Destination NC500

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If you’d like a more robust camper vehicle, check out the four wheel drive camper trucks from Wild Camper Trucks. If you are looking for dog-friendly accommodation in a certain town or area and can’t find anything, feel free to ask and we’ll let you know if know of any. From the Pictish Trail, to the seaboard villages of the east coast, the Strathnaver Trail and the North West Highlands Geopark, there’s something to suit all travellers. Yes, if you prefer not to drive yourself you do have some options to book a guided North Coast 500 group or private tour. Planning a North Coast 500 road trip can be a bit overwhelming as it is a relatively new route and there isn’t as much information available online or in guidebooks compared to other top road trips around the world.

Pulling over onto the side of the road or into a field can be unsafe, lead to damage to the fragile environment, cause erosion, and mar someone’s private property. Castles and long hikes are not on our itnerary but we love unplanned stops at secluded beaches, wooded paths along the way.Another popular way of travelling the North Coast 500 is to set up a series of bases around the route. We haven’t traveled the route with kids, but we definitely think it doable and can make for a nice holiday for children of any age. If you want to get really upclose to a large herd of deer, we can recommend a guided tour with gamekeeper Colin at Reraig Forest near Lochcarron. Hailing from a South east asian city, we were so bowled over by Skye and Glencoe when we visited in aug 2018. Some that you might want to consider visiting along or near the route (all open to the public, although some have seasonal hours) are Cawdor Castle, Dunrobin Castle, Castle SinclairGirnigoeruins, and the Castle of Mey which all lay along the eastern part of the route between Inverness and the small village of Mey.

g., blind turns, no bike lanes, one-track roads) so be sure to take proper safety measures and I would not recommend this route for inexperienced cyclists. If you cannot accurately reverse your vehicle several hundred yards on a narrow single track, you cannot safely drive over these roads. Main rental car companies include Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Arnold Clark, Europcar, Hertz, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Focus Vehicle Rental. The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile scenic route along Scotland’s northern coast that begins and ends in the city of Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands.

It is going to be a very busy summer along the route this year, so I would definitely recommend booking your campsites ahead of time. However, you can begin and end the route anywhere you choose although Inverness, as the largest city along the route, is a convenient place to start and stop.

If you plan to hike, you may want to invest in a good set of hiking maps, especially for those planning to do longer distance hillwalking, climbing, or hiking. Ideal for budget backpacker types of any age who don’t want to spend a lot of money on accommodation and like to meet other travelers.We haven’t done these tours but have done several tours with Rabbie’s and can definitely recommend the company. For those wishing to camp around the NC500, it is home to numerous awe-inspiring and remote campsites – in some campsites, you’ll feel as though you’re wild camping, although you’ll have all the facilities of a fully maintained camp site. It is probably more similar to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way but every route has its own unique personality and charm!