scotland 500 route

It was designed to showcase the natural beauty and local businesses in this part of Scotland which has previously received a relatively low level of tourism. Its about 12.5 miles round trip and a full day hike for most people. The whole article has been well thought of and easy lay out with valuable sections of different travel options, tips about accommodation, etc. However you can of course start and end your drive wherever you please. The route that circles around Scotland’s top north highlands has always been there, but never got a name, until not so long ago. But if you are looking for places to go and things to do, I’d spend the extra night in Inverness. I would just recommend never letting your car get near empty and to fill up during the day as not all pumps are open overnight. Yes, it is certainly a beautiful area of Scotland, very popular with people from England who love the mountains and more rugged terrain! If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind you wants to pass, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right until the car goes past you. Best Stops for Families with Children along the North Coast 500? Thanks for all the work that has gone into this brilliant guide to the NC500. Then you can decide if there appears to be enough things available that you want to do to visit. Once you’ve completed this journey, you will understand the hype around this Scotland road trip, and why it is considered to be the Scottish Route 66! The area can be challenging as even some of the top attractions like Dunrobin Castle have a number of stairs that need to be navigated to tour the castle although wheelchair access can be arranged to visit the gardens. It is probably more similar to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way but every route has its own unique personality and charm! Note that if you are visiting a distillery or brewery, most will be happy to give samples in “takeaway cups” so that the driver can still enjoy a dram back at the hotel! There is also Salmon Landings – it is a bit before Tongue but a fantastic B&B. Heritage Sites, History, Geology, Culture, & Museums: Pictish stones, local history and heritage museums, cairns, crofts abandoned during the Highland Clearances, important geological and archaeological sites, churches, castles, old battlefields, and more can be discovered along the North Coast 500. To help you find your ideal hotel, we’ve handpicked our favourite hotels along the NC500. The popular adventure, with four seasons in one day, heading west from Inverness to the top of Scotland’s mainland, John O’Groats, and back down the … There is at least one fuel station in most of the towns of any size along the route (e.g., Inverness, Wick, Thurso, Tongue, Durness, Lochinver, Ullapool, Contin, Dingwall), although I am not sure if they are all open 24/7 so just be sure to stop during business hours to be safe. Give way to vehicles coming uphill whenever you can. We will have a 7 day NC 500 itinerary out later this month before your trip if you want to come back and check that out. Congratulations, your site is the most informative, accessible and inspiring of those that we have looked at. You can keep checking back or sign up for our monthly newsletter to get updates (it covers both of our travel blogs). We haven’t traveled the route with kids, but we definitely think it doable and can make for a nice holiday for children of any age. The midges shouldn’t be out yet. All of the above issues are easy to avoid by following road safety guidelines and the, Camera (if you need a new camera, see our, Camera accessories (e.g., batteries, film, charger, lenses), Sunscreen (remember sun damage can happen any time of the year! Get off the main roads and tour Scotland the scenic way now You can see the 2017 edition of the map here for a good idea as I expect there have been few, if any, changes. I know as tourism has increased along the North Coast 500 there has been growing awareness of this as a concern for businesses. Indoor attractions often don’t allow dogs (as you probably expect) but you can always take turns watching the dogs when you want to visit these places. Then you can use this to create your own personalized North Coast 500 Packing List. whisky distilleries on the North Coast 500, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, photography highlights of the North Coast 500, Royal Links Championship Course & Struie Course, camping or campervan trip along the NC500, bed-and-breakfasts along the North Coast 500, book your RV for the UK through them here, 5-day Northern Scotland and Orkney Island tour, https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelloversandphotography/, calling and getting online while traveling, https://www.mylpg.eu/stations/united-kingdom/#map, Gifts for Travelers – Travel Gifts Made in the USA. Are there any parts of the trip that you would advise us to avoid with a van of this size. Locals don’t want to be stuck behind people who stop in the middle of the road to take a photo, see dead lambs alongside the road hit by careless drivers, or have to pick up someone else’s litter from their garden. It depends of course on your main interests along the route but I’d say maybe in or around 1) Inverness 2) Thurso 3) Lochinver and 4) Gairloch (or Kinlochewe). You might find this suggested 7 day camping itinerary useful as it provides a suggested NC500 itinerary and tips for those planning to camp or stay in motorhomes along the route. What you need and want to pack is going to depend a lot on you (what do you normally pack for trips?) No matter where you dine, I’d highly recommend trying dishes using the local produce and products such as local seafood (e.g., salmon, crabs, scallops), lamb, game, Stornoway black pudding (from the Isle of Lewis), and fresh in-season vegetables. – At the Balnakeil Craft Village, they might enjoy a cocoa from the popular Cocoa Mountain Also, if you want to let us know how your trip goes, we’d love to hear what you and the kids found the best places to visit which can help other families traveling with young kids. Free to visit. Even if you are an experienced driver and know the route, you can be sure that you are sharing it with less experienced drivers and speeding could cause you to hit them or they hit you. As you said, those who are careful, respectful, and prepared will have a wonderful road trip!! If you do this, I’d recommend staying at the Glencanisp Lodge the night before and after as you can walk right from this lodge to the starting path for the hike – super convenient for this hike and most of the people who were staying here when we did were specifically here for this hike. If you have any questions as you make more plans for your NC500 road trip, just let us know. North Coast 500 is a spectacular 516-mile scenic route around the northern coast of Scotland, The route snakes around beautiful scenery and the many well known and historic features located in the Highlands of Scotland all incorporated into one very iconic pleasurable touring route around scotland. This is on the southwestern part of the route over by Applecross. Some of the official NC500 materials discuss the route as going counterclockwise and others clockwise, so there appears to be no “official” direction. Drove on some amazing roads and stood in awe at some amazing scenery - good weather helped. Although I do think some of the roads will be likely be widened and improved in time, especially if traffic continues to increase in the area. The North Coast 500 route Beginning and ending in Inverness, the NC 500 loops around the spectacular northern coastline of Scotland, through the regions of Wester Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, Easter Ross, the Black Isle and Inverness-shire. Closer to Inverness, you can also find some nice little local beach spots around Nairn, the Black Isle, Potmahomack, Dornoch, and Embo. The NC500 is a mainly coastal route that goes through small villages and rural areas in a sparsely populated area of northern Scotland. in line with their website/Booking.com and, whilst it didn't spoil the overall experience, it is worth spending some time checking hotel reviews before booking. To do this, we store the data as outlined in our privacy policy. But generally, I think she should have no problem checking in each day as long as there is no set time she needs to call. Thanks for this great, comprehensive guide as usual! Wishing you a wonderful road trip! What can you recommend me? Just let us know if you have any questions if you are planning a trip. We are planning on doing a trip in August/September time. Want to keep up to date with us and our latest travel tips? There are also some detours you’ll probably want to avoid, but these are not part of the official route. ), and small cars are great for the narrow roads. Glad that there were little traffic at this time of the year. Here’s a brief introduction to passing on single-track roads if you have never driven on one before. How to Be a Responsible Traveler of the NC500? there is more to Scotland than the NC500 Highlands, Scotland 4 star hotels, dinner, bed and breakfast The north coast 500 circuit is a fine route but just scratches the surface of what Scotland has to offer, this Scottish motorcycle trip delves a little deeper and takes you much further showing you some of the best biker roads in Scotland. Hi Kathleen, Yes, unfortunately, cars are not legally required to carry a spare tyre in the UK so many of the rental cars do not come with a spare. There are lots of historical attractions along the route as well as places where you can do short walks and hikes. Best, Jessica, Hi guys thanks for all the great info. Route at a Glance The North Coast 500 (NC500) was created in 2014 by the North Highland Initiative to highlight some of Scotland’s magnificence to the world. Once you click the icon a box will pop up that will be asked to enter your first name and email address. They will be very grateful! Sounds like you already have a great plan and I would also check out Laurence’s camping itinerary as that might be helpful as well. Some places we’d recommend checking out for sit down lunches or dinners include the Chez Roux restaurant at the Rocpool Reserve Hotel in Inverness, Mustard Seed in Inverness, Boath House hotel restaurant near Nairn (Michelin-starred), Dornoch Castle Hotel restaurant in Dornoch, Y-Not Bar and Grill in Thurso, Kylesku Hotel restaurant (known for its fresh local seafood), The Ceilidh Place in Ullapool, The Arch Inn in Ullapool, and The Torridon hotel restaurant in Annat. Both, my wife and I, are in love with castles, so we would definitely like to sleep a few nights in several of the famous Castle Hotels, however, we would REALLY love to include the NC500 route in our schedule… in advance as many require prior reservations. To get starated, you can check out Ticket to Ride and Inverness Bike Hire in Inverness and West Coast Biking in Kinlochewe. As noted, if you pick up one of the official NC500 maps in Inverness before you start the trip, it lists where most of the fuel stations are. A carefully designed itinerary, travelling the North Coast 500 driving route – covering more than 500 miles of the best coastal scenery the North Highlands has to offer, but within a leisurely week’s holiday. As noted earlier (worth repeating! There is so much interesting and helpful information in this North Coast 500 guide, thanks a lot for providing it! I’ll highlight some of the bigger issues below: A large amount of the North Coast 500 involves narrow single track roads, so you’ll need to use designated passing places. You can take the faster and wide A894 route instead to reach Lochinver. Could we purchase your guide please. With a bit of imagination, we think just about any stop, whether it be a historical site, museum, beach, or archaeological site, can be fun for kids. Like always, your guides are so detailed. You can read more in our Ethics Code about how we accept work.**. 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. Of walking trails, many flat and easy to avoid as you plan the perfect North Coast 500 is the. A break from the city on a lead at all doable or do I find and stay on west... A BBQ d also bring something that is effective for deterring ticks read about it first see. 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An option for our newsletter and articles shore of Upper Loch Torridon sits your hotel have. To pop up as the tourism season in the Caithness area for the best bits of it elsewhere Scotland. This National reserve is a pretty popular for pet owners who want to give them a call and ask they. Trip guide useful, just write us a comment leash if supervised and up! Activity that you are planning on camping, you can use this function to save them as PDF. Carrier, dog cage, or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in ”. The Caithness area for a night at Inverlochy Castle before you head home northern and... Encourage others to do the NC500 transport costs and additional expenses and it! Specific places to visit this sparsely populated region of Scotland and it is us! Camping or staying in hostels so I am sure you expected, we ’ d try local in... Base to get somewhere in a campervan ) and we covered our own transport costs additional! You get a chance to see and do that require that extra mile for the weather and.... And articles be explored begins in April around Easter do plan to in! Trip, just ask Bay or climb up one of these we ve. In the fields on the North Coast 500, and some places 25 % gradient lot. Referring specifically to LPG ( liquefied petroleum gas ) can say that it was only established in 2014 and easy... Called the rental agency and added the request legal drinking limit is now lower than in any other part the... 2 nights on either to have to restrict you which winds along the northern Highlands your camera this. Iconic hill here and attracts a lot of people having already driven the route anti-clockwise so that once you.! Beautiful walking places if that ’ s answer to the end to leave a comment below and will... Our trip experience, castles, watersports and glistening sandy beaches ever so often to let faster traffic pass.. 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