The Bealach Na Ba stretch as it is steep, narrow, and has a number of sharp bends. This is on the southwestern part of the route over by Applecross. It is easy to avoid as you can take the slip road up to the A896 instead. If you have several extra days, we’d recommend adding on a visit to one of the islands that can be reached from along or near the route such as Orkney, the Outer Hebrides (e.g., Lewis & Harris), the Isle of Skye, or Shetland. We’d recommend at least 2 full days on any of the above islands to make the most of a visit. Additional Resources?

If you are trying to plan your route and what attractions you might want to stop at along the route, we recommend that you take a look at our detailed 7 day North Coast 500 itinerary. You might also be wondering if you can do the North Coast 500 by train. The simple answer is no, there is no train route that approximates the route and an entire portion of the northwest of Scotland has no train connections.

Dunrobin Castle

Spring and summer is also bird nesting season and dogs can disturb ground nesting birds so good to be aware of if doing walks/hikes. Some of the bird and wildlife reserve areas do not allow dogs for obvious reasons. 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. Just note that the water is always cold, even in the summer so bring a drysuit or wetsuit if you want to spend some time in the water! Many Scottish beaches have limited or no facilities so be sure to bring anything you may need. There are several places to rent campervans around Inverness, including PaulCamper, GoBoony, Highland Campervans, Loch Ness Motorhomes, Outdoorsy, and Rover Rentals. Pony trekking is possible at Red Point at the Gairloch Pony Trekking Centre. Need to book in advance.

Wild animals, particularly deer, may also be on the road and are much more likely to run out in front of you. Be extra mindful for deer in the early morning and evening hours when they are most active. So I think with just planning your route in advance and staying off the side roads, you should be fine with the motorhome you have. The route is definitely best explored with the smallest vehicle you have, but I think you can do it with the one you have with some good route planning.Day 3: Tongue to Durness: Tigh Nan Ubhal (Tongue) or Hillside B&B (Durness). There is also Salmon Landings– it is a bit before Tongue but a fantastic B&B. If you have more time, you’ll have a chance to see even more. The more time people take, the more they tend to enjoy the trip. We’ve driven the North Coast 500 route now several times and have spent between 7 day to 3 weeks at a time along the route. You won’t run out of things to do if you enjoy outdoor activities!

If you have additional questions not answered here, feel free to leave us your question at the end of this article in the Comments section. We’ll do our best to answer your questions about the NC500 and provide our advice based on our experiences. Having said that, it would be great if you could provide us with some advice, considering the following: We also recommend using Motorhome Republic for campervan rental – they compare prices across the major rental firms in the UK to find the best price for you. You can book your RV for the UK through them here.For more on whisky, see our comprehensive guide to whisky distilleries in Scotland, which has everything you need to know. We also have a guide to whisky distilleries on the North Coast 500 specifically. Many travelers, especially those who live in the UK, want to do the North Coast 500 with a dog. It is definitely a place that you can bring your dog, but a dog will limit some of the places you can visit or stay. Here are some tips for traveling the North Coast 500 with pets and how to find dog-friendly lodging. I would recommend starting with our 1 week North Coast 500 itinerary which will help you plan your days around the NC500, I’d recommend spending 7 to 10 days on that route but you can certainly spend more. If you do more than 7, you can just add additional nights to some of your stops so you have more time in some areas. This is especially a good idea if traveling with young kids. Having the round-trip flight and car bookings done, we are now in the process of establishing our self-driving route, and we are trying to figure out how to reach as many points of interest as possible, but without over-doing it… If you are not sure how long to spend along the North Coast 500, we recommend 7 to 10 days as the most ideal amount of time. This gives you plenty of time to see all the highlights, visit attractions, do some hiking, do some outdoor activities, and really see the area without feeling rushed.

I think if there is one general piece of advice that people who live and work along the NC500 route would give tourists is to slow down, stop rushing, and spend more time helping support the region. We’ve probably heard some version of this hundreds of times and totally agree with it. As noted, the two stretches of the road that are usually noted as unsuitable for larger caravans and motorhomes are: As noted earlier (worth repeating!), we’d recommended trying to book your lodging 3 months in advance (especially if you are thinking hotels, B&B’s or self-catering options) as the amount of lodging in some areas is currently not sufficient for the demand at the busiest times of the year.If you have more than 7 nights, I’d suggest adding a night to some of your overnight stops. Makes the trip much more relaxing and allows you to see and do more in that particular area. If you prefer not to be at the wheel or handles at all, you also have the option of booking a guided tour or hiring a private driver guide. See section on tours below. Castles and long hikes are not on our itnerary but we love unplanned stops at secluded beaches, wooded paths along the way. The only planned activity i would like to do is the full day sea kayaking near Ullapool i read about above.