The NC500
The North Coast 500 (NC500) is a 516-mile (830 km) signed driving route around the far north of mainland Scotland. It starts and finishes at Inverness Castle and takes in the west coast, the north coast and the east coast of the Highlands: Applecross and Bealach na Bà, Torridon, Ullapool and Assynt, Durness, Thurso and John o' Groats, then home by Dunrobin Castle and Dornoch.
Most people drive it clockwise over five to ten days, with seven the length we recommend. About a third of the route is single track with passing places, so the point is to stop, and the places to stay and things to see on this page are all on or near the road.
Plan the loop
Start with our North Coast 500 guide, which covers the route in five sections, how many days to allow, when to go and where to stay, and links to every NC500 guide we have written. The route map has the drive time between every stop on the loop, checked against Google Maps, and the 5, 7 and 10-day itineraries lay it out day by day.
Book the west coast nights first. Beds between Applecross and Durness are the scarcest on the route, and in July and August they go months ahead.
Places to stay on the NC500
Plan your NC500 trip
North Coast 500 (NC500): the complete guide to Scotland's 516-mile road trip
The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile loop from Inverness Castle around the top of Scotland. What it is, the five sections, how long it takes, when to go, where to stay, and every guide we have written on it.
NC500 route map: the full loop, section by section
The NC500 is a 516-mile loop from Inverness Castle around the far north of Scotland. Every section, every stop-to-stop drive time, the road notes, and a free map.
How long does the NC500 take? Days, hours and what to book
The NC500 takes 13 to 15 hours of pure driving, but nobody drives it that way. Five days is the minimum, seven is right for most people, ten is the relaxed answer.
7 day itinerary for the NC500
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.
Best time of year to drive the NC500
The best time to drive the NC500 is May, June or September. Here is the whole year month by month: weather, daylight, crowds, midges, what is open and what to book first.
Where to stay on the NC500: accommodation guide
Where to stay on the NC500: the overnight stops that make the loop work, what to book first, and hotels, B&Bs, pods and cottages section by section.
Driving the NC500 in a motorhome or campervan
Yes, you can drive the NC500 in a motorhome or campervan. Allow seven to ten days, hire from Inverness, book campsites early, and take the Shieldaig road rather than Bealach na Bà in anything large.
Campsites along the NC500
This guide is here to make your trip a bit easier. It pulls together campsites all the way around the NC500, laid out west to east, so you’re not zig-zagging across the map wondering where you can legally park up for the night.
How much does the NC500 cost? A realistic budget for 2026
Two people can drive the NC500 for about £450 camping and hostelling, £1,000 to £1,800 with B&Bs and pub suppers, or £2,600 with a hire car and hotels. Every figure priced from the operators, August 2026.
The NC500 with a dog: dog-friendly stays, beaches, hire and the rules
The NC500 is one of the easiest road trips in Britain to do with a dog: no beach bans, most pubs and campsites say yes, and Inverness hire firms take dogs free. Here is where you can and cannot go.
The NC500 in winter: what is open, what is shut and how to plan it
You can drive the NC500 in winter. Expect six and a half hours of daylight in December, shut castles, a Bealach that closes in snow, and empty roads. Here is what is open, month by month, from the operators.
Stops and things to do on the NC500
25 Best Stops on the NC500: The Places You Shouldn't Miss
The NC500 is a 516-mile driving loop, but the point of driving it is not the driving. The point is the stops. After hundreds of trips, rounds of reader feedback, here are the twenty-five stops we think earn their place on the loop
The best beaches on the NC500
The best beaches on the NC500 are Mellon Udrigle, Balnakeil and Achmelvich for white sand and clear water, Dunnet Bay for families and surfers. All sixteen, in the order you reach them driving clockwise.
Castles on the NC500
The far north of Scotland is castle country. The clans that ran this part for the best part of a thousand years (Mackenzies, Sinclairs, Mackays, Sutherlands) all left fortifications behind, and the NC500 passes close to more than a dozen of them.
Distilleries on the NC500: the nine on the route and which you can visit
Nine whisky distilleries sit on or beside the NC500, from Glen Ord to Wolfburn. Which ones run tours in 2026, what they cost, which have closed their doors, and how to fit three into a week.
Wildlife on the NC500: Dolphins, Puffins, Eagles & More
The far north of Scotland holds some of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Britain. The NC500 runs through the habitats: ancient native pinewood, exposed cliffs, raised beaches, machair, and the open hill country of Sutherland and Caithness.
Bealach na Bà - Scotland's most dramatic mountain pass
Bealach na Bà is a single-track mountain road that climbs from sea level to 2,054 feet in just over six miles.
Smoo Cave - Scotland's dramatic sea cave
A sea cave with a waterfall inside it, on the edge of Durness village. Free to enter, £15 for the boat tour to the inner chamber, and half an hour to an hour well spent on the north coast.
Duncansby Stacks
The best sea cliffs on the NC500, two miles east of John o' Groats. Free parking at the lighthouse, a 15-minute clifftop walk, puffins from late April to July. Skip the signpost, come here instead.