North Coast 500
Photo: Ruth Riddle, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
North Coast 500 (or NC500) is a motoring itinerary around the north coast of Scotland, starting and finishing in Inverness. The recommended route is 516 miles / 830 km but there are several short-cuts, diversions for heavier vehicles to avoid the narrowest roads, and side trips. It crosses the thinly-populated counties of Wester Ross, Sutherland, Caithness and Easter Ross.
UnderstandThe main roads north of Inverness carve through the valleys to reach little villages along the coast, and taking a loop tour has always been an obvious way to visit the area.
PrepareYou need eligibility to enter the UK, which is no longer part of the EU.
Get inInverness is the recommended start and finish. Indeed the way Highland transport routes funnel towards it, you'd have to go out of your way to start or finish anywhere else.
RouteThe route is here described clockwise, but you can just as well go anticlockwise.
Do
Sleep
Stay safeRoad safety is a top concern just about anywhere, and here the added problem is single-track roads along the west coast.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "North Coast 500" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Ruth Riddle, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons