Our Epic NC500 Road Trip
Our Epic NC500 Road Trip
The Best Of Scotland
Being in the planning for well over 12 months, expectations were high for this trip around the North coast of Scotland. It’s the first time we had visited the most northerly parts of the country so had spent a lot of time planning our route, stop overs and places to see.
Our journey took us over 1,000 miles in total, and we got to experience so much along the way, including waterfalls, lighthouses, lochs and caves to name a few, and of course the infamous Bealach na Ba pass to Applecross – spoiler alert – this was incredible!
The official NC500 route starts and ends in Inverness, so we took a couple of days to get up there – firstly from Wigan, we headed to South Queensferry, near to Edinburgh for our first stop. This is, of course where you will find the Forth rail bridge, and we also took a trip to Falkirk to see The Kelpies – monumental sculptures of two horses towering above the Forth and Clyde Canal. I was hoping for a nice sunset, but it didn’t quite happen.
The following morning, we spent a bit of time taking in the views of the three bridges that span the Firth of Forth, before we started the next leg of our journey up to Inverness which would be our next overnight stop before starting the NC500 proper. I have visited South Queensferry several years ago but would love to come back again to spend more time photographing the bridges as the rail bridge is such an iconic landmark and there are so many angles from which to capture it. We also had a brief stop in North Queensferry before heading north.
There are some great viewpoints to see the bridges on the north and south sides of the water but the one I wanted to visit in particular was in North Queensferry. There’s a small car park right under the bridge and the viewpoint is a short 5-minute walk from there.
We then began the 150 mile journey up to Inverness, which would be our next stop ahead of starting the NC500. We both enjoy doing Treasure Trails whenever we can and on this trip, we managed to squeeze in no less than 4! The first of which was in Inverness – oh, and we also had some delicious ice cream from Miele’s Gelateria – who knew Jammie Dodger ice cream was a thing…. After a good night’s sleep, we were ready to start the first leg of the NC500!
Day 1 – Inverness to Lybster
After filling up on fuel and supplies, we headed out of Inverness for our first stop of the day – Fairy Glen Falls. A nice easy walk through a wooded glen leading to two waterfalls.
The second stop of the day was to Tarbat Ness lighthouse – a striking lighthouse on the Tarbat Ness peninsula which has distinctive red and white banding on the main tower. I took the drone out for a spin to get some aerial shots and also found a great little viewpoint at the far end of the car park. We then drove to Dornoch where we had a spot of lunch and an ice cream…
Day 2 – Lybster to John O’ Groats
After saying goodbye to our lovely pod, we had a brief stop off at Lybster harbour before heading north along the coast road. Whaligoe steps was our next calling point – a long and winding flight of steps leading down to a small clearing. The journey down the steps was straightforward but coming back up took a lot of effort. Safe to say I was well and truly knackered by the time I got back to the car park but I am so glad I made the journey.
We stopped off in Wick to re-fuel and pick up some supplies before continuing north to visit Castle Sinclair. An old castle ruin on the cliff tops overlooking the sea. A short 5-10 minute walk from the car, the views out to sea were incredible and the remains of the castle very impressive. Unfortunately, access inside the ruins was not possible on the day we visited but there is also a small pebble beach where previous visitors, and now us, have left pebble stacks to mark their visit.
Our last stop for the day was John O’ Groats and of course a photo of the famous signpost…. We also did a Treasure Trail around the village before heading to our digs for the night.
Day 3 – John O’ Groats to Tongue
The next leg of our trip took us from John O’ Groats along the north coast of Scotland to Tongue. Before we started our journey west, we had a quick stop at Duncansby head lighthouse and sea stacks – although due to the morning fog, it was a bit of a failure and we couldn’t see the stacks so unfortunately did not get any pics…. En-route to Tongue, we stopped off for an hour in Thurso to get some supplies and have a look around the town.
One of the hidden gems along this stretch is Strathy Bay – just off the main road, up a very non-descript track there is a small parking area next to a cemetery. The path leads over the hill to reveal a beautiful golden sand beach with clear blue water and best of all, there was hardly a soul to be seen – it was like we had the place to ourselves. We spent an hour or so here, just taking in the views and having some lunch. I also got some footage on the drone flying high above the waves 🙂
We continued our journey to Tongue, stopping off on the huge causeway road across the water, before heading to our digs for the night.
Day 4 – Tongue to Durness
This is where our trip started to get even more epic – driving the relatively short distance to Durness, we had a brief stop at the viewpoint above the Neakie Lime Kilns and Loch Eriboll. One of the great things we discovered along this road trip is just how many things you can see literally from the roadside – this being one of them…..
In Durness, we stopped at the small car park near to Smoo Cave as there is laundry facilities there so used this as a chance to do some washing as it was kinda the halfway point of the trip. After sorting the clothes, we headed to check out Smoo cave – a popular place with a constant stream of visitors, we headed down the steps and over the wooden bridge into the cave. Nice and cool and a welcome respite from the sun. This is a huge cave with a waterfall, and I believe tours are available for a charge but we were happy just to explore on our own.
For lunch today we stopped off at Cheese and Toasted – a small van that serves the best cheese toasties! (The New Yorker was a hit with me!) We even got chatting to a couple who, as it turns on were also from Wigan – small world!
As we missed Coco Mountain in Dornoch, we called in to their shop just outside Durness and got our sugar fix before we went to explore Balnakeil beach – where we found a heard of cows casually enjoying an afternoon on the sand dunes. We also had a look at the ruins of Balnakeil church before we went to check in to Wild Orchid Guesthouse for the night – another place we highly recommend!
Day 5 – Durness to Ullapool
An early morning stroll down to Sango sands viewpoint in time for sunrise – despite this being one of the most popular camp sites on the whole route, the viewpoint was quiet and I had the place to myself to grab some photos before heading back to the hotel for breakfast.
We set off towards Ullapool – talking to the hotel owners before we departed, they told us the route just gets better as we head south, and wow how right they were. It was a sensory overload – the views just got more and more spectacular with huge mountains and hills around literally every corner. We had a stop off at the Kylesku bridge – one of the iconic landmarks of the NC500.
The plan was to also stop at the wailing widow waterfall but there was nowhere to park so we carried on and headed to Lochinver to try out the pies at Lochinver Larder. We the doubled back to see Ardveck Castle on Loch Assynt, before heading to Ullapool.
Another Airbnb booked for tonight, we stayed at Millview B&B – another lovely little place with a nice host and just a short walk down to the town for dinner.
Day 6 – Ullapool to Applecross
After another refuel in Ullapool our first stop of the day was the Falls of Measach – the suspension bridge over the gorge offers a great birds eye view of the falls and is only a short 10 minute walk from the car park.
We then drove to the Glen Docherty viewpoint – another impressive stop in a small car park with panoramic views of the winding road through the valley, and another excuse to get some aerial pics with the drone.
Next up was the small village of Torridon before taking the coastal route around to Applecross. Another super scenic drive with lots of stops to grab photos and just enjoy the dramatic scenery. It’s a single track road for the most part, but with plenty of passing places and little lay-by’s to pull in and enjoy the landscape.
Applecross is a small village at one end of the infamous Bealach na Bà (Applecross pass) which we would drive the following day. This evening though we stayed at Shell Cottage B&B, and enjoyed a nice dinner at The Applecross Inn.
Day 7 – Applecross to Fort Augustus
The last day of the first half of our trip and the end of the NC500 route for us – we departed Applecross after breakfast and drove the Applecross Pass – stopping at the summit to take in the views – on this morning we were also treated to a cloud inversion which added to the mystique.
Descending from the summit, we stopped off at Eilean Donan Castle – another super popular place but was nice to explore and have a quick tea break before we continued towards Fort Augustus.
Invermoriston Falls was our next photo stop – just a short distance from Loch Ness and easily accessible from the car park.
After visiting Drumnadrochit for lunch and look round the shops, we drove back down to Fort Augustus to find our last hotel of the trip – Bank House B&B is – as the name suggests, a former bank right next to the locks on the canal at Fort Augustus and we met the lovely hosts who told us about the history of the place. The rooms are in the former bank managers house, but they are in the process of taking over the rest of the building that was until recently still operating as a bank but has since closed.
This was to be our final stop over on this part of our trip as the following day we drove down to Fort William, where we had a cottage booked for the second week of our trip close to Glenfinnan and the famous Glenfinnan viaduct, often referred to as the “Harry Potter viaduct” but that’s for another post….
For now, we just wanted to reflect on the last week and how much we had seen and experienced along the way. The NC500 is the gift that keeps on giving – I am so glad we did it the way we did (anti clockwise) as so many people say the west is so much more dramatic, and it was nice to save the best ’til last… Would we do the trip again? One hundred percent yes – we are already thinking about a similar road trip in Wales next year, and I am working on dropping hints about the big one – Route 66!! – watch this space!!!
If you want to follow along on our road trip, check out our trip vlog…..
