If you follow our 7 day North Coast 500 itinerary, we provide a list of restaurants for dinner for each day along the route.

Achmelvich Beach– This is a really pretty beach and fairly protected by the bay so a good beach for families. The North Coast 500 is a circular route that begins and ends in the city of Inverness. Inverness is the largest city in the Scottish Highlands, and it has an airport, train station and bus station, making it easy to get here using a variety of transportation options. DrivingThe North Coast 500 is often called “Scotland’s version of Route 66”, especially by mainstream media. In some ways they are similar in that they are great routes for a road trip and both offer some great scenery and attractions along the way. Be very careful of potholes, certainly at the beginning and the end of passing places. They can be brutal. Summer Isles Hotel in Achiltibuie – I think they allow dogs in many of the rooms plus in the bar area (but not the restaurant) You can enhance your stay by staying at a castle hotel such as Kincraig Castle Hotel, Tulloch Castle Hotel, or Dornoch Castle Hotel which are all also along the eastern part of the route. Day 3: Tongue to Durness: Tigh Nan Ubhal (Tongue) or Hillside B&B (Durness). There is also Salmon Landings– it is a bit before Tongue but a fantastic B&B.

Just come prepared for the weather and don’t let it stop you from enjoying your trip! How Many Days Does it Take to Drive the North Coast 500? The official North Coast 500 map is no longer being printed (we believe printing ended in 2020) and the organization said it will not be printing any further printed maps (although a digital one is available on their app). This is a shame as it was a great map and very popular and was given out for free at theVisit Scotland Tourism Information Centres along the NC500. I’d recommend at least 3 nights to do the NC500 – 5 days is ideal. We have a NC500 hotel guide that has all the main castle hotels listed. Let us know if you have a specific question about any of them. We only have a camping itinerary up so far, but will have more NC500 itineraries up before your trip in Sept., if you want to sign up for our monthly newsletter to be alerted with our new articles. Staying in cozy bed-and-breakfasts, historical properties, and luxury castles was part of the experience we wanted on our North Coast 500 journey, and our lodging choices definitely added to the experience. 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.

Inverness

As noted, the two stretches of the road that are usually noted as unsuitable for larger caravans and motorhomes are: There is no way you can visit all the listed attraction Photos: ACE Adventures & Hideaways, Glascarnoch Dam by @Seanscourie, Puffin Time with Caithness SeaCoast (boat tours), Sands Caravan and Camping Park 5. Driving time!

Sorry for the delayed response but hope this is helpful as you being your North Coast 500 road trip tomorrow. Wishing you a wonderful trip! For the North Coast 500, wewould recommend that you start researching lodging options as soon as you know your dates. I would book at least 3 months in advance if possible. Staff at several of the busiest properties recommended to us that travelers should try to book 6 months in advance to guarantee a room as they had some dates fully booked 6 to 9 months in advance. But the North Coast 500 is designed for touring, sightseeing, and taking things slowly. The minimum number of days we’d recommend to drive the North Coast 500 is 5 days, but 7 to 10 days would be ideal. If you plan to speed around, you could do it with 3 full days and night, but we’d recommend more time. Now, six months is a pretty long time in advance so don’t worry if you just decided to drive the NC500 and it is 2 months away, you’ll still find plenty of places with availability, but start booking now. Just note that the most in-demand properties and the best value ones often get booked up well in advance. See our prior article for more information on where to stay along the NC500 which covers some of our favorite hotels and B&Bs along the route. If you are looking to drive the route during a quieter time of year, I’d consider April, early May, late September, or October, avoiding holidays, festivals, special events, and school breaks.

Dunnet Head & John O’Groats

For those wanting a private tour, you can arrange a private NC500 tour from Rabbie’s or other local tour companies.Most Scotland-based tour companies should be able to arrange a guided NC500 private tour to suit your needs although you will pay a lot more than you would if you did a group tour or a self-drive trip.Inverness is probably the most convenient place to start a NC500 tour, but tours can also be arranged to depart and return from Edinburgh, Glasgow, or Inverness. If you have less than 5 days, we recommend driving only a portion of the route or considering joining a guided tour. If you are considering a guided tour, we can recommend this 3 day tour from Rabbies, an Edinburgh-based tour company we have used several times. They will take care of the planning, ensure you see all the main highlights, and keep you safe on the road. What if I have more than 7 days to drive the NC500?

The highlights of the route for many people are the scenic views along the coast and the feeling of “being away” from it all for a while. Scenery includes rugged coastline, beaches, rural farmland, marshland, rivers, forest, lochs, and munros (Scottish mountains over 3,000 ft high). You’ll also have the opportunity to see local wildlife such as deer, squirrels, pine martens, birds of prey, seabirds, and sea mammals such as dolphins, whales and seals. 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. Pony trekking is possible at Red Point at the Gairloch Pony Trekking Centre. Need to book in advance. 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 Obviously, the best time to drive the North Coast 500 is the time you have available, and if you need to set out at a less than opportune time of the year, just be prepared and be flexible.Inverness Mobile Tyre Fitting are a local, family run company who supply, fit and repair tyres 24/7 using their mobile service, covering all of the North Coast 500, Highland, Strathspey and Moray-shire region. Be prepared before you head out on your journey and add their number to your phone – 07785295534! Golfing.Scotland is the home of golf and attracts golfers from around the world who want to play some of Scotland’s best known courses. For golfers, I’d recommend driving the route between Inverness and Dornoch, and also detouring a bit from the NC500 to the Nairn area. Head into spots that require some hiking such as Sandwood Bay or climb up one of the munros. The mountains are a great way to get away from the crowds. Photos: The Storehouse Restaurant & Farm Shop, Applecross Smokehouse, West Coast Delicatessen, Robertson’s the Larder 10. Be a safe driver