Few road trips rank as high in stunning nature views as the NC500 drive on the northern coast of Scotland. I kid you not, the views did not stop amazing me through the entire two week drive. This trip needs a car, and is not for the faint hearted driver. It traverses roads along the northern coast of Scotland, through the Scottish highlands - any Outlander fans on Netflix? The land and water interweave forming jagged cliffs on which castle ruins sit, turquoise bay inlets, and tall mountains laced with purple and yellow spring flowers. In fact, the tallest mountain in the UK (Ben Nevis 1345m/4413ft) is on this trip, as well as the famous Isle of Skye! I did the road trip with a friend anti-clockwise (although most people do it clockwise I believe) since this fit in a bit better with where we wanted to end our trip. To be honest, the views on the counterclockwise get better and better as the trip went on, which we loved as it kept us waiting in anticipation the whole time! I will not go into too much detail on the day to day itinerary because the trip really is meant to be at your own pace. Since we were partly working while traveling, our trip was a bit more relaxed. The north coast is long and very windy (and there are occasional one-lane roads that requires a bit of finesse to maneuver). Manual transmission cars are common in the UK, and automatics are somewhat hard to come by (and often much more expensive). Often I found myself climbing a 20 grade road with a cliff edge on one side when another car came swerving down the cliff. We ended up at an impasse, staring at other awkwardly until one of us backed up into a small pull off. Again, driving some of these roads is not for the faint hearted (although you can avoid a lot of the one-track roads by picking longer routes - albeit missing out on the best views). The NC500 is popular for long-distance cyclists, although I can’t imagine this is very pleasant as there’s cars driving past/ honking at you literally all the time. We found google maps to be pretty accurate with giving approximate times, but I’d budget a lot of extra time during on-season. Note about stays: Airbnbs / local stays are SO beautiful, almost all of them were located in picturesque locations by lakes and mountains, but book way ahead (we booked about a month ahead during late fall, and found ourselves short of options). The NC500 is also not a very budget-friendly trip, overnight stays for two are about 100-200 GBP a night. Food is about 15-25 GBP a meal. We spent most of the time hiking, so we didn’t sign up for any activities, which there aren’t too many of anyway. This is very much a ‘hike out to nature’ kind of place. Now, onto the actual trip… the number of days you spend at each destination will very much depend on your speed and interests but this should give you an approximate idea (I tend to pack in my days): Start: Inverness - Inverness is a pretty non-special city. But makes a good stay before you set out on the NC500. I spent a weekend here and checked out Loch ness (no luck spotting the monster). The next day I made a half day trip to Rogie falls (a less visited site, short easy hike, and truly stunning falls). Inverness - John O groats. Drive time: ~3 hours Notable stops: Dunrobin Castle: fairytale-esque castle and beautiful gardens and a birds of prey show - entry 12 GBP Castle Sinclair Grinigoe: absolutely stunning castle ruins on a cliff - entry free John O Groats: The north-eastern tip of the UK. There’s a signpost which is little more than a very crowded photo-op, but nearby there is a lovely hike along the coast from Duncansby head to Duncansby stacks, pointy geological formations sticking out of the ocean. John O groats - Durness. Drive time: ~3 hours Some people choose to stay at Thurso instead of John O Groats, but Thurso is little more than a regular city. Notable stops: Melvich beach: Little known beach featuring beautiful waters, white sand, and an empty beach. Honestly, the lack of people coupled with first-views on the northern part of the coast may have made this my favourite beach. Torrisdale bay: Several short hikes, we hiked a short distance up a hill, and picnicked facing the bay. Do not follow GPS all the way, it will lead you up a random hill. Instead follow to the base of the hill, and you will be able to see Tongue: Pretty small town to fill up on supplies and snacks, and stretch your legs. Ceannabeinne beach: At this point I was starting to realize that all beaches are gorgeous up here, and they do not get old. Slightly more crowded than Melvich beach Durness: Small town, friendly people. The top attraction in durness is Smoo cave, about 100 steps to a small cave with multicolored walls (seriously, where do these colors come from). Looks a bit like a star wars movie. Small waterfall at the end of the cave. Apparently they sometimes do boat tours deeper into the caves on the water, but this was closed when we went. There’s also the Cocoa mountain cafe here (claiming to have the best hot chocolate in the world - not sure I buy that, but the hot chocolate was good, and the cafe is located in a quaint artisan market. An advantage of staying in Durness is that it makes is easy to plan a day trip to Sandalwood bay beach, which involves a long hike (2 hours each way at a leisurely pace) to a secluded beach with pink sand dunes. Take a picnic and relax. Durness - Ullapool: 5 hour drive through the scenic road that gets on the coastal road after Unapool (through Drumbeg and Lochinver) before coming getting back on the highway. The detour coastal route is slow and single track - I was averaging about 30 mph, but it’s worth the delay. Notable stops: Kylesku hotel for lunch with a view of the picturesque Kylesku bridge Achmelvich bay: Beautiful little hikes on green hills by the bay (take a picnic) lochinver larder: we arrived just after it closed, but I hear they have delicious pies. Ardvreck castle: Probably one of my favourite castles. All the remains of it is a small ruin on an almost-island surrounded by mountains. Time it at sunset for the best views. Bone cave: A car where early human bones were found? Ullapool: I stayed at the best airbnb near Ullapool with morning views of dolphins. The area around is mountainous and great for hiking, so plan a few days. We hiked up Stac Polliadh, which was a rewarding half day hike with amazing views. For those less inclined to hike, head to Knockan Crag natural reserve where you can get similar views with much less effort. A potential stop if you have extra time is Corrieshalloch gorge - but the views are pretty skippable if you’re pressed for time. Ullapool - Kyle of Lochalsh: 3.5 hour drive through the scenic route. We got to Kinlochewe through the shortest route on the highway which saved a bunch of time, but then opted to take the coastal path from Kinlochewe to Shieldaig, through Applecross and to Kyle of Lochaish. I HIGHLY recommend this drive if you are comfortable driving narrow roads on cliffs, you’ll catch some special views. We are nearing the end of the highlands at this point :( Notable stops: Coastal towns of Torridon: brunch/lunch Applecross: Frankly overpopulated town with a lovely cafe/garden named applecross walled garden, where you can drink tea in a treehouse. Belach Na Ba: The drive through the mountain pass (most people drive from east to west, but we found the reverse to give us some really good views on the eastern side, and besides you can pull over at any point to admire the views. Do NOT attempt this drive if you cannot get your car to start on steep cliffs without slipping. The entire mountain pass offered beautiful views of geological formations, sea, and nature with several pull offs. Kyle of Lochalsh: Pretty touristy, and nothing special. Provides affordable stays and serves as an entry point to Isle of Skye. If you can, I’d recommend staying on the Isle of Skye instead. Worth making the trip from here to Eilean Donon Castle commonly featured in the ‘welcome to scotland’ ads. Isle of Skye: I spent 3 full days on the Isle of Skye and they were just about enough to see all I wanted to.
I’d recommend three day-long driving loops in this order for a 3 day itinerary - if you only have do 1 day, do number 1: 1. one day top right loop: Hike the Storr, short hike to the brother’s point, kilt rock viewpoint, An corral beach (skip if necessary), Quirang hike (tough 3-4 hour hike that was the HIGHLIGHT of the Isle of Skye, the fairy glen (also very pretty, short walk that seemed enchanted in the dusk light and reminded me of the shire from lord of the rings) 2. one day top left route: Sligachan waterfalls, Fairy glens (swimming holes), talisker distillery is on the way if you are a fan of their scotch, talisker beach, dunvegan castle (I’d skip under time constraints) and finally the neist point lighthouse at sunset for stunning sunset views. 3. Bottom route: Anything you may have missed in day 1 or 2, and then hang around the beaches by the southern end of Isle of Skye. Drive to the aird of sleet for a coastal drive with relatively empty roads. Kyle of Lochalsh to Fort Williams: Mountains above 3000feet are called ‘munros’ in Scotland. Climbing these mountains is a sort of sport for many outdoorsy people called ‘bagging a munro’. Fort Williams is home to the highest peak in the UK: Ben Nevis. Here’s a shot to bag the tallest munro! Notable stops: Glencoe: Try the Glencoe Lochan Trail for an hour-long easy hike with views. Loch Achtriochtan viewpoint: this stretch of road winds through valleys and is a beautiful drive. Lost Valley hike: difficult (2 hours of constant uphill, but views get pretty good early on, so feel free to turn back part way). At this point we were largely out of the highlands and missing the views! We made our way to Glasgow through Loch lomond and the trossachs which was a good drive-by with occasional stops but not worth much more time in my opinion. From here head to Glasgow/ Edinburgh to make your way back to civilization and/or return the car. The wilderness keeps calling, you will return ;)
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Your travel blogs have been a game-changer for me. Your articles have consistently enriched my travel experiences, making them smooth and unforgettable. Your insights and tips are invaluable, and I can't thank you enough for your unwavering commitment to helping fellow travelers. You're a true trailblazer in the world of travel blogging!
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Sanjukta Krishnagopal
This is where I put random musings created on cold rainy nights whilst typing away furiously on my laptop. I have been published in the 'creative writing' category' at the Unknown Pen, Youth Ki Awaaz, Terribly Tiny Tales, and Berlin Unspoken. I was also Chief Writer of the Department of Journalism and Media at BITS Goa. I also treat this space as a personal travel blog with practical information. If you are interested in talking about writing, I'd love to hear from you! Archives
September 2022
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