Drive the North Coast 500
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile loop around the far north of Scotland, through the Black Isle, Caithness, Sutherland and Wester Ross. It strings together white beaches, bare mountains and remote fishing villages on roads that are often a single lane wide.
ModerateOver £500 / $650A few weeksOutdoorsAlone or with othersScotlandLate spring to early autumn
How to start
- Read the planning pages and sample itineraries on the official North Coast 500 site and decide how many days to allow.
- Book your overnight stops before you set off, as beds are scarce in the smaller villages.
- Read the site's road safety advice and learn how passing places work on single-track roads.
Where to go
We opened this link on 7 October 2026 and found it to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. The hard part of a day out is the timing: the right season, tickets and getting there. The plan watches the calendar for you.
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