorious Bealach na Bà road, however we wanted to start the route with open eyes and to drink in the first few hours of scenery. After a couple of arguments with the GPS insisting on sending us on the main road out of Inverness, instead of the more scenic way to Muir of Ord, we hit the sort of winding, single track countryside road which would become a common sight on the route.
The weather wasn't with us in the early part, with a blanket of mist restricting visibility, but we could already see that some of the landscapes were going to be unforgettable.
We stopped off at Rogie Falls before another break in the pretty village of Lochcarron to enjoy the emerging late afternoon sun and take in some of the views, before a quick photo opportunity in front of the famous red and blue sign at the foot of Bealach na Bà, which has the greatest ascent of any road in the UK.
It's a beautiful and challenging drive with hairpin bends and steep gradients. At the top, there is a small car park and viewing point, with the a cluster of islands visible in the distance. If you want a higher vantage point, there is also a small walk from the car park. The descent into the peninsula of Applecross, with the blues of the calm water, the sweeping greens of the landscapes and the setting sun, hinted that this was going to be a road trip to remember!
Departure & arrival | 12pm - 6.30pm
Miles on the clock | 89
Where we stayed | Hartfield House Hostel in Applecross, but if you’d prefer a guest house be sure to check out Clachan Manse B&B.
Road type | Most stretches of road on this section are single-track, narrow country lanes and the Bealach na Bà is a particularly challenging drive (caravans, campervans and learner drivers are advised to avoid it in fact).
Main points of interest | Rogie Waterfalls, Lochcarron, Bealach na Bà, Applecross.
Changes | An earlier start from Inverness would have been sensible and given us more time to linger in certain parts.
Day Three | Applecross to Loch Assynt
There were a number of miles ahead of us on Day Three so an early-ish start was required. After photographing some gorgeous 'Heilan Coos' near our hostel and spying some wild deer in another field, we hit the open road towards Torridon.
We chanced upon the prettiest little house by the water, drove past fields of sheep and had regular stop-offs to enjoy the views which just got better at every turn. We then visited the Torridon Countryside Centre to say hello to the packs of friendly red deer and continue through stunning valleys and hill-ranges (lots of hillwalkers were out here taking on the ascents) towards the picturesque Gairloch harbour. We grabbed a much-needed takeaway coffee at Coast Coffee Company and enjoyed it overlooking one of the village's pretty beaches.
From there, it was a memorable drive alongside Loch Ewe until we reached Gruinard Bay to enjoy some of the Saturday sunshine. It was about 24 degrees at this point, with not a cloud in the sky, and the beach was simply amazing.
As the day was catching up with us, we did our best to refrain from more spontaneous stops along the rest of the route (this is actually quite difficult!) until we made it to Corrieshalloch Gorge (there's also an incredible view over a lush green valley just before you reach it).
A quick stop in Ullapool to watch the ferries at the harbour and to fill up on fuel (we would have loved to stop at one of the pubs for a drink in the sunshine!) and we kept on going through lovely scenery all the ways up to Loch Assynt. There, we stopped to take some photos of the beautiful ruins of Ardvreck Castle on Loch Assynt (which are supposedly haunted) before finally making it to our accommodation for the evening.
Our host at Ruddyglow, Patricia, thankfully managed to secure us a reservation for dinner in Kylesku at short notice (this was a Saturday and most places were fully booked) and, after that, we enjoyed the sunset over the loch with a cool and refreshing G&T. A long long day, but excellent roadtrippin'!
Departure & arrival | 9.30am - 7.00pm
Miles on the clock | 241
Where we stayed | Ruddyglow Park B&B, Loch Assynt. Unfortunately, this delightful B&B is now permanently closed but a great alternative is Inver Lodge Hotel.
We’ve shared other great alternatives in Loch Assynt and the surrounding areas in our NC500 Accommodation post.
Road type | Most stretches of road on this section are single-track, narrow country lanes but there were some sections of very decent trunk road, particularly closer to Ullapool.
Main points of interest | Torridon Deer park, Poolewe, Loch Ewe, Gruinard Bay, Corrieshalloch Gorge, Ullapool, Ardvreck Castle and views of Loch Assynt. There are also lots of walking opportunities in this section.
Changes | We should have split this section of the route into two days, rather than travelling from Applecross to Loch Assynt. It’s a beautiful part with many potential stops and activities along the way, and extending it out would have allowed us to go make the most of them.
Our suggestion would be to look at spending the night at Badachro, Gairloch, Poolewe, Aultbea, before continuing onto the Assynt area, or to spend the night in and around Ullapool further along the route.
Day Four | Loch Assynt to Tongue
Now, this is the day where our route is a little different to the standard. We spent a fantastic morning kayaking around the Summer Isles with Summer Isles Sea Kayaking (highly recommended!) but as our meeting place that particular day was near Achiltibuie, which is an hour or so off the NC500. That detour meant that we didn't get back onto the official route until 2.30 p.m.
With time catching up with us, it meant we had to rush through quite a lot of the scenery which was actually the most beautiful we saw on the route so that we could make it to our final destination by a reasonable time that night to check-in and find food.
Outside of Lochinver, you'll find two of the best beaches the UK has to offer - Achmelvich and Clachtoll - and these definitely have to be on your itinerary! When planning for this section however, do be aware that roads from Lochinver to Kylesku are some of the most challenging that we faced on the entire route. Tight and narrow with numerous blind summits and corners, you'll need to be very cautious on these and, although the mileage count will be low, they will take you much longer than you think to pass through safely.
However, once we crossed the iconic Kylesku Bridge, it was good, quick, double-sided road through to Scourie Bay and a little beyond until a return to single track roads (with lots of sheepies) leading towards Durness. After popping in for a quick visit to Cocoa Mountain (nice hot chocolate and truffles), we pushed on towards the pretty village of Tongue 29 miles further down the road in order to make sure we could make our reservation at the highly recommended restaurant at the Tongue Hotel. We did however have to miss the Smoo Caves because of the delays along the way!
Departure & arrival | 2.30 p.m - 7.30 p.m, but we actually started super early to go and spend the day kayaking.
Miles on the clock | 346 (note that we have deducted the extra mileage to go kayaking from our totals)
Where we stayed | Rhian Guest House, Tongue. This guest house is now closed due to the owners having a well earned retirement.
Other good alternatives are Borgie Lodge Hotel and the Tongue Hotel, however you can find other options in Tongue and the surrounding area for various budgets and travel styles in our NC500 Accommodation post.
Road type | As we said above, the roads from Lochinver to Kylesku are a challenge - make sure you drive with adequate caution and make good use of the passing places. After Kylesku, you've got some lovely tarmac to eat up before a return to single-track country roads nearer Durness and towards Tongue.
Main points of interest | Beaches at Achmelvich and Clachtoll, a number of signposted viewpoints, Kylesku Bridge overlooking the water, Sandwood bay and other beaches in and around Durness, the Smoo Caves and Cocoa Mountain in Durness, the view over the Kyle of Tongue at sunset with the Castle Varrich ruins, the village of Tongue.
Changes | Definitely. This section of the route has some truly wonderful scenery and sights - just make sure you leave yourself more time to enjoy it all than we had! There was simply too much driving involved across too many miles, and it should have been spread out over 2-3 nights.
If we were on the NC500 for 7-10 days in summer, then we’d ensure that we had a day or night staying by and exploring the amazing beaches in the north-west section. After that, both Durness and Tongue on the north coast are very sensible ‘basetowns’ to stay at for a minimum of two nights to explore that northern stretch and do some walking.
Day Five | Tongue to John O'Groats
After a hectic day yesterday driving over 170 miles in the sunshine, we gave ourselves a well-earned lie-in before setting off to John O'Groats. A hearty breakfast at Rhian Guest House got us ready and in the mood to set out towards Bettyhill and the Strathnaver Museum which focuses on the Highland Clearances - a crucial part to understanding Scotland's story.
Following this, we had spontaneous stops at a cluster of gorgeous and empty beaches - Farr Bay, Strathy Bay and a wee picnic in Melvich. The sun was shining, the water a lovely blue and, once we found a sheltered spot away from the wind, we couldn't have asked for anything better. We also met another lovely bunch of Highland Cows on the way to Strathy Point.
Onward past the Dounreay Nuclear Facility and through Scrabster and the tiny town of Thurso, via a petrol station stop, we took in the dunes at the impressive Dunnet Bay. Next on the list was our much-anticipated tour at Dunnet Bay Distillery - founded and run by a husband and wife team who are creating excellent artisan gin and vodka
There are actually several excellent distilleries and breweries to visit on this road trip - find out more in this post.
After a responsible tasting, we took the road off the route up to the lighthouse at Dunnet Head - the most northerly point of the UK! With the wind blowing a gale but clear skies all around, we could see the Orkney Isles across the water and watch the birds in the cliffs before we drove the last leg of today's section and made it to the iconic John O'Groats!
At this time of year (we travelled in June), the sun doesn't set until 10.30pm or later, so we made the most of the epic views from our deck at the excellent Natural Retreats with a glass of wine and the feeling that moments like these are exactly what we travel for.
Departure & arrival | 10.30am - 6.30pm
Miles on the clock | 428
Where we stayed | The fantastic Natural Retreats in John O'Groats - hands down some of the best accommodation we've ever stayed in.
Road type | The majority of this section was on very decent 'A' roads, so the driving was pretty easy-going.
Main points of interest | Strathnaver Museum, Farr Bay, Strathy Bay, Melvich Beach, Dunnet Bay, tour at Dunnet Bay Distillery, Dunnet Head, Castle of Mey, John O'Groats signpost!
Changes | Nope. This was a sensible and enjoyable amount of driving, leaving us plenty of time to enjoy sights and stops along the way.
Day Six | John O'Groats to Dornoch
Our itinerary left us with fewer miles to cover on the last two days, so we were - theoretically - planning to go at a very leisurely place in Caithness. However, never underestimate how quickly the time passes whilst you're driving the North Coast 500; it'll be 5pm before you even know it!
After taking some pictures in John O'Groats, we drove the short distance to Duncansby Head where we were hoping to catch a glimpse of some puffins. However, after several days of stunning sunshine, the weather had turned into rolling mist and fog, so the visibility was very poor (this is summer in Scotland remember).
A walk through a field of sheep took us towards the photogenic Duncansby Stacks but unfortunately they were completely obscured - next time eh?
The short drive to Wick, with a detour to the Castle Sinclair Girnigoe ruins, took us to a short tour around the Old Pulteney Distillery and photo opportunity at the underwhelming 'shortest street in the world'.
We drove past the entrance to the turn-off to the Whaligoe Steps before we actually found it - and we're glad we did as they're definitely worth a quick visit. Really unique and atmospheric.
Back in the car, we continued on to walk around the gardens of the incredible fairytale-esque Dunrobin Castle before a wee stop off at a pub in Golspie. Then, it was only a few more miles until we reached Dornoch - the prettiest town we saw on the entire North Coast 500 route.
Departure & arrival | 10am - 5pm
Miles on the clock | 530 - as you can see, we'd already passed the official mileage of 516 miles by the end of this section. The main reasons being that a number of attractions require a little driving off the route, some driving within towns and doubling back on ourselves because we wanted to take photos.
Where we stayed | Dornoch Castle Hotel. Beautiful accommodation with an equally fantastic whisky bar!
Road type | The country roads have all been left back in the north as from here on in it's good quality trunk roads (however there are some wicked bends on the descent down to Dornoch).
Main points of interest | Duncansby Head and Stacks, Sinclair & Girnigoe ruins, Ackergill Tower, Old Pulteney Distillery, Whaligoe Steps, Grey Cairns of Camster, Dunrobin Castle, Dornoch Beach, the village of Dornoch and the Castle Whisky bar.
Changes | Nope. This was another day of sensible distances and enjoyable driving, with plenty time to do things along the way and arriving at accommodation with enough time to enjoy the evening with a wee dram.
Day Seven | Dornoch to Kincraig
We wanted to treat ourselves to a little bit of luxury with a stay at the wonderful Kincraig Castle Hotel, hence why we only went twenty or so miles down the road on this day - however we packed in some attractions from further along the route into today's section.
There are several excellent distilleries in the surrounding area, so we paid a visit to Glenmorangie in Tain for a tour and tasting (unfortunately for Andrew he was driving!) and spent a little time in the pretty town of Tain where it’s situated. A little detour to Shin Falls to watch the salmon leaping before trying to spot some dolphins the Cromarty Firth from Chanonry Point (however the timing didn't work out - try to make it there an hour after low tide to increase your chances). We also stopped in at Storehouse of Foulis for a coffee and to buy some of their delicious tablet (seriously, it's incredible!), but we unfortunately couldn't spot any seals from their lookout point.
In the late afternoon, we arrived at our castle for the evening, enjoyed a fantastic meal at their restaurant and, over a carefully selected whisky, looked back upon what had been a fantastic roadtrip in the Scottish Highlands.
Departure & arrival | 10.30 a.m - 5.30 p.m.
Miles on the clock | 553 miles (this is our mileage for the time driving the actual route - Inverness to Inverness. In total, with all our detours and diversions to spots off the main route, we actually clocked 739 miles on our Highlands roadtrip!)
Where we stayed | Kincraig Castle Hotel - a bit of a splurge but your opportunity to have a 'real Scottish castle experience'. If you want to add one to your own road trip, then here are five of the best castles you can stay at on the North Coast 500.
Road type | All good quality roads, but not as fun or picturesque as those elsewhere on the route.
Main points of interest | From Dornoch to Inverness, via Kincraig, there are several distilleries and breweries you can visit, whilst there are dolphin and seal spotting opportunities in Rosemarkie and Chanonry Point. Dornoch beach, afternoon tea at Kincraig Castle or a stop off at Storehouse of Foulis' farm shop stocking the best of Scottish food and drink are all excellent stop offs before you reach Inverness.
Changes | Most of you will not spend two night going from John O’Groats back to Inverness due to the short distances and high-quality roads (it’s just over 100 miles between the two). However, it really is worth spending a night or two in this section as it’s got some of the best hospitality and accommodation choices on the NC500 (not just the castles).
North Coast 500 Route Recommendations
So, what would we change about our North Coast 500 itinerary?
Well, we would definitely extend out our time and nights on the west and north-west sections, and take away one night from the east coast. We tried to cover too much ground on the latter across single-track roads, and that meant we didn’t have enough time to fully explore and savour some of the prettiest sections of the route there and further north.
We don’t have any major regrets, apart from missing the Smoo Caves, but hopefully sharing our own NC500 itinerary has provided you with ideas, information, and inspiration to plan your own based on your travel style and what you love.
To help other travellers, we would love if you could come back and share your own 5-day, 7-day or 2-week NC500 itineraries after your own road trip, so that our readers can learn from your lessons and experiences too!
Ready to rent? We recommend looking on Rentalcars.com to get the best prices + availability for your time in the Scottish Highlands.
where to next?
If you’re still in full on planning mode for your North Coast 500 itinerary, then we highly recommend you read three other posts:
Remember that it's absolutely essential to book your accommodation as soon as possible, especially if you're visiting in summer - and we have put a lot of work into carefully crafting and curating our North Coast 500 accommodation post to bring you personal recommendations on areas / hubs to stay, personal picks for the best accommodation for various budgets, and save you a lots of wasted time and stress researching everything from scratch.
