The North Coast 500 and the far north-west

The North Coast 500 is a circular route of about 516 miles from Inverness through Wester Ross, Sutherland and Caithness. The landscapes are extraordinary. The roads are often single-track, the communities are small, and the route rewards people who slow down.

Last checked 11 November 2026. Timetables, prices and opening dates change: check the operator before you travel.

The route

The NC500 was launched as a tourism route in 2015, linking existing roads. Most people drive it clockwise from Inverness, west first, so that the most dramatic scenery comes early:

1. Inverness to Applecross via Lochcarron and the Bealach na Bà, a pass rising to about 626 metres with gradients up to 20% and hairpin bends. It is not suitable for learner drivers, large motorhomes, caravans or nervous drivers, and it can be closed by snow and ice in winter. A longer coastal road via Shieldaig avoids it.
2. Torridon and Loch Maree. Ancient sandstone mountains, Beinn Eighe national nature reserve and the village of Kinlochewe.
3. Gairloch and Poolewe, with Inverewe Garden (NTS), where the Gulf Stream helps exotic plants grow.
4. Corrieshalloch Gorge (NTS), a deep slot gorge with a suspension bridge, just south of Ullapool, the main town of the north-west and the ferry port for Lewis.
5. Assynt: the isolated mountains of Stac Pollaidh, Suilven and Quinag, the ruined Ardvreck Castle on Loch Assynt, and the beach at Achmelvich near Lochinver.
6. Kylesku to Durness: Scourie, Handa Island (seabird reserve, seasonal ferry), and Sandwood Bay, a remote beach about a 4-mile walk each way.
7. Durness, with Smoo Cave and the white beaches of Balnakeil and Ceannabeinne.
8. The north coast: Tongue, Bettyhill and Strathnaver, with its museum of the Highland Clearances, then Thurso.
9. Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of mainland Britain, then John o' Groats and the Duncansby Stacks.
10. The east coast back to Inverness: the Whaligoe Steps, Wick, Dunrobin Castle near Golspie (seasonal) and Dornoch.

How many days?

Some people drive the loop in three days. We would not. On single-track roads, average speeds are often 25 to 30 mph, and you will want to stop. A realistic minimum is five days; seven lets you walk, linger and cope with a day of bad weather. If you only have two or three days, do the west coast from Inverness to Ullapool and Assynt, and come back.

These are driving times only, in normal conditions. Add stops.

Practical advice

• Fuel: stations are far apart in Sutherland and some close early or on Sundays. Fill up whenever you are below half a tank. Electric vehicle chargers exist along the route but can be busy or out of service; plan with a margin.
• Accommodation: villages are small and beds are limited. Book ahead from May to September.
• Single-track etiquette: use passing places to let others overtake, never park in them, and wave thanks. See our single-track roads guide.
• Motorhomes: use campsites and official stopovers. Wild camping in a vehicle is not covered by Scotland's access rights, and laybys and passing places are not campsites.
• Winter: many cafés, hotels and attractions close between October and Easter, and the Bealach na Bà may close in snow. The route is beautiful and empty in winter, but plan accommodation carefully.
• Midges: on still summer evenings the north-west has some of the worst midges in Scotland.

Adding Orkney

From the north coast, ferries cross to Orkney from Scrabster and Gills Bay. Two or three nights in Orkney make a natural extension. See Orkney and Shetland.