NC500

7 day itinerary for the nc500

7-Day NC500 Itinerary: The Complete Road Trip Plan

Seven days is our recommended time to travel the NC500. Five days can just about get you round if you accept that you will be driving more than you are stopping. Ten days gives you the freedom to add detours and take your time. But seven is the length most first-time drivers finish feeling like they actually saw Scotland rather than rushed past it.

This is a day-by-day itinerary running clockwise from Inverness, built around the assumption that you want to see the highlights without collapsing at the end of each day. Distances are realistic. The driving days average four to five hours of time on the road, leaving the rest of each day free for stops, walks, food and the occasional beach.

If seven days turns out to be too much or too little, we also have a 5-day version and a 10-day version. For the shape of the whole loop before you commit, see our NC500 route map or the Full North Coast 500 guide.

Before you start

· Book accommodation before you leave. Nowhere on this route has reliable walk-in availability in summer.

· Download offline maps. Mobile signal drops out through Assynt and parts of the north coast.

· Top up the tank in Inverness, Ullapool, Durness, Thurso and Wick.

· Pack for four seasons. Scotland delivers them in an afternoon.

· Read our guide on the best time of year to drive the NC500 if you are still weighing up dates.

Day 1: Inverness to Applecross

Distance: 124 miles. Drive time: 4.5 hours (with stops, closer to 7).

Leave Inverness in the morning, crossing the Kessock Bridge onto the Black Isle. If you fancy a gentle start, make your first stop Chanonry Point on the eastern edge of the Black Isle: one of the best spots in Europe for land-based dolphin watching. Rising tides between May and September are the best chance to see them.

Rejoin the A9 and head west on the A835 through Muir of Ord, Contin and Garve. The road rolls into the hills toward Achnasheen. Pull over at Rogie Falls for a ten-minute forest walk to a suspension bridge over the River Blackwater. If you time it right between late summer and autumn, you might see salmon leaping.

Drop south-west on the A890 toward Lochcarron. You are now on the western seaboard. Lunch in Strathcarron or at the excellent Kishorn Seafood Bar (langoustines, crab, a view over the loch). Afterwards, take the road south toward Tornapress and turn west for the climb over Bealach na Bà.

This is the defining drive of your first day. Six miles of single-track road up and over a 2,054-foot mountain pass, with three hairpin bends near the summit. Our full Bealach na Bà guide covers everything you need to know, including what vehicles should avoid it. Large motorhomes and caravans should take the coastal alternative via Shieldaig, which is slower but kinder.

The summit view reaches to Skye and the Outer Hebrides on a clear day. The drop down into Applecross village is as theatrical as anything you will do on the whole loop. Check into your accommodation, then walk to the Applecross Inn for dinner - (reserve ahead of time). Ask for a table by the window. The sunset over Raasay earns it.

Where to stay in Applecross

Applecross village and the surrounding peninsula have a small but good range of B&Bs, self-catering cottages, the campsite and the Applecross Inn itself. Browse our accommodation listings to filter by area.

Day 2: Applecross to Gairloch

Distance: 75 miles. Drive time: 2.5 hours (with stops, a full day).

Day two is shorter on paper and longer in practice, because you will want to stop constantly. Leave Applecross heading north on the coast road with views across to Raasay and Skye. This is single-track with passing places, slow and beautiful. After about fifteen miles you reach Shieldaig, a row of whitewashed cottages on a sea loch that qualifies as one of the prettiest villages in Scotland.

Continue east past Torridon. The scenery changes gear: the steep, layered summits of Beinn Eighe, Liathach and Beinn Alligin rise straight out of the glen. If you are up for a short walk, the Beinn Eighe Mountain Trail at Coille na Glas Leitire gives you some of the best views in the Highlands for a two-hour investment.

From Kinlochewe the road turns north past Loch Maree, a freshwater loch framed by Slioch mountain. The single-lane stretches here are easy compared to yesterday. At Gairloch you hit the western coast again. Check in early, take a walk to Gairloch beach, and if the evening is clear, drive a few minutes up toward Big Sand for one of the best sunsets on the whole route.

Lunch stops at Coast coffee company are great - lovely food and friendly staff.

Day 3: Gairloch to Ullapool

Distance: 60 miles. Drive time: 2 hours (with stops, 5 to 6).

Another short-on-paper day, and another full-on-the-ground one. The road runs north to Poolewe, home of Inverewe Garden: a semi-tropical coastal garden planted in the 1860s, kept warm by the Gulf Stream. Worth at least an hour if you like gardens, and visually impressive even if you do not.

North of Poolewe, pull off at Mellon Udrigle. This is one of the finest beaches on the NC500: a crescent of white sand with views out to the Summer Isles. The water is cold but astonishingly clear. We have written about it in full in our best beaches on the NC500 guide.

Back on the road, you head through Laide and Gruinard Bay (another beautiful beach worth a stop), over the moorland of Dundonnell to the Braes of Ullapool, and down into the town. Just before you arrive, at Braemore Junction, stop at Corrieshalloch Gorge. A five-minute walk brings you to a suspension bridge over a 150-foot drop. Not for those who dislike heights, but one of the most dramatic quick stops on the loop.

Ullapool is a working fishing port and the liveliest town on the west coast. Eat at the Seafood shack if it is dry (opened seasonally), or Oak&Grain for amazing pizza if it is not. Walk along the shore after dinner and watch the Stornoway ferry come in.

Day 4: Ullapool to Durness

Distance: 95 miles. Drive time: 3 hours (with stops, 7 to 8).

The wildest day. You head north from Ullapool on the A835, then turn onto the A837 toward Lochinver. This takes you into Assynt, the most dramatic landscape on the NC500. The mountains here are not in ranges: they stand alone, each one a separate shape on the horizon. Stac Pollaidh on your left about twenty minutes in is the easiest to identify, a spiky ridge above a small loch.

Lochinver is worth a stop for lunch. The Lochinver Larder does excellent pies. From Lochinver, take the optional B869 coast road north rather than the faster inland A894. You will lose forty minutes and gain one of the best drives of your life, past Achmelvich beach, Clashnessie waterfall and the Stoer peninsula with its views to Harris and Lewis on the horizon.

Rejoin the A894 and cross Kylesku Bridge, a beautiful curved concrete structure that is worth stopping for from the south side. Continue north through Scourie (optional ferry to Handa Island for seabirds, if time allows), past Laxford Bridge, and east to Durness. *Please note, you cannot book this as it’s weather dependent and it’s cash only on arrival).

Check in, then walk to Smoo Cave on the edge of the village. The outer chamber is free and impressive. The inner chamber, with its underground waterfall, is worth the small fee for the boat tour if it is running. Balnakeil beach is ten minutes west and one of the best on the north coast.

picture at the entrance of smoo cave, in the north west of scotland.

Day 5: Durness to Thurso

Distance: 77 miles. Drive time: 2.5 hours (with stops, 5 to 6).

The north coast day. If you are ahead of schedule and want a memorable morning, the Cape Wrath ferry and minibus from Keoldale leaves in the morning and takes about three hours return to reach mainland Britain's most north-westerly lighthouse. (Check in advance: the route can close at short notice for MoD firing exercises).

Otherwise, drive east from Durness along the A838. Stop at Ceannabeinne Beach, another strong contender for best on the route. The road continues east to Tongue, dropping inland to skirt the Kyle of Tongue, then out to Bettyhill. From Bettyhill the landscape is a series of beaches, low headlands and open moor.

Strathy Point lighthouse, a short walk from a small car park, is a fine leg-stretcher. Carry on through Melvich and Reay into Thurso, the biggest town on the north coast. Walk to Thurso Castle ruin on the east side of town, then eat somewhere with a view of the sea. If the sky is clear and you are here between September and March, the aurora is a realistic possibility.

Day 6: Thurso to Dornoch

Distance: 85 miles. Drive time: 2.5 hours (with stops, 5 to 6).

The start of the east coast run home. Leave Thurso heading north-east to Dunnet Head. The lighthouse here marks the true northernmost point of mainland Britain, a detail that John o' Groats has spent decades quietly stealing. The cliffs are thick with seabirds between April and July.

Continue to John o' Groats itself. The village is underwhelming but the famous signpost is worth the photograph. The real draw is a mile and a half east at Duncansby Head, where a fifteen-minute walk from the car park takes you to Duncansby Stacks , a pair of vast sea stacks below sheer cliffs. On a still day the silence and the view out to Orkney are remarkable.

Head south on the A99 to Wick. Just south of Wick, stop at Whaligoe Steps. A 365-step flagstone staircase drops down the side of a natural cliff-harbour where women once carried loads of herring up. It takes about an hour to walk down and back up, and it is a quietly moving bit of social history.

Continue through Helmsdale and Brora. Just north of Golspie, Dunrobin Castle sits back from the coast: the most northerly of the great Scottish houses, with 189 rooms and French chateau-style towers. Falconry displays run in summer. Overnight in Dornoch, a small cathedral town with a beautiful beach.

Day 7: Dornoch to Inverness

Distance: 50 miles. Drive time: 1 hour (with stops, 3 to 4).

A short day to ease yourself out of the trip. Walk on Dornoch beach first thing if the weather is kind. Visit Dornoch Cathedral, which has been a church on this spot since 1224. If golf matters to you, Royal Dornoch is one of the great links courses in the world and well worth a round.

Drive south across the Dornoch Firth, through Tain and over the Cromarty Firth bridge to the Black Isle. If you skipped Chanonry Point on day one, here is your chance. Otherwise, head straight into Inverness, arrive around lunchtime, and celebrate the completion of your loop with a proper meal in town.

By the end of day seven you will have driven 516 miles, seen more landscapes than many people see in a year, and understood why Scots call this part of the country 'the far north' as if it were a different world.

Making this itinerary yours

Nothing about this plan is sacred. Common adjustments:

· Spend two nights in Applecross instead of one. It is the hardest place to leave.

· Add a rest day in Ullapool if you like the town.

· Swap the Duncansby Stacks walk for a Cape Wrath trip if you didn't do one on day five.

· Extend the final day with a stop in Cromarty (old salt-burgh with excellent food) rather than racing back to Inverness.

· Drive anti-clockwise, which reverses the order but works just as well. Anti-clockwise tends to be quieter in July and August.

For more curated suggestions, browse our 25 best stops on the NC500, best beaches guide and most beautiful scenery guide. If you are travelling with a motorhome or campervan, our dedicated motorhome guide has everything you need. And if you are planning to camp, the campsites along the NC500 covers every main site on the loop.

Frequently asked questions

Is seven days enough for the NC500?

Yes. Seven days gives you time to drive the loop without rushing, take in the main stops, and have meaningful time off the road each day. If you want to add Cape Wrath, serious walking or Orkney, consider ten days. Our how long does the NC500 take covers the full range.

Should I drive the NC500 clockwise or anti-clockwise?

Clockwise is the standard, which means you tackle Bealach na Bà while you are fresh. Anti-clockwise is quieter in summer and leaves the easiest driving for the end of the trip. Either works. This itinerary runs clockwise, but reverse the days and it works the other way round.

How far do you drive each day?

Between 50 and 124 miles, averaging around 80. Driving times range from one to four and a half hours before stops. The west coast days are shorter in distance but longer in time because of single-track roads.

What if I only have five days?

Follow our 5-day NC500 itinerary instead. It covers the same route with fewer stops and longer driving days.

Where should I book first?

Applecross and Durness. Both are small places with limited accommodation, and both sell out first. See our NC500 accommodation guide for section-by-section recommendations.

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