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Author: Barry Pickard
Join us in this travel blog post where we enjoy the rugged landscape from the Loch Maree to Loch Carron stage of the North Coast 500.
Over the years, we have explored the sections of the NC500 route several times, although not necessarily the complete route in one single journey. Indeed, our travels in this area began well before it had been called the North Coast 500. Our travels have opened our eyes to the beauty of the route and has given us the opportunity to also find hidden gems off the beaten track.
Commonly known as “Scotland’s Route 66”, the North Coast 500 has quickly become an iconic, must-do tourist route, having only been formally marketed as such back in 2015. The NC500 is actually 516-miles long, starting and ending at Inverness Castle, running along a mainly coastal route through the traditional counties of Inverness-shire, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Caithness. It has become so popular that has been described as "Scotland's Route 66".
Planning an independent trip along the NC500?
All information in this post is based on my own experience travelling around the NC500, backed by extensive research to bring you everything you need to know to have your own amazing experience.
At Tailor-Made Itineraries we delight in creating bespoke self-guided tours. So, if travelling the NC500 appeals to you, reach out to us by email. We would be more than happy to design a self-guided tour around your requirements incorporating the sites along the NC500, or indeed, a general tour of Scotland. We also have 5 and 10 day set itineraries that you can purchase from our online store (see below).
Loch Maree
Just a quarter of an hour drive from Gairloch is the stunning Loch Maree, which is often regarded as Scotland’s most picturesque loch. It is 20 km (12 mi) long, with a maximum width of 4 km (2.5 mi), and it is the fourth largest freshwater loch in Scotland, framed beautifully by the 910 metre tall Slioch. There are many places along the road that skirts Loch Maree’s southern shore to stop and take in the scenery, and we also tried a bit of monster spotting as well, since the loch has its own rival to Nessie, a creature called Muc-sheilch. We didn’t have much time to stop and explore the loch, but we were interested to learn that on Isle Maree, the remains of a chapel can be found which is believed to be the 8th century hermitage of Saint Máel Ruba (d. 722).There is also a scenic waterfall just slightly off the beaten track on the southern side, called Victoria Falls, which is meant to be well worth the short hike.
Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve
As we continued our drive towards Loch Torridon, we couldn’t help but be impressed with 1,010 metre tall Beinn Eighe and the other peaks around it which make up what was the first National Nature Reserve in Britain. It is several rare animals such as Golden Eagles, Scottish Wildcat and Pine Marten. Dragonflies, and many rare birds. 48 square kilometres of Mountain, Woodland, and Lochside scenery.
Torridon
As we drove around Beinn Eighe, the other two giants of the Torridon estate - Beinn Alligin and Liathach – came into view, both rising almost 1000 metres from sea level. We’d thoroughly recommend a trip along the single-track road through Glen Torridon if you have time and found it to be an unforgettable experience. The estate also has many breath-taking hiking trails, with paths suitable for most walkers. However, even if you are just driving through the area, you will receive views over some of the best and most celebrated landscapes of Scotland.
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Bealach na Ba Road (Applecross Pass)
The highlight of this stretch of the NC500 must be Bealach na Bà. It is a historic pass through the mountains of the Applecross peninsula and the name of a famous twisting, single-track mountain road through the pass and mountains. The pass really reminded us of some roads in the Alps or Norway and we received great views at every point on this route. If you are not restricted by your trip itinerary, this is one attraction that we would always advise to do on a clear day – otherwise all you will experience is a tight, difficult road to navigate, without the spectacular views. Once you reach the top of the pass, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are now on the third highest road in Scotland, having ascended 626 metres in a matter of three or four miles. For those of you a bit squeamish, there is an alternative coastal road that goes from Sheldaig to Applecross, which has its own attractions, but nothing else will quite compare to the Bealach n Ba.
Applecross Inn
The Applecross Inn is a traditional bayside B&B, with home cooking and a lively local bar scene. It is notoriously difficult to book into the inn, as the accommodation is booked up months in advance. Instead, we stayed at the Cul an Dun B&B, just at the back of the campsite, which we found very welcoming, with a great view and breakfast. We did, however, have an evening meal at the Applecross Inn and we can report that the seafood was exceptional.
Strome Castle
We descended Bealach na Bà the next day, winding our way down to the small village of Lochcarron. We took a slight detour off the official NC500 and headed to Strome Castle. Guarding the strategically important ferry crossing at the mouth of Loch Carron since the 1400’s, Strome Castle sits silently in ruins looking out sea towards the Isle of Skye. This relic, with such a romantic backdrop, was the scene of violent clashes between the Macdonalds of Glengarry and the Mackenzies of Kintail - that was until the former clan blew the castle up in 1602. Having never been rebuilt, the castle is testament to the vicious clan warfare hundreds of years ago.
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Plockton Harbour
Our NC500 detour carried us around the southern shore of Loch Carron and on to the idyllic Plockton harbour. Scotland has hundreds of picture postcard villages, but Plockton is consistently regarded as one of the best. This attractive village, with the neatly painted cottages hugging the shoreline, follows the curve of the tiny harbour. Like Ullapool, Plockton is a planned fishing village, being built in response to the land clearances of the early 1800’s, when people were replaced with sheep. When we visited, we had a childish snigger, since the work ‘plock’ in the Gaelic language means ‘pimple’, with Plockton being the little pimple on the end of the peninsula!
Eilean Donan Castle
A twenty minute drive from Plockton took us to one of the most iconic castles of Scotland - Eilean Donan. This fortification sits proudly on an island at the point where three great sea lochs meet. Understandably, the castle is very popular with tourists, so try to get there as early as possible, or risk bumping elbows with coachloads of visitors. The castle, as you see it today, is actually a recent construction, having been totally rebuilt in 1932. The castle had been partially destroyed during the Jacobite uprising in 1719 and had been deserted until bought and restored by Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap. As picturesque as this castle is, Eilean Donan is, for us, forever associated with the 1980’s film Highlander – we always remember when the lead character Connor Macleod is banished from the castle and pilloried as he fled over the bridge. It is worth noting that the castle has an excellent gift shop and is well stocked with souvenirs, both classy and touristy.
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Where to Stay
There are a number of small hotels and short-term rentals at the start of this route, around the village of Gairloch, with the likes of the Myrtle Bank Hotel and the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel offering a comfortable level of accommodation.
There are a number of short-term rentals around Loch Torridon and Applecross, but your best chance of securing accommodation towards the end of the route would be in the tiny town of Kyle of Lochalsh. The Skye Bridge Hotel and the Lochalsh Hotel are popular choices. Another option, in nearby Dornie, opposite Eilean Donan Castle, is The Dornie.
Click on the underlined weblinks above to review these hotels and make your reservation.
Related Blog Posts
If you are interested in finding out more about the NC500 route, please view the Tailor-Made Itineraries posts below:
Comment below and let me know what was your favourite NC500 attraction.
At Tailor-Made Itineraries we delight in creating bespoke self-guided tours. So, if travelling the NC500 appeals to you, reach out to us by email. We would be more than happy to design a self-guided tour around your requirements incorporating the sites along the NC500, or indeed, a general tour of Scotland. We also have 5 and 10 day set itineraries that you can purchase from our online store (see below).
Tailor-Made Itineraries posts every two weeks, and you can subscribe to the latest blog and newsletter here. Until then, happy reading and safe travels.
Barry
Contact Me: tailoritineraries@gmail.com
Tailor-Made Itineraries creates one-of-a-kind bespoke self-guided travel itineraries for adventurous and curious travellers.
These self-guided tours deliver a personalised and exciting holiday experience that takes the effort out of trip planning.
NC500 Map - Loch Maree to Loch Carron
