Exploring Scotland’s NC500 Coastlines & Highland Wonders

Travelling around the infamous Iceland ‘Route 1’ back in 2023 gave me a fantastic taste for Campervan life and led me to discover Scotland’s NC500 route that navigates the entire top of the Scottish Highlands, traditionally starting and ending in Inverness.

I spent over a year researching the route and talking with family, friends and tour companies that all had slightly different suggestions on how the route should be tackled with almost unlimited landmark variations along the way which took some time to unpack and reconstruct in a way that would allow me to get the most from my trip.

The official starting point for the 516-mile journey is Inverness and one of the key decisions was whether to traverse the route anticlockwise or clockwise.

Most people I talked to agreed they would go anticlockwise leaving the most scenic part of the West Coast until last. Then I found a fantastic NC500 Campervan company based in Glasgow called Scotland Escape and after an initial chat with the owners Gemma & Campbell they suggested I go clockwise giving me far more time along the most scenic stretch as I love landscape photography, so this was the plan!

I would arrive at Glasgow, spend my first night at the stunning Loch Lomond Lodge then travel the NC500 clockwise from there, passing by many ‘WOW’ landmarks along the way!

I’m not actually sure why I have never thought to travel the NC500 before, as Scotland is very much on my doorstep and with a short flight of 1.5hrs from London Gatwick to Glasgow it was such an easy trip.

Upon landing at Glasgow Airport I was picked up by Campbell from Scotland Escape in ‘Dolly’ my new VW T5.1 Transporter Pop-top that was to be my ride for the entire trip! I had a short de-brief then made my way West to the absolutely stunning Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond is the largest freshwater lake in Britain standing at a length of 22 miles long. It boasts a wide range of wildlife and draws tourists from all around the world and I can see why!

For my first night I decided to park ‘Dolly’ up and stay in the luxurious Hotel The Lodge on Loch Lomond, nestled directly on the shores of the Loch itself.

Even though I was only at Loch Lomond for a single day and night, I managed to get some amazing pictures from my drone as well as walking around parts of the shoreline taking in the surroundings and historic Scottish feels.

Taking the first day nice and easy provided me with enough time to find my bearings and plan the next few days. I planned to do a few hikes as well as venture to the outskirts of the city to get a taste of the forest covered volcanic mountains I could see towering above the cityscape in the distance.

After having had a wonderful first night at Loch Lomond, I was all ready and packed for my early start. I was due to be driving 2 hours North along the West Coast from Lock Lomond to Fort William in order to take on the Highest Mountain in the UK standing at a altitude of 1345m!

I had actually completed the 3 peaks challenge back in 2013 with a great group of friends, Ben Nevis being one of the peaks we had to tackle and I seem to remember it being extremely wet, cold and foggy with never ending turns as you wind up the mountain path, I wondered how it would compare to my previous experience.

Arriving at the base of Ben Nevis early morning and having time to get some well needed food and drink for the climb, it seemed that I was in for a difficult climb due to the weather. I thought I was well prepared, but as I purchased my items from a local store, the shop attendant asked whether I was prepared enough for the top today due to warnings about the weather closing in. I flippantly said yes and headed for Ben Nevis!

It took 2 hours to clamber up the windy unforgiving slate path of Ben Nevis and near the top I was greeted with blanket fog and severe wind and rain! It was so foggy that I actually spent 45 minutes walking around aimlessly near the top having lost all sight of the large piles of stone there to guide walkers!

Coming down was just as hard, as the stone path was so slippery! As I descended through the blanket fog, some of the views coming down were just breathtaking and I decided to get the drone out to take some shots of me with the scenic backdrop. After a 2-hour decent I was back to the entrance of the path and ready to head to that evening’s accommodation.

My stay was at The Glen Nevis Caravan & Camping Park that was situation right at the bottom of Ben Nevis, so it was great to use their great facilities, shower and settle in to enjoy the Campaign Pod I had booked. I would thoroughly recommend paying a little extra to stay in one of the pods as they were fantastic!

I slept really well in the Pod after the Ben Nevis hike, but was still up early as I was excited at the prospect of visiting the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct also known as Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter movies.

The Viaduct was only 30 mins from the Ben Nevis Campsite, which allowed me to get there before the masses! There was only a handful of tourists in the National Trust car park when I arrived which allowed me to shuffle to a great viewing point above the Viaduct in time for the Hog Warts Express!

The train actually passes over the Viaduct twice a day at 10:45am and 15:10pm. I was there for the 10:45am showing and it did not disappoint! The crowds on the embankment overlooking the Viaduct really started to grow around 10:30am just before the train was due and you could cut the excitement with a knife!

Then all of a sudden, hundreds of spectators fell silent as the distant chugging of a steam train was heard and a plume of smoke was seen from a far. The train then started to cross the curved Viaduct and then stopped… All cameras and photographers paused and wondered whether it had broken down.. Then a few loud toots and the train slowly made its way photogenically across the Viaduct so everyone could get a good picture and take it all in! I’m so glad I made the effort to visit this landmark along my route 🙂

Isle of Skye Capital City ‘Portree‘

After enjoying the Glenfinnan Viaduct I headed for the Isle of Skye for my next leg of the adventure. Rather than take the ferry I drove over the Skye Bridge which had some great views as I landed on Skye. My first stop would be the capital city of Portree and to head directly to the icon ‘Colorful houses of Portree’. After a full day on the Isle of Skye I headed to the Dunollie Hotel, a quaint (but slightly dated), seaside location on the South East of the Isle of Skye to spend my first night.

The Old Man of Storr

Day four was probably my favourite day of the entire trip! I got up at 5am to travel along the East coast of the Isle of Skye heading to hike up to the ‘Old Man of Storr‘. The Old Man of Storr being the most iconic Landmark on the island! I arrived before masses of tourists had a chance to get there and was already well along the route before 7am.

Apparently, it is rare to see the Old Man of Storr in its splendour as its usually covered in mist, however I have to say it was an absolutely idyllic morning for it! The Hike was just stunning and the rock formations on the way up were breathtaking. I managed to have enough time to fly my drone along the rock formation and took some stunning photography of the landmark before taking a leisurely stroll down again. The Hike is around 1-2 hours but is a MUST SEE if you ever visit the Isle of Skye.

Kilt Rock & Mealt Waterfall

I wasn’t sure how the day could get better after visiting the Old Man of Storr, however I was in for a real treat as I headed 20 mins further North along the East Coast. I stumbled across Mealt Waterfall by chance online and decided to head a little further out that I would have liked, but this Waterfall was a real jewel in Isle of Skye’s crown!

What makes this waterfall special is that is a coast waterfall with an 180ft drop into the ocean below. The waterfall has a Kilt Rock back drop to really give it a Jurassic feel.

The Fairy Pools

The Fairy Pools are a collection of crystal-clear pools and cascading waterfalls located in Glen Brittle on Scotland’s Isle of Skye. The sheer scale of the surrounding landscape is simply spectacular. The mountainous backdrop with waterfalls carved into of the flats could have been Scandinavia or Iceland.

The Fairy Pools are located Southwest on the island, but well worth heading down to check it out. I ended up on a 10km round trip hike in the blazing heat, but the walk allows you to hike alongside the waterfalls and streams with many people taking a dip in the ice-cold streams to cool down!

Having thoroughly enjoyed my 2 days on the Isle of Skye, it was time to head back to the Scottish Mainland and up the West Coast to Applecross and a chance to take the formidable Bealach na Bà pass!

The Bealach na Bà pass, or “Pass of the Cattle”, is a famous mountain road in the Applecross Peninsula of the Scottish Highlands. Known for its steep gradients and sharp hairpin bends, the 6km single-track pass offers drivers a challenging but rewarding journey, with sweeping views over rugged peaks, deep valleys, and, on clear days, the Isle of Skye.

The gradients along the single-track Bealach na Bà can be as steep as 20% and there are only a few points at which 2 way traffic can drive past each other making for a very interesting journey up and down the mountain! After an intense drive navigating the pass I was greeted with a very picturesque coastline and a very welcoming cafe called ‘The Junction’ that offered soup and homemade bread and cakes!

After my break at The Junction, I headed back to the Bealach na Bà pass again to re-navigate the route and on to the Black Water Falls that were 2 hours back inland.

The Black Water Falls are a slight detour from the NC500 route, however they are a hidden gem situated deep within the Highlands. The moody Black river and falls are very natural landmark that was extremely quiet when I visited. An ancient arched bridge framed the falls and gave me an opportunity to get some really nice drone shots from above too.

I then drove a further 30 mins to the Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve that consists of a mile long gorge through which the River Droma flows. It was very easy to park and they had a really nice cafe with food, drink and facilities. After a quick coffee I headed out to walk along one of the several Hike routes around the national park. I chose to follow a route that took me over the Victorian suspension bridge above the gorge and gave me a chance to take some nice pictures of the Falls of Measash. It really did take your breath away the gorge was so deep!

It had been a very long day and I was keen to get to my next campsite for the night. I chose to stay at a Badrallach Campsite, Bothy & Holiday Cottage that was another 30 minutes drive from the Falls of Measash.

Departing from my stunning campsite (although it was a particularly cold night in Dolly), I headed an hour North along the West coast to Ullapool which was a very quaint scenic fishing village. I stayed there for a coffee and some breakfast then headed on another 1.5 hours to Stoer Lighthouse and another coastal landmark called ‘The Old Man of Stoer’.

Stoer Lighthouse was built in 1870 and is still a working Lighthouse that also provides accommodation too. It sits as Westerly as you can get along the brutally cold North West coast of the Highlands and allows you to walk 360 degrees right around the iconic landmark to view the Lighthouse from all angles.

After taking in the Lighthouse, I started a 10km trek further up the coast to view ‘The Old Man of Stoer’, a break taking 60m high sea stack that juts out over the landscape. Even a few kilometres away I could see the tip of the landmark above the undulating coastal grass banks. As I got closer, I was absolutely blow away by the sheer size of the stack and the crashing waves at the base made it even more impressive.

I had to climb down a long grass bank to get to the landmark, by this time the wind had really picked up and the grey clouds had started to draw in, giving me some really moody pictures both from the ground and with my Drone of the impressive stack!

The hike back was a brutal hour heading into gale-force winds and rain, I was so glad to get back to Dolly!

From the Stoer Lighthouse its an hour drive back-tracking to the NC500 route, then heading further North to the Coastal town of Scourie, but not before having to drive over the stunning Kylesku Bridge that looked just like it could have been located in Iceland!

30 mins further on I arrived at my next beautiful Caravan pitch, which was set in an idyllic coastal bay overlooking Scourie Beach. It was called Scourie Caravan & Campsite and my pitch was right over the Beach to give me a great view of the sunset.

An early start and heading 15 mins directly to Tarbet, which is a very small coastal bay to catch a RIB boat 30 mins to Handa Island also known as ‘Puffin Island’.

After being windswept to within an inch of my life, we landed on a deserted beach and were greeted by several National Trust people that gave us a quick talk about the island before we were allowed to head off for the island hike.

Handa Island is 3km wildlife reserve, that boasts 100,000 seabirds nesting in season along the coastline. Unfortunately although I saw thousands of birds, it was a little too early for Puffin season, but I did spot one, so that made my day 🙂

I saw so many sealions floating about in the waves along the coast of Handa Island, I took some fantastic footage of them bobbing around.

After a thoroughly enjoyable day on Handa Island, I drove another hour to the furthest North I would be travelling along the NC500 to a town called Durness. I had booked and was looking forward to staying at another coastal camp site called Sango Sands Oasis.

Sango Sands Oasis Caravan and Camp site was situated along another deserted beach with golden sand called Durness Beach. I had a really nice spot to park Dolly that gave me a 180-degree view of the coastline. That evening, I watched an ominous storm approach the coast while eating Fish & Chips in the van all cosy and warm, what a great way to end the day.

The stay at Durness Beach was one of my favourites, as the view out to sea from Dolly was just stunning. I woke to a splendid sunrise and after a quick breakfast (1 x banana and 1 x bag of nuts), I left Durness and started my journey along the North coast of Scotland. My trip today was as far North as you can travel along the top of Britain.

Although it was extremely bitter, the sun was out and I was blown away by the sheer number of deserted golden beaches, I couldn’t believe how blue the water was too, if the temperature did not feel like minus, then you would have thought from some of my pictures that I was in the Mediterranean.

THE SMOO CAVES

My first stop of the day was only 5 mins away and was a coastal cave formation called ‘Smoo Caves’. The Smoo Cave is a vast natural formation that combines both sea and freshwater cave systems.

The caves were free to get in and provided a small rickety bridge to get into the caves, the entrance to the cave itself was ginormous and a really lovely place to hike around to view form all angles. The cave itself however was flooded at the time of me visiting, so I could only walk a small way in before coming up against deep water. This landmark is definitely worth a visit if you are passing.

CEANNABEINNE & COLDBAKIE BEACHES

Two of the most stunning beaches I have ever seen were Ceannabeinne Beach and Coldbackie Beach. Both were as North as you could get and located along the NC500 route. The vast expanse of natural golden sand as well as the Scandinavian scenery on both beaches were breathtaking.

STRATHY POINT LIGHTHOUSE

Travelling along the coast to Strathy Point Lighthouse, but not before taking a slight detour to see ‘Ben Hope’ an isolated monolith slightly inland, but still very far North and bitterly cold!

The Strathy Point Lighthouse was completed in 1958 and sits proudly along the jagged North coast. It allows you to walk right around the Light House as well as hike along some stunning coastal paths to see some memorising coastal formations.

The route today was around 3-4 hours after stops, but it was probably my favourite stretch of the NC500 due to the sheer variety of landscapes and stunning coastal formations and beaches. My stop over tonight was to be the Thurso Bay Caravan & Camping Park – another stunning coastal facing pitch that allowed me to enjoy the scenic views along the North Coast.

THE CASTLE OF MEY

I was nearing the tip of North East Scotland and the infamous John O’Groats, but I decided to make a stop at another Castle en route. The Castle and Gardens of Mey were built between 1566 and 1572 and are a traditional looking Castle that sit along the rocky North coast .

The Castle was not too far off route, but you do need to travel down a very long straight road leading up to the estate down a single file road. I managed to get there without too much fuss only to find it was slightly out of season and closed to the public. I did however manage to fly the drone around to get some birds eye views of the Castle and Gardens in all of their splendour.

DUNCANSBY LIGHTHOUSE

Today’s journey from Thurso Bay to John O’Groats was only a 45min trip, but I had left early to stop off at the Castle of Mey and also to get to 3 locations I was most looking forward to. These were Duncansby Lighthouse and Stacks and John O’Groats itself. Duncansby Head lies at the far northeast tip of mainland Scotland and indeed of Great Britain. Positioned a little to the northeast of John o’ Groats the Lighthouse sits facing the vast expanse of the North Sea and pointed towards the Orkney Islands.

DUNCANSBY STACKS

After taking in the views from Duncansby Head Lighthouse, I started the 5km trek along the coast to view the breathtaking Duncansby Stacks. Seeing the Duncansby Stacks for the first time has to be a life highlight for me (no exaggeration). The stacks are towering sandstone sea pillars shaped by erosion and home to thousands of species of seabirds.

Their dramatic form makes them one of Scotland’s most iconic coastal landmarks and I can definitely see why. The menacing forms impose themselves along the coast and I managed to get some awesome photos of the coastal pillars before the weather started closing in!

JOHN O’GROATS

After a windswept walk back from the Duncansby Stacks, I headed to probably one of the most well known locations in the North, John O’Groats! I parked up and enjoyed some photos around the famous John O’Groats Sign Post before spending the remainder of the afternoon enjoying (and purchasing things), from the many cheesy souvenir shops.

My stay at the luxury, self-catering ‘John O’Groats Accommodation‘ was probably my favourite night! The quirky multi-coloured apartments overlook the John O’Groats sign and look out over the vast hauntingly cold North Sea towards the Orkney Islands.

Departing from the most amazing nights stay at the colourful Luxury apartments situated right next to the Sign post, I started my journey heading South along the East Coast towards my next destination, the ancient ‘Castle Sinclair Girnigoe’

CASTLE SINCLAIR GIRNIGOE

The Castle is located about 3 miles north of Wick on the East coast of Caithness and is a complex of set of stone structures built over 200 year ago. I would recommend popping along to take a look at this landmark for all you budding historians!

WHALIGOE STEPS

Twenty minutes further along the East Coast was another highly recommended historic set of stone steps carved into a cliffside. The 330 steps wind down a steep cliffside, leading to one of the most secluded and hard-to-reach harbours imaginable. Again, well worth a visit if you are travelling down the East Coast.

DUNROBIN CASTLE & GARDENS

Another hour further South along the East Coast was a location that I had not planned to go and view, but having seen some of the images of the Dunrobin Castle & Gardens online, I felt I just had to drop by. I can tell you now this place is JAW-DROPPING! The price to get in was not too much at £15 and the Gardens were just stunning. Walking around the grounds provide me a great opportunity to view the Castle framed with colour and natural beauty. It really was like a fairy tale castle as you would imaging it to look in real life.

For my overnight stay I decided to do something a little different and stay in the NC500 Luxury Glamping Pods in Brora. The location was well away from town so was dead quiet and also had a really cool pod Sauna too which I used in the evening.

After a refreshing morning Sauna and shower at the NC500 Luxury Pods, I reluctantly started my 2-hour journey further South from Brora heading for Inverness, the official start/end point for the NC500 route.

An hour in, I had managed to navigate the windy, narrow routes beside Loch Shin to the ‘Falls of Shin‘. Unfortunately, the main cafe and restaurant area were under refurbishment, but that did not stop me from taking a short hike around one of their woodland/river routes. This hike took me past the Falls of Shin themselves. The River Shin is a hive of activity when its Salmon spawning season, but I was slightly early for that. I walked back through the forest, looping through higher woodland that offered some beautiful views.

I then travelled another 1.5 hours South to the most stunning drive around Loch Ness. Loch Ness is actually huge! It is 22.5 miles long and 1.7 miles wide making it 56 square km of fresh water! I spent the remainder of the day driving around the Loch and stopping to take some lovely photos of it, I also got some great views of Castle Ness, also known officially as Urquhart Castle.

I chose to stay in the ‘Loch Ness Drumnadrochit Hotel’ that was perfectly situated along the edge of the Loch, so I had a fantastic view of the evening as it drew in over the Loch.

I had a mammoth 5-hour drive ahead of me on the 12th day. You take it for granted just how far North Inverness is from the capital Edinburgh, but 5 hours of winding (yet beautiful), roads lie between both cities. After a day on the road, I had decided to book a lovely Boutique Airbnb called ‘The Lane Hotel‘. It was just outside the city centre so allowed me to stroll in and eat at a local restaurant before retiring for the night.

The Royal Mile

I woke nice and early and headed into the heart of Edinburgh, and once I had negotiated the congestion free zones, I managed to park Dolly and walk to the infamous ‘Royal Mile’. The Royal Mile is a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of Edinburgh and all of the core city landmarks are easily accessed from this stretch of city.

Other than the eye watering amount of souvenir shops I went into along the way, I headed to the most visited part of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle

I hadn’t realised that you have to pre-book entry for Edinburgh Castle, so I managed to download the app and book a ticket for early afternoon. This gave me an opportunity yo get some lunch and take in some more of the beautifully aged, cobbled roads of the city.

The Castle is £21.50 for adults and £13 for children. Kids under 7yrs old go in for free. I spent several hours walking around the Castle and enjoying the various museums and architecture, it really is so worth seeing if you are up in Edinburgh.

After a long day in the city, it was nice to travel to my penultimate night and my final evening sleeping in Dolly. The location I had chosen was called ‘The Mortonhall Caravan & Camping Park‘. It was a superb camp site and would thoroughly recommend staying here if you are in or around Edinburgh.

The Kelpies

For my final full day in Scotland, I decided to travel an hour from Edinburgh to Falkirk to see the stunning ‘Kelpies’.

The Kelpies are two towering 30-metre steel horse heads near Falkirk and Grangemouth, forming a striking gateway to the Forth and Clyde Canal beside the M9 motorway. The sculptures were inspired by Scottish folklore, they represent mythical water spirits said to possess the strength and grace of ten horses.

The tourist cafe and location are fantastic and makes for a great day out if you are passing. It is amazing just how large the sculpture is when you are close up too.

Bowling Harbour

After the Kelpies, I travelled another hour West to my final night at Bowling Harbour. I have to say this area and the Airbnb location I stayed in for my final night was one of my highlights.

Bowling Harbour sits alongside the beautiful River Clyde, and provides for an idyllic location with stunning views if you have the sort of sunset that I was lucky enough to witness!

My final night was at the boutique ‘Custom House Hotel‘, a really nicely renovated 18th Century historic building right on the harbours edge.

Where do I start with this trip.. I was absolutely blown away by the breathtaking beauty of the Highlands, its stunning landscapes and hidden historical gems made for easily one of the best road trips I have ever experienced.

This trip took a lot of planning, however I was helped immensely by Gemma & Campbell from Scotland Escape. Before I spoke with these guys, I wanted to simply drive around the NC500 in a Campervan. However, after chatting with them in more detail, I found out that there was so much more to see and do that was slightly off the trodden path of the NC500.

Ironically a lot of the landmarks that were not strictly along the NC500, such as The Isle of Skye, Puffin Island and many of the isolated beaches were became some of my favourite locations!

The NC500 route has officially been around since 2015 after being launched by the Tourism Project Board of the North Highland Initiative. Even though it has become a well-trodden path by tourists, all the locals had so much time for me, and I was always greeted with a smile by all that I met.

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