From Inverness the NC500 climbs over the Bealach na Bà to Applecross, follows the west coast through Torridon and Assynt, crosses the wild north coast past Smoo Cave and returns down the east coast by Dunrobin Castle. May, June and September are best; July and August bring crowds and midges.
Road trip route for your dates
6 days from Sat, Dec 5.
- Day 1 Inverness & Loch Ness
- Day 2 Applecross & TorridonDrive from Inverness & Loch Ness to Applecross & Torridon (about 3 hours)
- Day 3 Ullapool & AssyntDrive from Applecross & Torridon to Ullapool & Assynt (about 3 hours)
- Day 4 Durness & the north coastDrive from Ullapool & Assynt to Durness & the north coast (about 2.5 hours)
- Day 5 John o' Groats & Dunnet HeadDrive from Durness & the north coast to John o' Groats & Dunnet Head (about 2.5 hours)
- Day 6 Dunrobin & DornochDrive from John o' Groats & Dunnet Head to Dunrobin & Dornoch (about 2 hours)
Last day: about 1 hours back to the start (from Dornoch to Inverness).
Good to know
- Much of the route is single-track road: pull into passing places to let others by, and never park in them.
- The Bealach na Bà is steep with hairpins; skip it in a large camper or in snow.
- Book places to stay ahead in summer and carry midge repellent from June to August.
Eat this
Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Ruined castle on a headland over the dark loch, with a visitor centre and Nessie spotting.
Moving visitor centre and moor where the last Jacobite rising ended in 1746.
Walk the River Ness islands and browse the covered Victorian market.
Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop in a converted church with a wood stove.
The top of the pass at 626 metres, looking over to Skye and the Outer Hebrides.
Langoustines and scallops on the shore at one of the Highlands' best-loved pubs.
Mountain trails in Britain's first national nature reserve, through ancient pine forest.
Small museum of the peninsula's 1,300 years, from the monastery to the clearances.
A short, steep climb up a craggy little mountain with huge views over lochs and peaks.
Romantic 15th-century ruin on a spit in Loch Assynt.
White sand and turquoise water that looks more Caribbean than Highland.
Hotel, bookshop and bar with live folk music most summer evenings.
A huge sea cave with a waterfall inside; take the short boat trip in when the water allows.
Dunes and a wide bay, plus a former military camp turned craft village with a chocolate shop.
Small cove of white sand between rocky headlands, perfect for a cold swim.
The true northernmost point of mainland Britain, with puffins on the cliffs in early summer.
Pointed sea stacks and a lighthouse a short cliff walk from John o' Groats.
The Queen Mother's homely summer castle and walled garden, kept as she left it.
Fairytale turreted castle with formal gardens and falconry displays above the sea.
Sandstone town with a 13th-century cathedral and a long, quiet beach.
Tour the tall stills and taste the Highland single malt at the source.