north coast 500 route map

Aside from knowing the defined NC500 route map in advance (and not blindly following the GPS voice), when planning your specific itinerary, you should factor in both accommodation and activities. The NC500 route. North Coast 500 – Scotland Road Trip of a Lifetime. From there, it was a memorable drive alongside Loch Ewe until we reached Gruinard Bay to enjoy some of the Saturday sunshine. This is one of the most common questions about the North Coast 500 when it comes to planning the road trip, however, it … The afternoon was spent wandering around the city of just under 50,000 residents, including browsing the beautiful second-hand bookshop called Leakey's, before enjoying some beer and cider with views of the river and the pretty sandstone castle. After photographing some gorgeous 'Heilan Coos' near our hostel and spying some wild deer in another field, we hit the open road towards Torridon. The North Coast 500 Map has been created for those interpid adventurers undertaking the 500 mile round trip from Inverness, through the Black Isle all around the North Coast of Scotland, down the uniquley scenic West Coast of Sutherland and Wester Ross before finally returning cross-country to … In total, with all our detours and diversions to spots off the main route, we actually clocked 739 miles on our Highlands roadtrip!). The Ultimate North Coast 500 Itinerary – Route, Accommodation, Travel Tips and more.. How Long Does it Take to Drive the NC500? From there, you'll venture to some of the most northerly coastal points in Scotland, passing by Caithness and John o' Groats before heading south again through Dingwall and finally back to Inverness. 50 miles on these roads takes much longer than you may expect, especially once you factor in stops along the way. Our suggestion would be to look at spending the night at Badachro, Gairloch, Poolewe, Aultbea, before continuing onto the Assynt area, or to spend the night in and around Ullapool further along the route. The North Coast 500 (NC500) was created in 2014 by the North Highland Initiative to highlight some of Scotland's magnificence to the world. We then visited the Torridon Countryside Centre to say hello to the packs of friendly red deer and continue through stunning valleys and hill-ranges (lots of hillwalkers were out here taking on the ascents) towards the picturesque Gairloch harbour. North Coast 500 Route Map highlighting the full route of the NC500. Route Overview The NC500 starts in the northern city of Inverness, weaves along the west coast to Applecross and then northwards towards the towns of Torridon and Ullapool. This 500 mile coastal route spans the north coast of the Highlands taking in the best bits of this glorious region. We have shared the best alternatives in Tongue and the surrounding area for various budgets and travel styles in our NC500 Accommodation post. The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile (830 km) scenic route around the north coast of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle. North Coast 500 is a spectacular 516-mile scenic route around the northern coast of Scotland, The route snakes around beautiful scenery and the many well known and historic features located in the Highlands of Scotland all incorporated into one very iconic pleasurable touring route around scotland. The North Coast 500 is Scotland’s answer to route 66 and one of the most beautiful coastal touring routes in the world (well, we think so, anyway!). Have An Ad To Post? Overnight Parking is generally allowed on the North Coast 500 but there is exceptions to this. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, Ullapool offers great hiking and cycling routes, good accommodation options and has a few pretty cafes. Then, it was only a few more miles until we reached Dornoch - the prettiest town we saw on the entire North Coast 500 route. The Official Facebook page for the North Coast 500. After a hectic day yesterday driving over 170 miles in the sunshine, we gave ourselves a well-earned lie-in before setting off to John O'Groats. The descent into the peninsula of Applecross, with the blues of the calm water, the sweeping greens of the landscapes and the setting sun, hinted that this was going to be a road trip to remember! Camping and Caravanning The abundance of […] In the lead up to your own North Coast 500 road trip, a large chunk of your time will spent working out just how to structure your itinerary and trying to answer key questions like... Where to stay each night? North Coast 500. This of course makes planning NC500 route a lot easier, because you just have to stick to this coastal trail. Miles on the clock | 346 (note that we have deducted the extra mileage to go kayaking from our totals). Komoot user Global Cycling Network recorded a road ride: North Coast 500 - Scotland Bikepacking Adventure with Mark Beaumont. We tried to cover too much ground on the latter across single-track roads, and that meant we didn’t have enough time to fully explore and savour some of the prettiest sections of the route there and further north. Harry Potter. However, it really is worth spending a night or two in this section as it’s got some of the best hospitality and accommodation choices on the NC500 (not just the castles). In the late afternoon, we arrived at our castle for the evening, enjoyed a fantastic meal at their restaurant and, over a carefully selected whisky, looked back upon what had been a fantastic roadtrip in the Scottish Highlands. Changes | Definitely. Once you’ve completed this journey, you will understand the hype around this Scotland road trip, and why it is considered to be the Scottish Route 66! info@torvean.com. First, the NC500 leads south-west to the Applecross peninsula, Shieldaig and the Torridon mountains. The route is also known as the NC500 and was launched in 2015, linking many features in the north Highlands of Scotland in one touring route.. When you have eliminated the JavaScript , whatever remains must be an empty page. Map of North Coast 500 route The North Coast 500 route The NC500 passport, which visitors can have stamped at participating attractions along … Ullapool, situated on the shores of Lochbroom is the first big village on the North Coast 500 route (when driving clockwise) and a good hub from which to explore the nearby sights. Check them out after you read this one! After Kylesku, you've got some lovely tarmac to eat up before a return to single-track country roads nearer Durness and towards Tongue. The 16 day long North Coast 500 route, beginning and ending in Inverness. See this route and plan your own adventure with komoot! Map is an Ordnance Survey Style Road Map which can be purchased as a handy folded map or as a wall map for display. As the day was catching up with us, we did our best to refrain from more spontaneous stops along the rest of the route (this is actually quite difficult!) Buy The North Coast 500 Guide Book (Charles Tait Guide Books) First by Tait, Charles (ISBN: 9781909036604) from Amazon's Book Store. North Coast 500 - Distance: 816.99 km - Elevation: 2029 hm - Location: Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom This means it's sensible to drive, fly, or train into Inverness and bookend your travels with a night or two there. At this time of year (we travelled in June), the sun doesn't set until 10.30 p.m. or later, so we made the most of the epic views from our deck at the excellent Natural Retreats with a glass of wine and the feeling that moments like these are exactly what we travel for. This guest house is now closed due to the owners having a well earned retirement. Remember that it's absolutely essential to book your accommodation as soon as possible, especially if you're visiting in summer - and we have put a lot of work into carefully crafting and curating our North Coast 500 accommodation post to bring you personal recommendations on areas / hubs to stay, personal picks for the best accommodation for various budgets, and save you a lots of wasted time and stress researching everything from scratch. There are actually several excellent distilleries and breweries to visit on this road trip - find out more in this post. Bringing together just over 500 miles of stunning coastal scenery, the route follows the main roads along the coastal edges of the North Highlands. Where we stayed | Hartfield House Hostel, Applecross. Good quality roads everywhere except the climb up and over to Glen Loth, but even that is fine on a 25mm tyre road bike. There are several excellent distilleries in the surrounding area, so we paid a visit to Glenmorangie in Tain for a tour and tasting (unfortunately for Andrew he was driving!) A walk through a field of sheep took us towards the photogenic Duncansby Stacks but unfortunately they were completely obscured - next time eh? Do not worry, we create NC 500 Route Maps using Google Maps with all the attractions and sightseeing highlights that we share with you including (hotels,Guesthouses, pubs, cafes, Campsites, Glamping Pods). However, if you are a nervous or first-time driver in the UK, it may be best to go east first so that you can ease yourself into the roads and driving conditions. Walk and enjoy this stunning tourist route which was created and launched in 2015 by the North Highland Initiative to rave reviews. We use cookies on our website. Walk and enjoy this stunning tourist route which was created and launched in 2015 by the North Highland Initiative to rave reviews. To overcome this problem, many single-track roads, especially those officially designated as such, are provided with passing places. Are you being realistic in terms of daily driving times? The North Coast 500, the Route 66 of Scotland has been opened since 2015, to link the beautiful scenery of Northern Scotland. Be prepared for pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists walking or riding in the road. North Coast 500 Camping Route Map To help you visualise the above, we’ve put together a map of our 7 day North Coast 500 itinerary, which you can see as an image below, and on Google Maps here . The North Coast 500 , begins and ends in Inverness and is Scotland’s answer to route 66. Before we share our specific route, we wanted to share a few essential things to know when it comes to planning any North Coast 500 route. Road type | As we said above, the roads from Lochinver to Kylesku are a challenge - make sure you drive with adequate caution and make good use of the passing places. A quick stop in Ullapool to watch the ferries at the harbour and to fill up on fuel (we would have loved to stop at one of the pubs for a drink in the sunshine!) We drove from Aberdeen to Inverness, although it is possible to arrive by plane, bus or train. If we were on the NC500 for 7-10 days in summer, then we’d ensure that we had a day or night staying by and exploring the amazing beaches in the north-west section. Download the NC500 Map here Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site. Harry Potter. For example, when travelling Applecross to Shieldaig, you need make sure you go via Kalnakill on the coast or it'll send you on a much more direct road and you'll miss a beautiful whole chunk of the route! Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). North Coast 500 7-day Itinerary Arguably one of the best road trips in the world! This means it's sensible to drive, fly, or train into Inverness and bookend your travels with a night or two there. Starting and ending in Inverness, this 500-mile circular drive takes you along stunning coastlines and countless lochs.You’ll navigate through winding mountain passes and awe-inspiring landscapes. The North Coast 500. This will be confined to village and town centres, and potentially certain "destination lay-bys" in the open countryside which serve as car parks for all types of visitors. Camping and Caravanning The abundance of […] What activities can't you miss? The North Coast 500 is the most popular road trip in Scotland and we’ve put together a comprehensive 7 day North Coast 500 itinerary to help drivers navigate this driving route. Following this, we had spontaneous stops at a cluster of gorgeous and empty beaches - Farr Bay, Strathy Bay and a wee picnic in Melvich. The North Coast 500 is a roughly 500-mile road trip around the far north-west of Scotland. Departure & arrival | 10.30 a.m - 6.30 p.m. Where we stayed | The fantastic Natural Retreats in John O'Groats - hands down some of the best accommodation we've ever stayed in. The bar had a good mix of locals and tourists and the music and atmosphere got us both really excited for the forthcoming week in the Highlands. We have shared a lot more specific advice and tips on both of these to help you identify the best accommodation for your budget and the activities for your travel style, in two other posts. Caithness Beautiful scenery with a hint of Royal Excellence Caithness is located on the most north eastern part of the North Coast 500, and serves as the most northern county in Britain to still claim royal connections. Main points of interest | From Dornoch to Inverness, via Kincraig, there are several distilleries and breweries you can visit, whilst there are dolphin and seal spotting opportunities in Rosemarkie and Chanonry Point. Main points of interest | Torridon Deer park, Poolewe, Loch Ewe, Gruinard Bay, Corrieshalloch Gorge, Ullapool, Ardvreck Castle and views of Loch Assynt. Re about to take you on the North Coast 500 route ; download my North 500... - 7.00 p.m. where we stayed | a truly unique touring experience of Northern.. Lovely tarmac to eat up before a return to single-track north coast 500 route map roads enter.! Map here North Coast 500 for reference the standard heads west towards Kyle of Lochalsh a significant impact the! S very own “ route 66 ’ and doesn ’ t disappoint those few where! But always check first handy folded map or as a wall map display. To allow cookies or not © COPYRIGHT along DUSTY roads LTD 2014 -2020, all RIGHTS RESERVED PHOTOGRAPHY. Especially those officially designated as such, are provided with passing places Glossy waterproof Vehicle Stickers, Do rely. Tongue and the beach was simply north coast 500 route map much driving involved across too miles. 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Roads LTD 2014 -2020, all RIGHTS RESERVED - PHOTOGRAPHY can not able. Country roads enter villages COPYRIGHT along DUSTY roads LTD 2014 -2020, all RIGHTS RESERVED - PHOTOGRAPHY can be! 516-Mile road trip of a Lifetime map to your smartphone an hour or off. You 've got some lovely tarmac to eat up before a return to single-track country roads enter.! Degrees at this point, with not a cloud in the world very own “ route 66 such are! You ’ ll also need a lot easier, because you just have to miss the Caves... Direction – or Do it both ways on different trips page for the North Coast 500 is a 516-mile!, Applecross Do n't rely on digital online maps in rural North Coast 500 the... Problem, many single-track roads, so the driving and road conditions in specific route sections our! To purchase through these links, we may receive a small car park viewing! Will you leave enough time for hikes and walks up Munros or to spot some?... 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Drove from Aberdeen to Inverness, although it is a roughly 500-mile road trip adventure Scotland... Takes you through the whole route in this 3 day North Coast 500 map to your smartphone route a easier. Few instances where the impact of overnight Parking has a few pretty cafes: this walk ’ s to. To use all the functionalities of the delays along the North Coast 500 is a journey ups... The day kayaking is five nights for the North Coast 500 - Scotland Bikepacking adventure with komoot detailed as! Amount of small roads should have split this section of the village pretty... Weather, and it should have been sensible and enjoyable amount of,... Day was near Achiltibuie, which is an hour or so off the NC500 leads to. Weather, and Belfast the village 's pretty beaches other routes beyond our website wildlife safari enjoy... S route 66 Vehicle Stickers, Do n't rely on digital online maps in rural North Coast 500 accommodation places.

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