Planning Your NC500 Trip: The Complete Guide
Everything you need to plan your North Coast 500 road trip — route overview, how many days to allow, what to pack, and whether to book ahead.
The Route at a Glance
The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile loop that starts and finishes at Inverness Castle, tracing the wild northern coastline of Scotland through some of the most dramatic landscapes in Europe. The route passes through Wester Ross, Caithness, and Sutherland, taking in rugged mountains, white-sand beaches, ancient castles, and tiny fishing villages that feel untouched by time.
Most people drive the loop clockwise, heading west from Inverness along the A835 before turning north. This puts you on the seaward side of the road for the best views and means you tackle the famous Bealach na Ba pass as an ascent rather than a nerve-shredding descent. That said, driving anti-clockwise is perfectly fine and means you’ll face fewer convoys of campervans on single-track roads.
How Many Days Do You Need?
The absolute minimum is five days, but you’ll spend most of your time behind the wheel and miss half the good stuff. Seven days is a solid middle ground that lets you cover the full route with time for a few hikes, beach stops, and a distillery visit. If you can stretch to ten days or more, you’ll be able to explore side roads, linger at viewpoints, and truly soak in the pace of the Highlands.
A rough daily breakdown for a seven-day trip might look like this: Day 1, Inverness to Torridon. Day 2, Torridon to Ullapool. Day 3, Ullapool to Durness. Day 4, Durness to Thurso. Day 5, Thurso to Wick and down to Dunrobin. Day 6, the east coast back towards the Black Isle. Day 7, return to Inverness with a stop at a distillery or two. Adjust to suit your interests — there’s no wrong way to do it.
What to Pack
Scotland’s weather is famously unpredictable, and the north coast takes that up a notch. Pack layers: a good waterproof jacket, a fleece or down layer, and a base layer you can strip down to when the sun appears. Waterproof trousers are worth their weight in gold if you plan to hike. Midges are brutal from late May through September, so bring a midge net and strong repellent — Smidge brand is the local favourite.
Beyond clothing, bring a reusable water bottle (the tap water up here is excellent), binoculars for wildlife spotting, a paper road map as a backup since mobile signal drops out regularly, and a充電器 portable phone charger. If you’re camping, a windproof stove and a warm sleeping bag rated to at least 5°C are essential even in summer.
Booking Ahead vs Winging It
This depends entirely on when you travel. From June through August, accommodation along the NC500 is heavily booked, and turning up without a reservation can leave you sleeping in your car. Popular spots like Ullapool, Durness, and Lochinver have limited rooms, and they fill up months in advance. If you’re travelling in peak season, book your accommodation at least two to three months ahead.
Outside peak season — April, May, September, and October — you’ll have far more flexibility. You can often book a day or two ahead or even find something on the day, though weekends can still be tricky. Wild camping is legal in Scotland under the right-to-roam laws, which gives campervan and tent travellers a useful safety net when formal sites are full.
Fuel and Supplies
Fill up your fuel tank whenever you see a petrol station. Gaps between stations can be 50 miles or more, especially on the north and west coasts. Fuel prices are typically 10-15p per litre more expensive than in cities, so topping up in Inverness before you set off is wise. The same goes for groceries — stock up at a supermarket in Inverness rather than relying on small village shops, which have limited stock and higher prices.
Single-Track Roads
If you’ve never driven on single-track roads, they can feel intimidating at first. The rule is simple: use the passing places. Pull into the nearest one to let oncoming traffic through, and pull over to the left to let faster vehicles overtake. Never park in a passing place, and give a friendly wave to drivers who pull in for you — it’s the Highland way.
Making the Most of It
The best NC500 trips are the ones where you resist the urge to rush. Leave time for unplanned stops. Chat to locals in pubs and cafes — they’ll point you to hidden beaches and viewpoints that aren’t in any guidebook. Drive slowly, stop often, and remember that the journey itself is the destination. The NC500 isn’t a race; it’s one of the finest road trips on earth, and it deserves to be savoured.