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

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From exploring the interior of the route, to bagging a Munro; snorkelling, white water rafting, canoeing, hiking and camping expeditions; meditation retreats, creel fishing and gourmet foodie experiences; to pottery-making, whisky tasting, tracing your family tree, and even gold panning – there really is something for everyone along the North Coast 500. If you’ve driven any part of NC500, feel free to share any tips or advice you have from your own trip! As always, all questions and comments are welcome. Visit the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve– explore the woodlands, home to 350-year-old Scots Pines remnant of the ancient Caledonian forest. Beinn Eighe is a Unesco Biosphere, covering 500,000ha meters of protected landscape. 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.

Further along the coast from the Castle of Mey you will come to the town of Dunnet. There’s a lovely beach here, as well as a fantastic gin distillery. If you a gin lover, it is very much worth stopping at the Dunnet Bay Distillery to take their tour and sample some of their gins (unless you are the driver of course!). The NC500 is not an actual single road or highway like Route 66 or the Pacific Coast Highway, but is a series of existing roads that form a loop around the northern Highlands. There are plenty of petrol stations on the route. I suggest filling up regularly as the NC500 is quite remote in places. Petrol stations are marked on my NC500 map. Photos: Wallis in Scourie & Estuary View in Brora, Sutherland from Morven by @Saoghal_fasach, RSPB Scotland Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve 4. When to visit?Waligoe Harbour– climb down 250 metres to the tiny Waligoe Harbour. Watch out for the weather – descending the 250 steps into sea haar can feel very spooky indeed. Short hikes– There are hiking trails all over the North Coast 500 and you’ll likely find many suitable for your kids. If you have babies or infants that need to be pushed in strollers, look for all-ability paths which are suitable for wheelchairs as they also work for prams.

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. This is a wonderful part of the world and we’d love for it to stay that way. If everyone does their bit, including things like being careful with litter, disposing of chemical toilets at official disposal points and driving carefully, it will hopefully remain wonderful for many generations to come. Since the NC500 is not a single road or highway like Route 66 or the Pacific Coast Highway, you won’t find it on a regular map and your GPS probably won’t know the route. So just to be clear, there is no actual road named North Coast 500 but it is a designated tourist route.Royal Hotel Ullapool– a 3-star 19th century hotel which is one of the largest and oldest in central Ullapool. Offers more amenities than many of the others and popular with families and groups

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? A short drive north of Dunrobin Castle is Carn Liath, or the Grey Cairn. There’s a small parking area just before the Cairn ( here on Google Maps), and it’s a 2 minute walk from here to the Cairn via a footpath. 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. In this first section we’ll try to answer the most common questions such as: what is the route, how many days do you need to drive the North Coast 500, when is the best time of year to drive the route, where should I stay along the NC500, how far ahead to starting booking, and other common questions.As noted earlier (worth repeating!), we’d recommended trying to book your lodging 3 months in advance (especially if you are thinking hotels, B&B’s or self-catering options) as the amount of lodging in some areas is currently not sufficient for the demand at the busiest times of the year. However, in recent years, they have added North Coast 500 brown tourist signs along the route to help people stay on the route. So it is much easier to follow the route now. The majority of visitors to the North Coast 500 take their trips between May and September. However, while summer brings longer days, lighter evenings and warmer temperatures, the autumn and winter seasons are becoming more popular – these colder months open up a magical world of different activities and experiences that can be enjoyed even when the temperature drops.