Destination NC500

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Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve– At this nature reserve, kids have the chance to walk across a “scary” suspension bridge and there is also hiking trails. Just be careful to keep hold of young children.

Both, my wife and I, are in love with castles, so we would definitely like to sleep a few nights in several of the famous Castle Hotels, however, we would REALLY love to include the NC500 route in our schedule… Hi Northard & Gitti, So glad that you are finding our Scotland articles helpful in planning your trip! The midges normally start emerging around mid May and are usually in full swing by early June. How bad they are varies each year (2018 was a bad year) and throughout the summer. I don’t think it will likely matter too much as you can find them throughout the Highlands in summer, although from our experience they do tend to be worse along the west side of the North Coast 500 route. After reading your reply I think we might go for around 10 days for the NC500, a week for the islands en some days for edinburg / inverness etc. which make a total of around 3 weeks. I am not sure which phone number you are referring to but we recommend that people have a phone number on hand that they can call in case of breakdown, whether this is coverage you have paid for via a service like the AA or through your hire car or campervan rental service. I would just make sure your coverage is good for Scotland. There are over 10 golf courses in this area but a few golf courses to consider are the Inverness Golf Club in Inverness, The Nairn Golf Clubin Nairn, Nairn Dunbar Golf Club in Nairn, Castle Stuart Golf Links near Nairn, Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Clubin Fortrose, Invergordon Golf Club in Invergordon, and the Royal Links Championship Course & Struie Course in Dornoch.We definitely agree with encouraging people to stop and spend money at the local campgrounds, hotels, museums, restaurants, shops, visitor centers, etc. It is the best way to support the local economy, meet people, and get the most of the route. The slower you go, the more you’ll see and the more you are likely to enjoy your trip! Glad you are finding our content on the NC500 and Scottish Highlands helpful in planning your trip 😉

Winter can be a nice time for photography and solitude, although the weather can be bad and certain minor roads (e.g. the Bealach Na Ba) may be closed due to bad weather. If you plan to drive the NC500 out of season (e.g., October to March) just note that many businesses (including hotels, restaurants, tourist information offices, and attractions) in the Scottish Highlands are seasonal or have reduced winter hours. The NC500 is not an actual single road or highway like Route 66 or the Pacific Coast Highway, but is a series of existing roads that form a loop around the northern Highlands. Before your trip, take a look at the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to make sure you understand the local laws and best practices. Do your part to leave ‘no trace’ and encourage your travel companions to do the same!

If you are looking for places to travel in Scotland where there are lots of hostels and cheaper places to stay I’d recommend looking at the larger cities in Scotland as these are well connected by public transit (both train and bus, which will save you money so you don’t need a rental car) and offer hostels – your chances of couchsurfing there would also be much higher. So cities you might look at are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Stirling, and Inverness.

Your guide is very informative and we will be following and using lots of your tips and recommendations. Yes, we should definitely add a section to our North Coast 500 guide about traveling with dogs, as I just received a very similar question from a reader looking for dog-friendly hotels along the NC500 🙂 If you’ve driven any part of NC500, feel free to share any tips or advice you have from your own trip! As always, all questions and comments are welcome.

If you are arriving elsewhere in Scotland or the UK, you’ll have additional options such as Rent a Motorcycle in Edinburgh. Renting a Campervan and Camping Gear