Allow five to seven days to drive the North Coast 500. The 516-mile loop can be driven in three or four days if you are short of time, but much of it is slow single-track road, and the places worth stopping for are the reason to go.
The short answer
- Driving time without stops: about 14 hours.
- The minimum: three to four days, covering 130 to 170 miles a day.
- What most people do: five to seven days, with around 75 to 100 miles a day.
- The relaxed version: eight to ten days or more, with time for walks, boat trips and a side trip to Orkney.
Why 516 miles takes so long
The NC500 starts and ends in Inverness and follows the coast of the northern Highlands through the Black Isle, Caithness, Sutherland and Wester Ross. The east coast is a fast A-road. The north and west are another matter. Long stretches are single track with passing places, where you will average closer to 30 miles an hour than 60, and in summer you share them with motorhomes, cyclists and sheep.
Then there are the stops. You will want to pull over far more often than you expect, and a ten-minute photo stop at every bay soon adds two hours to a day.
How many days do you need?
Three to four days. This covers the headline sights and not much else. A typical four-day route runs Inverness to Applecross over the Bealach na Bà, then north through Torridon to Ullapool, along the north coast past Durness and Smoo Cave to John o' Groats, and back down the east coast via Dunrobin Castle. Expect long days in the car.
Five to seven days. This is the pace the route's own organisers recommend as a minimum, and the one most visitors choose. It leaves time for the beaches of Assynt, including Achmelvich, a walk at Sandwood Bay or Stac Pollaidh, a distillery visit and unhurried evenings in Applecross, Ullapool and Durness.
Eight to ten days or more. With extra days you can stay two nights in the best places, take a boat trip to Handa Island or the Summer Isles, and cross from the north coast to Orkney for a night or two.
Clockwise or anticlockwise?
Both work. Driving clockwise takes you west first, so you reach the Bealach na Bà and the mountains of Wester Ross on day one and finish on the easier east coast road. Anticlockwise starts gently and saves the most dramatic scenery for the end. If the weather forecast is clearly better on one coast at the start of your trip, let that decide it.
When is the best time to drive the NC500?
May, June and September are the best months. The days are long, the roads are quieter than in July and August, and the midges are either not yet out or on their way out. July and August are the busiest, and accommodation along the route is often fully booked months ahead. From November to March many hotels, cafés and visitor attractions close, daylight is short and the high passes can be shut by snow.
What slows you down
- Single-track roads. Use passing places to let oncoming traffic through and to let faster vehicles overtake. Never park in one.
- The Bealach na Bà. The pass to Applecross climbs to over 2,000 feet through hairpin bends. It is not suitable for large motorhomes, caravans or nervous drivers. The coast road via Shieldaig is the alternative.
- Fuel and food. Petrol stations and shops are far apart in the north-west, and many close early. Fill up when you can.
- Accommodation. In summer, book every night before you set off. Villages on the west coast have only a handful of places to stay.
Seeing the NC500 without driving it
Single-track roads are tiring if you are not used to them, and the driver sees far less than the passengers. On a private tour your guide does the driving and knows where to stop, where to eat and which viewpoints the guidebooks leave out. Our 4-day private North Coast 500 tour runs from Edinburgh and from Glasgow, with hotels arranged for you.
If you have more time, or want to add Skye or Orkney, we can build a custom tour around the route. Contact us and tell us how many days you have.
Tell us where you'd like to go, when you're travelling, and how many are in your group. We'll take care of the rest.
