Quick Facts
The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile (830 km) circular route starting and ending in Inverness, Scotland's capital of the Highlands. Launched 2015. Voted one of the world's best road trips.
- Length: 516 miles
- Time: 5-10 days
- Start/end: Inverness
- Direction: Most go anti-clockwise (west coast first for drama)
- Cost: £1,200-2,000 for 7 days for 2
7-Day Itinerary
- Day 1 Inverness → Ullapool (Bealach na Ba pass — UK's steepest road, dramatic)
- Day 2 Ullapool → Lochinver — Stoer Lighthouse, Old Man of Stoer
- Day 3 Lochinver → Durness — Smoo Cave, Sandwood Bay, Cape Wrath
- Day 4 Durness → Tongue → Thurso — Highland scenery, John o' Groats
- Day 5 Thurso → Wick → Helmsdale — east coast, milder, faster driving
- Day 6 Helmsdale → Tain → Inverness — Glenmorangie distillery, Cromarty
- Day 7 Inverness explore — Loch Ness, Culloden Battlefield, Cawdor Castle
Where to Stay
- Inverness: Kingsmills Hotel, Ness Walk
- Ullapool: The Ceilidh Place (eclectic boutique)
- Lochinver: Inver Lodge Hotel
- Durness: Durness Smoo, Mackay's
- Thurso: Pentland Hotel
- Wick: Mackays Hotel
- Wild camping legal under Scottish Outdoor Access Code
Driving Tips
- Single-track roads with passing places — give way appropriately
- Carry extra fuel — stations 30+ miles apart in the west
- Mobile signal patchy — download offline maps
- Speed: NC500 averages 30-35mph due to road quality
- Watch for sheep on the road
- Drive on the LEFT side
Costs
| Item | 7 days for 2 |
|---|---|
| Hire car (small) | £280-450 |
| Fuel (1,000 km) | £100-150 |
| Hotels (6 nights) | £600-1,200 |
| Food + drinks | £250-450 |
| Activities + tours | £100-200 |
| Total | £1,330-2,450 |
🦌 Wildlife: Red deer (rutting season Sept-Oct dramatic), pine martens, golden eagles, dolphins (Moray Firth), seals on every beach. Bring binoculars.