chloedickensonLast Updated on 13th July 2023
This post about the NC500 5 day itinerary contains affiliate links.
The NC500 is one of the UK’s most famous and prestigious road trip routes. Taking you on an epic journey through the Scottish Highlands, the North Coast 500 is an excellent choice for a UK road trip.
In October 2022, Matt and I spent 5 days driving the NC500 route in Scotland, with a few additional stops on our road trip along the way.
In my ultimate Scotland road trip NC500 5 day itinerary below, I’ve put together a detailed guide and itinerary for following the Highland 500 route in Scotland. I’ve also added a few extra stops on our Scotland road trip, including Loch Lomond, Glenfinnan Viaduct, the Isle of Skye and more.
If you’re planning an epic Scotland road trip along the North Coast 500, you’ll find everything you need to know to plan the perfect route and itinerary below!
Top tours and attractions to experience on a Scotland NC500 5 day itinerary
- Loch Lomond: Scottish Highlands Sightseeing Cruise
- Orkney Islands Day Trip From John O’Groats
- Jacobite Steam Train and Highlands Tour From Inverness
- Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Tour
- Loch Ness: Urquhart Castle Round-Trip Cruise
What is the North Coast 500?
The NC500 or the North Coast 500, is a 500-mile (516 miles to be precise, but that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it!) route of dramatic coastal scenery, quaint Scottish villages, Highland views and breathtaking mountains, beaches and more.
The “official” North Coast 500 route begins and ends in Inverness and takes you on a loop through the Scottish Highlands, all the way along the coast to John o’ Groats and back down again. It’s been nicknamed “Scotland’s Route 66” and despite the route technically existing for many years, the NC500 route only became official in 2015.
Scotland road trip NC500 5 day itinerary planner – Google maps
As I mentioned above, the Scotland road trip NC500 5 day itinerary that we followed wasn’t technically the official NC500 route as we were travelling to and from our hometown of York, and we also wanted to visit the Isle of Skye as part of our trip as well.
If you want to stick to the “official” Scotland road trip NC500 route, check out the North Coast 500 website for their dedicated route planner. If not, check out the map above to see our exact NC500 route and road trip of Scotland!
Scotland North Coast 500 itinerary 5 days summary
- Day 1 – Loch Lomond, Glenfinnan Viaduct, Isle of Skye
- Day 2 – Old Man of Storr, Bealach na Ba Viewpoint, Ullapool
- Day 3 – Cocoa Mountain Balnakeil, Durness, Smoo Cave, Thurso, Canisbay
- Day 4 – John o’ Groats, Duncansby Head Lighthouse, Dunrobin Castle, The Singleton Distillery
- Day 5 – Inverness, Fort Augustus, The Boathouse, Loch Ness
Day 1 – Loch Lomond, Luss, Glencoe, Glenfinnan Viaduct, ferry to the Isle of Skye – Scotland NC500
Day 1: Luss (Loch Lomond) to Portree, Isle of Skye via Glencoe, Glenfinnan and Mallaig.
Drive time: Approx 5 hours, 164 miles. Exact route here!
As we were travelling to Scotland from York, we decided to head up to the border the day before our road trip route officially started and we spent the night at Ardmore Point Car Park, between Glasgow and Loch Lomond.
We found this site (and every other free campsite in Scotland mentioned in this guide) on the Park4Night app, which we use on every single road trip to find places to stay.
The first official stop on this Scotland road trip NC500 5 day itinerary is the beautiful Loch Lomond, specifically the part of the lake that’s accessed via a little town called Luss.
Park at Luss South carpark for an hour or two, grab an ice cream from the van near the lake, check out the view from Luss Pier and spend a couple of hours exploring the area.
Depart Luss and drive along the west side of Loch Lomond and into the Trossachs National Park. You’ll pass through spectacular scenery towards Glencoe and if the weather permits, you may even see the tallest mountain in the UK; Ben Nevis!
Just over two hours from Loch Lomond resides one of the most famous attractions in Scotland; the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
This viaduct has been around since the early 1900s, but it gained immense fame in the early 2000s after it featured in the Harry Potter film franchise when the Hogwarts Express train journeys over it.
Parking at the Glenfinnan Viaduct car park is pretty limited, especially during the summer months, and if you want to see the viaduct with a train going over it, you’ll have to time your visit accordingly. We didn’t time our visit quite right to line up with the train times, but it was still worth seeing the viaduct anyway!
The walk from the car park to the viewpoint takes around 15-20 minutes and there’s an easy path to follow. Check the website for Glenfinnan Viaduct train times here and be sure to arrive at least half an hour before a train is scheduled to go over the bridge to ensure that you can park up and head to the viewpoint.
Another 40-minute drive takes you to the Mallaig Ferry Terminal where you can cross over to Armadale on the Isle of Skye.
Of course, it’s important to remember to check ferry times and ensure that it lines up with your visit to Glenfinnan Viaduct (especially if you want to see the Jacobite train going over the bridge).
The ferry crossing takes approximately 30 minutes and from our experience in October 2022, it’s not the smoothest sailing I’ve ever experienced, so be wary if you’re prone to sea sickness…
As we try to stay in as many free camping spots as possible on our road trips, we spent the night at Aros Centre in Portree on the Isle of Skye. It’s a free car park adjacent to the gift shop; there are no facilities but there is a woodland area just behind the car park…
As we stayed in free sites for 4/5 nights on our Scotland road trip, I can’t really recommend many good paid campsites, but you can take a look at websites like Campsites.co.uk and Pitchup to check availability and prices and to book in advance, especially if you’re travelling in peak season.
Day 2 – Old Man of Storr, Bealach na Ba Viewpoint, Sheildaig, Gairloch, Ullapool
Day 2: Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye to Ullapool via Applecross, Sheildaig and Gairloch.
Drive time: Approx 5 hours 45 minutes, 197 miles. Exact route here!
Day two of your NC500 5 day itinerary begins with a visit to the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye. Situated on the Trotternish peninsula, The Storr is a substantial rock formation that boasts impressive views of the surrounding landscape, as well as several hiking trails.
You can park at the Old Man of Storr car park or in a nearby layby and the walk to the top of the rock formation takes between 40 minutes and 1 hour, depending on how fit you are! The hike is pretty exhausting and I felt remarkably unfit by the time we reached the first viewpoint!
Once you’ve enjoyed the scenery at The Storr, it’s time to leave the Isle of Skye and head back onto the NC500 route.
The drive from the Isle of Skye to Bealach na Ba Viewpoint near Applecross takes around two hours and you’ll pass through even more gorgeous scenery as you drive, including the breathtaking Applecross Mountain Road which offers sweeping coastal views over sheer cliffs.
The drive is narrow and winding in many parts, so just take it easy and enjoy the views!
Another two-hour drive will take you towards Ullapool, passing by stunning places such as Gairloch Beach as you cruise along the coast.
There are so many places to stop and take in the view along the way, so allow enough time between each place so that you can really appreciate every part of the drive.
We stayed at another free spot on day 2, this time at a lay-by car park just before Ullapool. It’s a huge area with plenty of spaces for campervans and motorhomes and even though there are no facilities and it’s right next to the main road into Ullapool, we didn’t have any issues staying here (apart from the fact that it was sensationally cold at night!).
Day 3 – Kylesku, Cocoa Mountain Balnakeil, Durness, Smoo Cave, Bettyhill, Thurso, Canisbay
Day 3: Ullapool to Canisbay via Kylesku, Durness, Bettyhill and Thurso.
Drive time: Approx 5 hours 30 minutes, 182 miles. Exact route here!
Day 3 of your NC500 Scotland road trip is another jam-packed day with more driving and even more stunning scenery!
Leave Ullapool and continue along the route towards Durness, driving through small towns and villages such as Kylesku and Scourie along the way. Just before Durness, you’ll find a tiny village called Balnakeil that’s home to the world-famous Cocoa Mountain chocolate shop.
The shop sells a plethora of different chocolate goodies that make for the perfect road trip snack, but it’s their decadent hot chocolate that makes them so famous. It’s certainly not cheap at almost £5 a mug, but I can guarantee that it’ll be one of the most insanely rich and luxurious hot chocolates you’ll ever have!
Just a 5-minute drive from Cocoa Mountain, you’ll find the hilariously-named Smoo Cave. This fascinating sea cave is one of the best stops along the NC500 route. There are two car parks to choose from, although they both tend to get super full in the summer months.
You can walk down into the cave for free (providing that you’ve paid for parking) and explore the mysterious hiding place. There’s even a “secret” waterfall hidden behind the rockface which reminded me of a scene from The Goonies!
Be sure to head back up the hill after checking out the cave to enjoy the wonderful views of the sea and surrounding countryside landscape.
You’ll notice that I haven’t recommended many places to eat in this Scotland road trip NC500 5 day itinerary and that’s because we cooked most of our meals in our campervan (or opted for a Tesco Meal Deal), rather than eating out.
Read more: The 40 Best Campervan Meals To Make That Aren’t Boring
One place we did thoroughly enjoy eating at on our road trip, however, is Robins Fish and Chip shop in Thurso, a little town two hours along the coast from Smoo Cave.
Once we’d eaten in Thurso, we continued towards Canisbay and stayed at the first paid site of our trip; Ferry View campsite.
Ferry View campsite is remarkably small compared to many of the other paid campsites on the NC500, but it’s one of my favourite places that we’ve stayed on a road trip in the UK. We paid £25 for our campervan with electric hook-up and this also included the price of showers (a lot of campsites in the area charge extra!).
The campsite also offers food in the form of pizza, burgers and traditional Scottish cuisine in the evenings, and there’s also a fire pit, a swimming pool, a games area and it’s also super close to the sea, so it’s a perfect place for a little stroll.
Day 4 – John o’ Groats, Duncansby Head Lighthouse, Dunrobin Castle, Robertsons Farm Shop (Highland Cows), The Singleton Distillery, Inverness
Day 4: Canisbay to Inverness via John o’ Groats, Wick, Golspie and Muir of Ord.
Drive time: Approx 3 hours, 135 miles. Exact route here!
On day 4, we enjoyed a traditional Scottish breakfast onboard Mr Eddy’s Bus which is a permanent fixture at Ferry View that acts as the on-site restaurant. It’s such a fun and unique addition to a campsite and the food was absolutely divine!
Renowned for being the most northeasterly point on mainland Great Britain, John o’ Groats is one of the most famous places you’ll visit on this NC500 5 day itinerary!
Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed by John o’ Groats itself as there isn’t much to see or do there, apart from a couple of tourist-centred gift and souvenir shops and of course, the famous signpost. If it wasn’t on the designated North Coast route, I probably wouldn’t bother visiting!
Just around the corner from John o’ Groats and technically even more northeasterly than the former, is Duncansby Head Lighthouse which is arguably more worth seeing as it boasts a dramatic coastal landscape from its cliff.
The lighthouse itself is somewhat underwhelming, but the views are absolutely breathtaking, albeit rather windy and cold!
Dunrobin Castle is a place that you’ll find listed on almost every Scotland road trip itinerary and once you see it in real life, it’s clear to see why.
Located just outside of Golspie and dating back over 700 years, Dunrobin Castle is one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited houses. Depending on when you embark on your road trip, it’s worth checking out the magnificent castle and grounds, but if you visit during the off-season and the interior of the house is closed, it’s still worth stopping outside briefly to admire the mighty establishment.
One thing that I was most excited about when planning our Scotland road trip was seeing plenty of Highland cows along our route. Unfortunately, we didn’t see one “wild” Highland cow during our 5-day road trip, so we took matters into our own hands and headed to Robertsons The Larder Farm Shop to see these furry beasts up close.
The farm shop itself is also well worth a visit as it stocks so much excellent locally-sourced produce that makes the perfect gift or souvenir.
A Scotland road trip wouldn’t be complete without visiting at least one whiskey distillery (Scotland is home to more than 140 distilleries!) and we decided to pay a visit to The Singleton Distillery in a little village called the Muir of Ord.
Despite not being the biggest fan of whiskey, I thoroughly enjoyed our tour of The Singleton Distillery as it was fascinating to learn about how it’s made, what it takes to become a whiskey and of course, it was also fun to try out some samples as well!
There are plenty of distillery tours in Scotland, but I’d highly recommend The Singleton as it was such a beautiful place and the tour was so fun and engaging!
On the final night of our road trip in Scotland, we stayed at Torvean Car Park, just outside of Inverness. It’s an absolutely huge car park that allows campervans and motorhomes to park overnight for £10. There are no facilities in the car park, but there’s a Premier Inn and Beefeater restaurant located over the road where you can sneakily use the toilets or grab a bite to eat.
Day 5 – Fort Augustus, The Boathouse, Loch Ness
Day 5: Inverness to Loch Ness/Fort Augustus.
Drive time: 50 minutes, 32 miles. Exact route here!
While the final day of this 5-day North Coast 500 route in Scotland might seem quite sparse compared to the rest of the itinerary, it still involves some great attractions.
It’s also much “quieter” because we had to drive all the way back to York on the final day which took us 7 hours from Inverness!
Loch Ness is one of the most famous places in the whole of Scotland and even though it’s just a short drive from Inverness, it’s not technically a part of the “official” NC500 route.
However, I’ve included it in my road trip itinerary as I think it’s a place that deserves visiting, even if only briefly!
We drove along the giant lake to the town of Fort Augustus where we parked in the local pay and display car park for just £1 for one hour. From there, we walked to the Loch Ness viewpoint near The Boathouse restaurant and flew our drone over the lake for a better vantage point!
You can explore the area on your own or you can take one of the many tours of Loch Ness to ensure that you see as much of Scotland’s most famous loch as possible.
Book a tour to see Loch Ness here!
Best things to see – Scotland road trip NC500 5 day itinerary
While the NC500 Scotland itinerary above includes all my recommendations of the best things to see and do on a road trip, here’s a more comprehensive list below that will help you to plan an epic road trip in the Scottish Highlands!
- Glenfinnan Viaduct
- Old Man of Storr
- Applecross Mountain Pass Road
- Gruinard beach
- Smoo Cave
- Cocoa Mountain hot chocolate
- Dunrobin Castle
- Urquhart Castle
- Loch Ness
- Singleton Distillery tour
- John o’ Groats
- Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye
- Ben Nevis
- Kylesku Bridge
- Durness Beach
How long does it take to drive the NC500 in Scotland?
Despite 500 miles sounding like an awful lot, you could technically complete the entire route in just a day or two, but of course, that would involve pretty much non-stop driving.
It’s possible to drive the NC500 in 3 or 4 days, but I’d recommend a minimum of 5 days for the North Coast 500 to ensure that you experience as much as possible. You could also take a full 7-10 days to drive this Scottish road trip route, but I think a 5-day itinerary is the perfect length of time.
When is the best time to do the Scotland road trip North Coast 500 route?
The 500-mile Scotland road trip route can technically be driven at any time of the year, providing that the roads are accessible.
The summer months of June, July and August are by far the most popular time to embark on a road trip in the Scottish Highlands due to people taking their summer holidays.
However, the roads will be almost unbearably busy (I would very much avoid doing this route in the summer if possible as the roads are incredibly narrow and winding at some points, making it difficult to navigate with lots of traffic) and the midges are out in full force, making it quite unenjoyable as they love to swarm around your vehicle and bite you!
We embarked on the NC500 at the end of September/beginning of October in 2022 and while it got pretty chilly in the evening and the weather was often very unpredictable, I’d still recommend completing the road trip in the autumn as the roads are much quieter, there are no midges and the weather is still pleasant enough (most of the time!).
The spring would also be a fine time to complete the road trip, you would just have to find the sweet spot between making sure the weather is warm enough without doing it too close to the beginning of summer.
While it is still technically possible, I would argue that a North Coast 500 road trip in the winter is pretty much out of the question as many of the roads close due to bad weather.
Therefore, the autumn months of September/October are the best time to complete the Scotland 500 road trip.
Is the NC500 suitable for campervans and motorhomes?
One very commonly asked question about the NC500 is whether it’s suitable for campervans and motorhomes, and it’s something we were worried about ourselves before we embarked on the road trip with our 1997 Toyota Hiace self-converted campervan.
The roads along the route are very narrow in some places and there are often stretches of road that is single-track only, making it difficult for even regular cars to navigate.
I imagine that the roads get remarkably busy with road trippers during the summer months, which could make it harder for large campervans and motorhomes to embark on the NC500 route, but we saw many large vehicles, including pretty big motorhomes, completing the route in autumn and while they certainly had to drive much slower, there didn’t seem to be too many issues.
A huge American-style RV would almost certainly struggle, but standard campervans and even big motorhomes shouldn’t have too much trouble, providing that you’re willing to drive slowly and carefully.
So yes, the NC500 road trip route is suitable for campervans and motorhomes.
Should I drive the North Coast 500 clockwise or anti-clockwise?
Deciding whether to drive the NC500 route clockwise or anti-clockwise might not seem like a huge consideration, but after carrying out research for our own trip, we decided that it was something that did need to be thought about before embarking on the road trip.
While we didn’t follow the exact North Coast 500 route in a loop from Inverness (we started near Glasgow and finished near Edinburgh as we live in York, and we also tagged a one-night stay on the Isle of Skye to our trip as well), we did still cover pretty much the entirety of the route in the Scottish Highlands and the way you decide to follow the route is important.
There are a few factors to consider when making your decision, so I’m going to include a brief fact box below to help you decide!
- The scenery is arguably better on the west/north coast, although the roads are trickier to navigate.
- If you drive clockwise, the coast will be on your left pretty much the entire way, offering better views as you drive.
- However, the clockwise route is usually much busier in the summer months as a result of this, meaning that it might be easier to drive anti-clockwise.
So, it depends on whether you want to start your trip on an incredible high and enjoy the remarkable scenery on the west coast first by driving in a clockwise direction or save it for last and begin the route from Inverness in an anti-clockwise direction.
Also, if you want to tag a trip to the Isle of Skye onto your Scotland road trip, you’ll also have to decide whether you want to do it before the NC500 or after.
We drove the North Coast 500 in a clockwise direction, visiting the Isle of Skye before we joined the official route and while I was more than happy with our decision, I do think it would have been nice to save the “better” west coast scenery for last!
There you have it; my comprehensive Scotland road trip NC500 5 day itinerary, route and guide! I really hope this post helps you to plan your own epic road trip in Scotland!
Related posts:
- The Ultimate 3-Day Lake District Road Trip Itinerary – Best Things To See
- The 40 Best Campervan Meals To Make That Aren’t Boring
- The Ultimate South Coast England Road Trip – 2-Week Itinerary
- The Best Free And Paid Campervan Spots In South England
- The Ultimate 3-Day North Wales Itinerary – Best Things To See On A Road Trip
Pin for later – Scotland road trip NC500 5 day itinerary
Is a Scotland NC500 5 day itinerary on your travel bucket list? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.
