I have just started planning my trip for end of may and I will definitily foloow all your suggestions! thanks a lot! Do you also have some information about the ORKNEY Islands? We would like to stop there for 2/3 days. The RSPB has several reserves around or near the NC500 that help protect the local wildlife. For seabird lovers, there are several spots along the route but I’d highly recommend the Dunnet Head Nature Reserve which is home to a number of species, depending on the season, including cormorants, puffins, razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, and fulmars.

We haven’t done these tours but have done several tours with Rabbie’s and can definitely recommend the company. They also offer a 5-day Highlands and Isle of Skye tour from Edinburgh (this one we have done). Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve– At this nature reserve, kids have the chance to walk across a “scary” suspension bridge and there is also hiking trails. Just be careful to keep hold of young children. My concern is do my stops on the west coast give us sufficient time to do that? we do intend to take the scenic route to Lochinver. Being flexible also applies to where you might stop to eat and drink, what attractions you may visit or what outdoor adventure you might find yourselves involved with! Restaurants and attractions may not be open all day everyday. Due to the current situation being seen across the UK with staffing issues largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some establishments are being forced to close unexpectedly for a day or two at a time. One of the North Coast 500’s charms is the remoteness. This also means however that there sometimes isn’t an abundance of places to eat! It’s important for visitors to be flexible and have another idea in mind, just in case your first choice isn’t available. 13. Enjoy yourselves!

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. This one is easy, don’t litter! Bring along bags or containers you can keep in your car to store your trash and wait until you get to a proper place to dispose of it responsibly. One common issue is that tourists are throwing garbage into proper trash receptacles but the receptacles are already overflowing so the garbage ends up on the ground or in the water anyway.

Anyway, hope the above helps and just let us know if you have any further questions as you plan your trip to Scotland. Wishing you a wonderful trip along the NC500 and return to Skye and Glen Coe! Be very careful of potholes, certainly at the beginning and the end of passing places. They can be brutal. Drumbeg, by Stephen Cunningsworth Photography 11. Be a responsible traveller – follow the NC500 etiquette! My husband, mother and I have driven parts of the route on other trips, but will taking in the northern section in September. We would prefer to have a rental that comes with a spare (just in case…), but these are harder and harder to find. Any recommendations? Photos: Tarbat Ness and Rosemarkie (by Andrew Dowsett Photography), Achiltibuie (by Hamlet Mountaineering), Dornoch (by The Dornoch Area Community Interest Company) 3. Setting up a base

We suggest taking a look at Motorhome Republic as a good starting point for comparing prices on campervan rental in the UK. They have listings for many of the major campervan rental firms in the UK. You can see their UK listings here. Once you have your flights and dates set, I would then recommend booking your sea kayaking trip as Tim can often only do one activitiy per day since it is mainly him leading all the tours so he is often booked out in advance. Then I’d sort out your rental car and accommodation once you have those in place. Thanks for the very helpfull info. Unfortunately we don’t have an other option that go within the Dutch holliday weeks because of school. If you’ve driven any part of NC500, feel free to share any tips or advice you have from your own trip! As always, all questions and comments are welcome.

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. Ordnance Survey maps are the ones we recommend (see below). Yes, as I am sure you expected, we would not recommend this. As you have read on our blogs as well as it sounds like from other people online who have done the trip, we’d not recommend that route for you. Basically you’ll have 1.5 days or a little more since you arrive late on 24th and need to be in Inverness by the evening of 26th.

Scotland, as with the rest of the UK, drives on the left – but there’s so many more rules of the road that you’ll need to know before you visit. Research driving laws in Scotland before you book your car hire, starting with the Highway Code. It’s particularly important to note that Scotland has a lower drink-drive limit than the rest of the UK, so make sure you have one member of your group as a designated driver at all times. A very popular time of year in which to visit the North Highlands. The spring and summer months bring long days and lighter evenings, allowing you to stay active for longer – you’ll be able to take an evening walk, play golf until late, or just get out and about and explore. During spring and summer, you’ll also be able to see seabirds nesting, and perhaps even spot dolphins and whales. To maximise your chances of seeing these majestic mammals, why not book a boat trip? During spring and summer, the North Highlands hosts plenty of events, from traditional Highland Games, to food and music festivals.

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’ve driven Route 66, don’t expect the vastly varied landscapes, the range of small towns to big cities, quirky roadside attractions, or historic diners of Route 66. It is probably more similar to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way but every route has its own unique personality and charm! Evanton Woods – There is a very nice woodland playground here developed by the local community in Evanton. It is about a 10 minute walk from the parking area across from the free parking area across from the pub in Evanton. This really depends on your style of travel, some people plan little in advance and others plan in great detail what they are going to see each day. I’d recommend that you at least make a loose itinerary of places you definitely want to stop before you leave so you have an idea of how much time you want to spend in each area so you can plan your accommodation. Short hikes– There are hiking trails all over the North Coast 500 and you’ll likely find many suitable for your kids. If you have babies or infants that need to be pushed in strollers, look for all-ability paths which are suitable for wheelchairs as they also work for prams.The busiest months are going to be the summer from June to August with some crowds in May and September. Festivals, special events (e.g., music concerts, bike races, car rallies), and holidays (e.g., Christmas, Hogmanay) also bring more people to the area. So avoiding these times of year can help but since they are also when there are the most daylight hours, most open attractions and lodging, and perhaps best chance of warm weather, chances are this is also when you plan to drive the route. Some of the islands are really small and you can easily explore on foot whereas others you would probably want a car or to book a driving tour with a local. The route is just over 500 miles and mainly hugs the northern coast of Scotland, hence the name. It was designed to showcase the natural beauty and local businesses in this part of Scotland which has previously received a relatively low level of tourism. It has become a major tourism success in Scotland with tens of thousands of people having already driven the route. The popularity of the North Coast 500 has brought both benefits and negative consequences to this part of Scotland. Some of the negative side effects of increased tourism have been increased littering, overwhelmed local services during the summer, and more traffic accidents and complaints. There is also public transportation, depending on where you are. So along the east, there is a train line so you could use that to return to Inverness. There are also local buses mostly run by Stagecoach that connect many of the villages along the route.