North Coast 500 Tours

About North Coast 500

The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile signposted scenic driving route around the far north of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle. Often called Scotland's Route 66, it is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest road trips — a loop through five distinct landscapes stitched together: the gentle farmland of the Black Isle, the dramatic climb over Bealach na Ba to Applecross, the wild coastal stretch through Wester Ross and Assynt, the Atlantic edge along the north coast of Sutherland and Caithness, and a softer run south through Dornoch and back to Inverness. Bealach na Ba is the single most dramatic drive on the route. This mountain pass climbs from sea level to 2,054 feet in roughly six miles, with gradients of one-in-five and three tight hairpin bends near the top. The summit view, on a clear day, reaches to Skye and the Outer Hebrides. It is not suitable for large motorhomes or caravans — an alternative coastal road via Shieldaig is available. Applecross village at the foot of the pass is famous for the Applecross Inn. The wild stretch from Ullapool to Durness passes under the distinctive profiles of Suilven and Stac Pollaidh in Assynt, crosses the Kylesku Bridge, and heads north through some of the loneliest driving in Britain. Durness rewards with Smoo Cave — the most dramatic sea cave on the mainland, featuring an interior waterfall and summer boat trips — plus Sango Sands, Balnakeil Beach, and Ceannabeinne Beach. The north coast runs east through Tongue and Thurso to John o'Groats, where the Duncansby Stacks — dramatic sea stacks — are the real highlight. The east coast return passes Dunrobin Castle near Golspie (a fairy-tale French chateau transplanted to the Highlands) and the handsome town of Dornoch with its cathedral and championship golf course.