The North Coast 500 – through the Highlands on four wheels

The North Coast 500 is a route I’m sure I’ll remember for a long time. And this time, not just because of the scenery. Driving the NC500 can be quite an experience in itself. In many places, the road becomes really narrow and turns into a single-track road, meaning there’s only one lane for cars travelling in both directions. Every so often, you’ll find small passing places, where you have to pull in to let an oncoming car through. Sometimes you have to get a bit creative, and if you miss the passing place at the wrong moment, there’s nothing for it but to reverse.

On top of that, there are sharp bends, blind crests, hidden dips – sudden drops in the road that are barely visible in advance (which can be a real problem at higher speeds) – as well as steep climbs and descents. Visibility is often seriously limited, so you need to keep your eyes on the road and constantly anticipate what might appear around the next bend or over the next crest. And, of course, cars aren’t the only things you’ll encounter on the road. Sheep seem perfectly happy to wander straight down the middle of it and see absolutely no reason to obey any sort of road traffic rules either.

Driving therefore requires quite a bit of concentration, but that was exactly what made the NC500 so much fun for me. With all the excitement on the road, there was absolutely no chance of getting bored behind the wheel. And, as if that wasn’t enough, there are plenty of viewpoints along the North Coast 500, while the road itself winds through landscapes that make you want to stop every few minutes. One moment there’s a turquoise bay and a white sandy beach, the next it’s rugged mountains, a deeply indented sea loch or a rocky coastline. And that’s exactly why driving this stretch took me considerably longer than I had expected.

ITINERARY

The road was winding, narrow and, at times, quite demanding. On top of that, I seemed to pass half of the Netherlands along the way – apparently, I’d stumbled upon a gathering of Dutch drivers who had decided that a single-track road was the perfect place for a rather large social get-together. That made reaching Drumbeg Viewpoint all the more welcome. It was one of the first places where I had absolutely no doubt that I had to stop. At last, I could get out of the car and simply take in the view. And there certainly was plenty to see. I got exactly what you would expect from north-west Scotland – a sweeping panorama of the coastline, a rugged shoreline, small secluded bays, islands scattered across the sea and endless water stretching all the way to the horizon.

Then, after crossing the mountains, I reached Clachtoll Beach, a small bay with pale sand and water in a colour that seems completely at odds with the stereotypical image of Scotland.

In fact, the northern Highlands were starting to fool me a little by this point. After rain, wind and rugged mountains, I would suddenly come across a beach that looked as though someone had got the location wrong and accidentally dropped a bit of the Caribbean onto the Scottish coast. Something was clearly not quite right here. Achmelvich Bay and Vesteys Beach caused even more confusion. Pale sand, turquoise water, rocky hills and tiny little coves make it hard to believe that this is still northern Scotland.

After the beaches, it was time for a change of scenery and I’m probably not going to surprise anyone by saying that it was mountains again. 😉

Falls of Measach View Bridge is a short but impressive stop overlooking the Corrieshalloch Gorge. From the bridge, you can look down at the Measach Falls plunging deep between the sheer rock walls.

And then… there were mountains again. An Teallach Viewpoint is one of those places where there really isn’t much more to say. The An Teallach massif is one of the most distinctive mountain ranges in the north-west Highlands. Jagged ridges, rocky slopes and vast open spaces all around looked so spectacular that, for a moment, I didn’t even mind that the weather seemed determined to kill me.

Next came Little Loch Broom Viewpoint. The view over the loch surrounded by mountains was completely different from the coastal landscapes I had seen earlier, but every bit as spectacular. The loch cuts deep into the mountains, which surround it on all sides. And once again, it was the kind of view that makes you wonder why you ever need to go home.

And then I was back by the sea again. 😀 Gruinard Beach is another one of those Scottish beaches that looks far too tropical for somewhere this far north. Pale sand, turquoise water and the surrounding mountains create an incredible contrast. And the best part is that just a few kilometres further on, the landscape changes completely again.

Mellon Udrigle Beach is quieter and more rugged. A long stretch of beach, dunes, rocks and mountains in the distance. Here, you can really start to appreciate just how remote this part of Scotland is.

Finally, I stopped at Inverewe Viewpoint, which offers a slightly different perspective of the coastline.

 

And I think that was when it really hit me that, on this stretch of the North Coast 500, the biggest attraction isn’t any single place. The road itself is the attraction. When every few kilometres brings another bay, another beach, another mountain or another viewpoint, you quickly stop wondering how much further there is to go. You simply carry on driving, with the kind of childlike fascination that makes you want to see what’s around the next bend.