North Coast 500 (North UK Series 2 of 3)

Posted on by nicole

Journey Details | 17 Days | 1243.1 Miles

Since we were travelling from the south, and visiting other places on our way north, we started our NC500 journey from the west coast (Isle of Skye to Applecross). At the end of the route we headed southeast from Inverness, so we didn’t get a chance to do the part of the route across the middle (from Inverness to Applecross).

Before we arrived on the NC500 route we purchased “The North Coast 500 Guide Book” by Charles Tait. We found this guide book very useful and would recommend having this, or some other form of offline plans available, as reception isn’t great along the route.

Check out our other posts on the journey north to the NC500 and the journey back south to London.

Day 1: Isle of Skye to Applecross

From Isle of Skye we headed north and our first NC500 stop was Lochcarron. Lochcarron is a cute, waterfront town. Here there are locals that have clothing lines along the shoreline. If it’s a nice day you’re likely to see clothes hanging out to dry. It’s a very quaint thing to see. We happened to be there on a sunny day so several lines were in use.

From Lochcarron we passed through a couple more small towns and stopped to grab some pictures as we went. The Bealach na Ba is a great drive with beautiful outlooks over the water and down the valley. We didn’t find it difficult to drive at all. There are plenty of passing points along the road and you can see the majority of the road ahead of you so you have plenty of time to plan when and where to stop for passing. I can see it being a bit tricky for longer vehicles, especially when two longer vehicles are passing each other, but otherwise it shouldn’t be a problem for most drivers.

We arrived in Applecross later in the evening and headed straight to town to see about finding somewhere for dinner. As we were driving into town we saw a deer eating along the water’s edge. We parked the car and grabbed some pictures!

After getting tons of photos, we went back to looking for dinner. The only eat-in place open was the restaurant at the Applecross Inn, but (as expected) it was fully booked for the evening. Luckily the Inn offers a takeaway option from a food truck parked outside. We were able to get some yummy fish and chips and enjoy our meal sitting on some rocks along the water’s edge.

After dinner we headed to the Applecross Campsite to check-in to one of their pods. The pod was very roomy and comfortable, and the shared toilet facilities were only a short walk away. It was a great location for exploring Applecross and the surrounding towns.

Note: We booked two nights in Applecross because we wanted to make sure we had enough time to see everything in the area. Plus, I had trouble booking our next stop and had to book a bit further north than I would have liked, which meant it would have been a very packed day (with quick stops at the sites). On our first day in the area we did a circular loop from Applecross to Shieldaig via Fearnmore and then back to Applecross. The second day we drove from Applecross directly to Kinlochewe. I wouldn’t recommend this itinerary, as it is a lot of backtracking, which is why I’m documenting our trip in a more reasonable order.

Day 2: Applecross to Shieldaig

The next day we headed south of Applecross to the Toscaig (at the end of the road). There’s a beautiful spot with a pier overlooking the water at the very end of the road. It was worth the extra travel out of the way since it was so beautiful. As a side note, there are picnic tables at the pier and several along the road to the pier – a perfect place for a snack or a meal.

From Toscaig, we then headed back through Applecross and stopped at the Clachan Church to see MacAogan’s Cross. Just inside the churchyard gate is a large carved cross in a stone that was originally used to mark the grave of Ruaraidh Mor MacAogan (Abbot of Applecross that died in 801).

From there we headed north to Fearnmore and then to Shieldaig. There are lots of stopping points to take in the view along the path. Shieldaig is a cute, waterfront town. There are a couple cafes and pubs with picnic tables and benches all along the waterfront. It’s a great place to take a break or have a meal.

Day 3: Shieldaig to Aultbea

We stopped in Kinlochewe for a walk at Beinn Eighe above Loch Maree. We decided to do the Woodland Trail, which didn’t go as high as the Mountain Trail, but still had some great views. There is a flyer at the beginning of the trail that you can grab which contains information and reading points along the path (marked with numbers).

The walk is easy, with a gradual slope (100m) in the beginning, but plenty of places to stop for a rest and take in the views. The total trail is only 1 mile long and takes about an hour to complete (with stops to read the information flyer and take pictures). The views of the loch are great, as are the surrounding woodlands. The path is nice and peaceful, plus it’s very shaded so good for a sunny day.

At the beginning/end of the trail, right along the loch there are picnic tables available. This is a great place to take a break before or after completing one of the trails. You can even go for a swim if you are brave enough – Ben tried but the water was too cold!

As we continued north, we decided to take a side road to Redpoint before reaching Gairloch. At Redpoint there is a beautiful beach to explore. We didn’t have time to visit the beach or do any of the walks, but we stopped to enjoy the view looking over the beach and water. This is also where you can see a post box from Queen Victoria’s reign.

From there we drove through Gairloch and Poolewe to reach our stopping point in Aultbea. We arrived in Aultbea just in time to make a quick dinner and watch the sunset over the loch. While we were enjoying the view we saw an otter just off the shore!

Day 4: Aultbea to Achiltibuie

We explored Aultbea a bit more before continuing north. Aultbea was a naval base during both world wars. It’s hard to imagine the small, peaceful, coastal town, having been taken over as a naval base during the wars. Even today, there is a submarine station nearby within Loch Ewe. Such a beautiful, peaceful town, with a fascinating history.

After leaving Aultbea we took a detour to Mellon Udrigle Beach. It’s a large, pretty beach, but for us it wasn’t worth the extra travel time. To be fair, we are quite spoiled by beautiful beaches in Australia – they are hard to top. But it’s a nice beach for the UK.

Back on the main track, we stopped a Corrieshalloch Gorge and did the full loop walk. We started by heading to the bridge over the gorge, across to the viewing platform. From there, we continued along the path to another viewpoint, before making our way back to the car.

The gorge is extremely deep. When you stand over the bridge and look down, the waterfall drop is impressive.

Before heading to Ullapool we took another detour along the south end of Loch Broom to see a broch. The broch was a bit hard to find at first. It’s high on the hill before you get to Loggie. We parked the car along the road and then climbed up the hill. The broch is a ruin, but has part of the outside and inner wall still intact, plus the view of the loch is worth the climb.

Next we stopped in Ullapool for supplies, before continuing to Achiltibuie. We booked (another) pod at the Acheninver Hostel*. Access to the pod is along a path about five minutes from the parking lot. The pods are built behind, and slightly above, the main hostel building. The pods contain a double bed, a single bed, mini kitchen area (sink and fridge), plus a bathroom with toilet and shower.

The view over the loch was amazing and the remoteness of the pod was so peaceful.

*We only recommend accommodation that we really enjoyed or found unique and worth a mention. We are not affiliated with the facility and do not receive compensation for the recommendation.

Day 5: Achiltibuie

The next day it was actually quite rainy, so we had a lazy morning. In the afternoon it dried up a bit so we headed out to explore the area – driving from one end of the road to the other – from Culnacraig to Reiff. There isn’t much to see on this side trip away from the main route but there are some great outlooks along the coast, as well as some great walks. We were both feeling a bit lazy, and it looked like it could rain again at any moment, so we didn’t venture out on any walks (even though they looked great). Instead we drove around the area for a bit, before making our way back to the pod for the evening.

This stopping point was out of the way as you have to drive all the way around the loch to reach it. It worked out well for us as the weather wasn’t great for the days we were there so we took advantage of the quiet and had some much needed down time, but may not be worth the extra travel time for everyone.

Day 6: Achiltibuie to Kylestrome

The next two nights we planned to wild camp, so we didn’t have any firm plans on where we needed to end up for the night, but for our first wild camp night we were aiming for somewhere around Kylestrome.

From Achiltibuie we continued our route up to the Bone Caves. There’s a car park off the main road at the start of the walk. The total circular trail is just a little over 3 miles. The trail leading up to the caves is pretty level but it is over a rocky, uneven track, and as you get closer to the caves there is a small climb (800 ft). The walk is beautiful with an open area covered in heather along a rocky stream.

There are a couple of caves to look at. I wish we would have brought our strong torch/flashlight so we could see better into the caves (our phones weren’t strong enough). Two of the caves are connected by a small opening, maybe large enough for a child – we weren’t going to risk getting stuck!

After the caves we continued on our journey and passed Ardvreck Castle. You can walk up to the castle, but we decided to get some pictures from the road side as it was raining at the time.

Along the path, before it got too dark, we found a large parking area off the main road for us to stop for the night.

Day 7: Kylestrome to Loch Hope

We headed north to Durness and stopped at the Balnakeil Craft Village. The craft village is home to a variety of local artists and businesses – including painters, ceramics, woodwork, glass, as well as a chocolatier. There’s also a café and a large picnic area. We spent some time exploring the shops before continuing on.

Our next stop was Smoo Cave. There’s a parking lot (with toilets) at the top of the path down to the cave. Inside the cave there is a viewing platform that gives you a good view of the waterfall. We were there after a few days of heavy rain so the water flow was quite strong. There are boat trips that go further into the cave, but they were not running during our visit.

After you climb back to the top, we would recommend crossing the road to see the opening looking into the cave. There’s a platform over the opening so you have a good view of the water flowing down the hill and into the cave opening.

Not far from Smoo Cave is Ceannabeinne Beach, where you can zipline over the beach. At the start of the zipline there is a small parking area. We decided to stop and see if we could have a go on the zipline (we weren’t sure if you needed to book or anything in advance). Turns out you can just turn up, pay the fee, put on the harness and hardhat, and off you go!

It’s a fun trip over the beach! At the other end of the zipline there is someone there where you can leave the harness and hardhat and then walk along the road back to the car park.

From there we made a few additional stops for pictures and then decided to take a side road to Broch Dun Dornaigil. Along the road to the broch we found a nice place to camp for the night and decided to call it a day while it was still light out. We relaxed in the car and played some games, then had an early night.

Day 8: Loch Hope to Thurso

We started the day by continuing along the road to see Broch Dun Dornaigil. This is a good broch as one of the sides is still quite high and intact. So far, all of the broches we have seen have just been a couple feet high so this was a bit more impressive.

After the broch we headed back up the road to get back on the NC500 route. Our next stop was the Moine House. This house was built in 1830 as a half-way stop for travellers crossing The Moine.

We made a few more stops to enjoy the sights as we made our way to Thurso.

I originally booked a night in Thurso because I was planning to book the ferry to Orkney from there. However after looking at the ferry options I found a cheaper ticket from Gills Bay – luckily it was only 20 minutes further along the NC500 from Thurso. The ferry to Orkney from Gills Bay takes you to St. Margaret Hope on the mainland.

Day 9, 10, & 11: Orkney

We had a fantastic few days on the Orkney mainland. Ben suggested that we do a couple days on the island because he heard good things, but we didn’t really have time to research any activities to do before we went. The night before the ferry we were looking at things to see and there is a lot!!! The number of historical sites on the island is amazing. I mean there are standing stones and a pretty intact village all older than Stonehenge! We’re talking 5,000 years old! Crazy…

We also got super lucky and saw the Northern Lights while we were there!

Unfortunately, due to covid there were a few sites closed, but still plenty for us to see in the time we had on the island. It was probably good that a few things were closed since we didn’t book enough days on the island – just another reason (as if we needed one) to go back and visit the islands again.

See our blog post on our time in Orkney – Orkney Mainland.

Day 12: Orkney to Wick

We took the ferry from Orkney later in the day, so we didn’t have time for much on our way to Wick. We stopped at John O’ Groats and got our picture with the sign (had to!), then we headed to Wick.

Day 13: Wick

I wish we would have had another day or two in the Wick area as there is lots to see.

We started the day heading north of Wick to visit the Bucholie Castle. This castle is a ruin on the edge of a cliff. There are no signs posted to help you find the castle, but if you follow Google Maps it will lead you to a side road off the A99. Near the end of the road (next to a few building ruins) you can park the car. From there head across the field (away from the ruin buildings), after about 5 minutes you will be able to see the castle. There is a barbed wire fence along the “path” but as you start to see the castle there is a stone wall that you can use to step over the fence. Once over the fence you can head straight towards the castle.

When you get to the castle you can scramble over the pathway into the castle. The location and the surrounding area of the castle are stunning. You can walk through the ruined rooms and take in the view over the water. We were the only ones there so it was quite magical.

After Bucholie Castle we headed south to Keiss Castle. To access Keiss Castle you can park along the side of the road at the start of the Keiss Shore path. This path goes along the water to the castle.

As we got closer to the castle we stopped along the cliff edge to get pictures of the castle across the water. As we were taking pictures we spotted a seal playing in the water! He was swimming around, bobbing up and down, then he came out of the water and flopped on the rock edge! We soon realised that along the rocks were tons of seals. They blend in very well with the actual rocks so you don’t notice them at first!

After watching the seals for a bit we continued our walk to the castle. Unfortunately, you aren’t able to get too close to the castle (it’s all fenced off), but you can get some good photos with the water in the background.

After Keiss Castle we headed south and did the Yarrows Archaeological Trail. The circular trail is about 2.6 miles long with a total elevation of 440 feet. The trail goes through a number of different fields with livestock. The path does go up and down through the fields with several ancient buildings including a broch and a number of cairns to see along the way.

There are arrows to help you follow the trail, along with information boards at the different ancient building.

After the trail we headed to Cairn o’Get. There’s a small parking area near the start of the path to the cairn. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the cairn and the path is very nicely sign posted (look for the black and white posts).

The Cairn o’Get is the first cairn that we’ve actually been able to walk into. The roof is gone, but the entry path and the walls around the chamber are still there so it gives you a good idea of a small cairn.

After the cairn we headed to the Hill O’Many Stanes. The hillside contains at least 200 flagstone slabs positioned across 22 rows. Based on dating from other stone row monuments, it’s thought that this monument is from the Bronze Age, suggesting it may be 3,000 to 4,000 years old.

No one is quite sure the purpose or usage of the stones and why they are laid out as they are. It’s not the most impressive site we’ve seen, but it’s worth the quick trip to see the hill and the stones – and think about what the site could have been used for.

After a full day of viewing the sites we headed back to our accommodation for a short rest. We heard (thanks to many apps and Facebook groups) that the Northern Lights might be visible later in the evening. We decided to head to the Sinclair Girnigoe Castle as we thought the castle would be a good foreground should we manage to see the lights.

Unfortunately, it ended up being poor visibility for the night. The moon was nearly full so it was too bright to see anything.

Day 14: Wick to Tain

Before we left Wick to continue south we stopped at the Sinclair Girnigoe Castle to see it in the daylight. The castle ruin is quite large and you are able to walk inside some areas of the castle, as well as around part of the exterior to the water’s edge.

After the castle we headed south and stopped at the Whaligoe Steps. The view from the top of the cliff is amazing over the water and the rock edged cliffs. You can then climb down the steps (over 300) to the water’s edge.

Next we stopped at the Grey Cairns of Camster. We weren’t going to visit the cairns because the website said that they were closed – you could see the exterior but not enter the cairns (which is what we wanted to do). However, a local said that the inside of the cairns were open when he visited a couple weeks ago, so we decided to stop and see (it wasn’t that far out of the way). Unfortunately, the inside of the cairns were in fact closed, but you can look through the gated door to see a bit of the path and the back wall of the chamber.

Next we headed to Dunrobin Castle and Gardens. This is an actual furnished castle and not a ruin! We didn’t have to pre-book to visit the castle as entry tickets can be purchased at the entrance.

The driveway up to the castle is quite impressive as the castle is huge. Inside you get to walk through a few rooms, including the billiards room, dining room, and drawing room. Outside, between the castle and the water, is a massive garden. The garden is very impressive – you get a good view from the windows while inside. The view of the castle from the edge of the garden is amazing. You can really appreciate the size of the castle from this angle.

Continuing on our journey we decided to make a quick stop at Skelbo Castle to see the ruin on top of a hill. You can park along the loch to get a good view of the castle, but if you want to get closer to the ruin we found it best to drive down the side road behind the castle. Shortly down the road (in front of someone’s house) is a grass path up a hill that gives you access to the castle.

The ruins are just as nice from below, however from the hilltop you get a nice view of the loch.

After we looked around the ruin, we drove along Loch Fleet. As we were driving, I saw a couple of seals on a rock, so we pulled over to take a closer look. As we were standing there we realised that again the loch was full of seals – all resting along the rocks. It was late afternoon and they were quite noisy. We stood and listened to the seals as well as the birds for a while.

We then made our way to the final stop of the day, the Falls of Shin. This small waterfall and river is a known place to see leaping salmon. There is a large parking area, which a visitor centre that contains lots of information about salmon and their journey upstream. The visitor centre was closed by the time we arrived, but the information boards are outside so you can visit any time.

From the parking lot there is a path down towards the water where there’s a large viewing platform. We were there for a few minutes before we saw a salmon leap out of the water. We ended up seeing several while we were there! It was fantastic!

Day 15: Tain to Inverness

From Tain we made our way to our last stop on the NC500 route, Inverness.

We first headed towards Shandwick to see the Shandwick Pictish Stone. The stone is in the middle of a field, but has been enclosed in a small glass building. Even though the stone is behind glass you can still see the detail of the design.

There are several other Pictish Stones in the area, along the Pictish Stone Trail. Unfortunately, a few of them are inside museums or churches that were unavailable or closed while we were traveling through. There is a replica stone near Shandwick that you can view anytime as it is in a field (near where the original was found).

Since we couldn’t see any more stones we continued on our journey and stopped at the Clootie Well in Munlochy. The Clootie Well is a holy well where pilgrims would come and make an offering usually in the hope of having an illness cured. People still visit the well today to leave an offering. Around the well are tons of offerings, mostly clothing or pieces of fabric, that people have left.

After Clootie Well we ended our day in Inverness – our last stop on the NC500 route.

Day 16 & 17: Inverness

On our first day in Inverness the weather wasn’t looking too good so we decided to keep our plans open and see what we could do depending on the weather.

We decided to head to Dores along Loch Ness. In Dores there is a beach along the loch which gives you great views down the loch. Dores Beach is also where you will find the Nessie Hunter, Steve Feltham. Steve has been a full-time Nessie (Loch Ness Monster) hunter and lives in a van along the water’s edge. His van is in the parking lot next to The Dores Inn. When we first arrived, Steve was not around – he creates small statues of Nessie that he sales next to the van, which we wanted to buy – so we decided to grab some lunch at the Inn. You can also buy his statues at the Inn if he is not around.

As we finished eating Steve arrived and setup shop outside his van, so we headed over to checkout the statues and have a chat. His statues are super cute and come in different sizes and colors – we had to buy one!

After Dores we decided to checkout the Culloden Battlefield. Next to the field where the battle took place, is a large museum. We thought an indoor museum would be good on a rainy day.

The museum tells the story of the Jacobite Rising that led to the bloody battle at Culloden Battlefield. The museum is very well done and setup. The museum is divided into sections based on time periods. In each section the timeline of events is divided by the two sides – on one side of the room you can learn about the story of the Jacobites and on the other side you can learn about the Whigs. It’s a great way to structure the museum so that you can see what is happening on both sides during the same time period.

Outside the museum you can walk around the battlefield. The weather turned dry (dryish) so we were able to wonder around the field. There are various information boards and plaques to explain different areas of the battlefield. You can clearly see the front line for both sides, marked with flags. and there are also structures built on site by different clans as a memorial to those that fought in the battle.

After visiting the Culloden Battlefield we headed to Balnuaran of Clava (which isn’t too far from the museum).

The Balnuaran of Clava is a small area that contains four cairns, surrounded by standing stones. The cairns and stones are about 4,000 years old. Two of the cairns (the north-east cairn and the south-west cairn) show an entry path and chamber, but no roof. One of the cairns (the ring cairn) is a fully enclosed circle, with no obvious entry point to the chamber. The fourth cairn (the kerb cairn) is a small circle of stones.

The cairns are surrounded by large standing stones. You can also see stone paths between some of the cairns and standing stones. In the 1870s the landowner planted trees around the cairns, so the area is actually very beautiful and peaceful.

On our second, and last day in Inverness, the weather was perfect. We had sunny, blue skies – yay!

We had pre-booked to visit a few more museums because the weather wasn’t supposed to be great, so we started by visiting the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition. This exhibition was about the history and sightings of the Loch Ness Monster and all of the research that has been done in and around the loch. The exhibit is divided into multiple rooms. Each room has a different style to it, with a few artefacts on display. In each room you watch a short video about the loch. The videos are all timed so you enter a room, watch a video, and then move onto the next room as you make your way around the museum. It’s so well done!

Each room explores different parts of the Loch Ness Monster story and you get a real feel for all the hunting and research that has been done. The exhibition shares the facts of what people have “seen” and what has actually been researched (using pretty sophisticated equipment).

After the exhibition we headed up the road to Urquhart Castle. This is a ruined castle overlooking Loch Ness. The visitor centre was closed while we were there, so we didn’t get to see any of the artefacts found around the castle grounds, but we got to explore the castle ruins and enjoy the views of Loch Ness.

Since it turned out to be such a nice day, I thought I would see if we could book any boat trips on the loch. We were lucky to find a boat trip for early afternoon to fit with our pre-booked tickets.

You don’t see much on the boat trip, but we quite like a peaceful, relaxing boat ride. The boat we were on did have an audio tour as we went along the loch which provided a bit of history of the loch and a few stories of Nessie.

Unfortunately, during the boat ride we didn’t see Nessie…

Next we arranged to visit the Groam House Museum. The museum is located on the Black Isle in Rosemarkie and is free to visit (donations suggested). The museum is small, but it contains a large number of Pictish stones collected from the local area. The designs and carvings on these stones are beautiful. They are so complex and wonderful to look at. The museum has the stones displayed so you can get up close and really examine the designs. There is also lots of information about the designs and possible meanings behind the patterns.

Upstairs there is a small exhibit on The Book of Kells and the collection of findings from two men who have studied the book – George Bain and Thomas Keyes. The exhibit looks at the principles of the geometry used within the book and how they align to the Pictish cross-slab and other sculptures found in the museum.

It’s a great museum and worth a visit. Plus the town, Rosemarkie, is a quaint village. Near Rosemarkie is Chanonry Point. This point is known as a good place to see dolphins. We did go have a look at the point, but we didn’t see any dolphins. To see dolphins the best chance is to visit on a rising tide. Most people suggest visiting about an hour after low tide and unfortunately we were there a couple hours before low tide.

Conclusion

After 17 Days and 1243.1 miles we completed the North Coast 500 route. We had a great time on the NC500 and are already planning our next trip. Even though we had over two weeks to explore the route, we still feel like we didn’t get to see everything…

You can complete the route as fast or as slow as you would like. There’s a real variety of things to see and do so you can select the activities that are of interest to you.

The west coast has amazing natural beauty – tons of photo opportunities and amazing walks through the scenery. The east coast scenery may not be as dramatic as the west coast, but it is still beautiful (in it’s own way) and there is a lot to see and do – castles, castle ruins, Pictish stones, brochs, museums, and seals and dolphins.

Check out our other posts on the journey north to the NC500 and the journey back south to London.

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