Scottish Highlands Loop — 5Days.
Distance
730 km
Duration
5 days
Climb
6,200 m
Rating
4.9 / 5
978 reviews
Scottish Highlands Loop — 5 Days.
The North Coast 500 done properly: five days tracing the full perimeter of the Scottish Highlands from Inverness. Day 1 goes west via the Corrieshalloch gorge and the near-vertical Bealach na Bà pass into Applecross. Day 2 follows the Torridon and Assynt coastline — Stac Pollaidh, Inverpolly, Ullapool. Day 3 pushes north through Lochinver past Sandwood Bay to Durness. Day 4 follows the top of Scotland to John o' Groats — mainland Britain's northernmost point. Day 5 returns south along the east coast via Dunrobin Castle and the Black Isle. Single-track roads throughout; sheep have right of way. Book accommodation months in advance in summer.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance730 km
Days5
Total climb6,200 m
Fuel stops2 along route
DifficultyModerate
Loading map...
5 days, 5 moods.
A suggested split across 5 days with 26 waypoints to discover along the way.
InvernessStart · Start from the Victorian train station. Fill up in the city — petrol on the west coast is expensive and stations 30+ miles apart.
Corrieshalloch GorgeScenic Point · A box canyon 60 m deep cut by the Droma River with a Victorian suspension bridge over the Falls of Measach. 10-minute stop that feels like science fiction.
GarveFuel Stop · Fill up here. After Garve the road west narrows significantly and fuel becomes scarce.
Bealach na Bà — Pass of the Cattle (626 m)Mountain Pass · The sharpest hairpins in the UK — 20% gradient, 180° switchbacks, views to Skye and the Outer Hebrides. A sign warns: "not suitable for learner drivers or large vehicles." It is not kidding.
Applecross village & bayScenic Point · As remote as anywhere in mainland Britain. The Applecross Inn is where every NC500 rider ends up. The seafood is excellent; the whisky selection is better.
TorridonOvernight · Precambrian sandstone mountains (750 million years old) reflected in Upper Loch Torridon. One of the finest landscapes in Britain. Book ahead.
Beinn Eighe — mountain viewpointScenic Point · Britain's first National Nature Reserve (1951). The quartzite cap glistens white against the dark Torridonian sandstone below.
Stac Pollaidh viewpointScenic Point · The most distinctive mountain silhouette in Scotland — a serrated quartzite ridge rising abruptly from peat bog.
Inverpolly — Loch Lurgainn coastal sectionScenic Point · Single-track road along Loch Lurgainn over ancient Lewisian gneiss — the oldest rock in Britain at 3 billion years.
Ullapool harbourRestaurant · The best fish and chips in Scotland. The Seaforth bar does an excellent haddock. Book the Ceilidh Place for dinner.
UllapoolOvernight · The largest town on the northwest coast. Real supermarket, two fuel stations, proper coffee. Book in advance — most popular NC500 overnight stop.
Achiltibuie — Summer Isles coast roadScenic Point · Optional 15-mile detour adds an hour but reveals the Summer Isles archipelago across the bay. One of Scotland's most remote communities.
LochinverFuel Stop · Last reliable fuel before Durness. The Assynt Smokehouse has extraordinary local smoked salmon and will vacuum-pack it for the pannier.
Sandwood Bay viewpointScenic Point · The most remote beach in mainland Britain — a 4-mile walk from the nearest road. The sea stack Am Buachaille is visible from the approach track.
KinlochbervieRestaurant · Late lunch at the harbour fish market café. Kinlochbervie lands the most prawns of any port in Scotland. Scallops caught that morning.
DurnessOvernight · The most northwesterly village in mainland Britain. John Lennon's family had a croft nearby. Smoo Cave is 1 km east. Sango Sands has arguably the finest campsite view in Europe.
Smoo CaveScenic Point · A sea cave 60 m wide at the entrance — the largest in mainland Britain. A waterfall drops through a hole in the cave roof. Free entry.
Bettyhill — Torrisdale BayScenic Point · Two miles of white sand entirely empty most days. The village was built after the Highland Clearances (1814) when crofters were forcibly relocated here.
ThursoRestaurant · Lunch in the northernmost mainland town in Scotland. The Castle of Mey (Queen Mother's summer residence) is 8 miles east.
John o' Groats — mainland Britain's northernmost pointScenic Point · The end of the LEJOG route. The signpost is Scotland's most photographed. Duncansby Head (1 mile east) has far better views — the sea stacks are extraordinary.
WickOvernight · Largest town in Caithness. Fill up. The Old Pulteney distillery (1826) does tours and tastings — the "Maritime Malt" is exactly what you'd expect.
Dunbeath Castle cliff roadScenic Point · The A99 runs along the clifftop with the castle below on a promontory. Neil Gunn (Scotland's greatest 20th-century novelist) was born in Dunbeath.
Dunrobin CastleScenic Point · 189 rooms, 18 Victorian spires, a formal French garden, and a falconry display. The largest house in the Northern Highlands by a considerable margin.
DornochRestaurant · Lunch in the small cathedral town with Royal Dornoch Golf Course. The Dornoch Castle Hotel does excellent venison.
Cromarty Firth — Black Isle viewpointScenic Point · The Black Isle is a peninsula between two firths. Enormous NATO oil rigs stand in the otherwise pristine Highland landscape — an unforgettable contrast.
InvernessEnd · Loop complete. The Hootananny on Church Street has live traditional music every night. Leakey's bookshop (in a converted church) is the best secondhand bookshop in Scotland.
From riders.
978 verified rides logged on this route.
4.9/ 5
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
978 verified rides
More routes in United Kingdom
Save this ride. Open the app.
Clone it to your planner, customize dates and stops, then ride. All free.
Open in MotoVault
Navigate this route with GPS