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

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Any detours you take, especially those on the west coast such as to the beautiful beaches of Achmelvich or Achiltibuie will also add time as these are slow roads. By doing this, you’ll be able to get out and about and explore on foot, rather than simply on wheels.

Turning south, you will then travel through the otherworldly mountain landscapes of Lochinver and Assyntand then drive along a coastline pepper-potted with incredible white sand beaches with turquoise blue seas toone of my favourite regions in Scotland, Wester Ross. In addition, some of the older properties on the route, especially the castle hotels, have very thick walls.Alternatively, you could allocate a day of driving each way from London, and then five days on the NC500 as per our itinerary, but I wouldn’t try to do Skye as well. This easy hill walk takes approximately two hours and the views from the top are now amongst my favourite in Scotland. Due to the current situation being seen across the UK with staffing issues largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some establishments are being forced to close unexpectedly for a day or two at a time.

Buchollie Castle– access is across a walkway with sheer 100m drops on each side – don’t try and visit in bad weather!If you decide to camp, we have a 7 day North Coast 500 camping itinerary, as well as a detailed guide to all the North Coast 500 campsites. You’ll find passing places frequently along single track roads; please ensure you know how to use these correctly. However, even doing the route in summer we found we could easily find camping spots – and change location dependent on the weather. From Dornoch it’s another 20 minutes drive north to one of the highlights of the day, the spectacular Dunrobin Castle. If you want to extend the route, you could do so from Inverness with the North East 250 driving route – see our 3 day NE250 itinerary for ideas.