europe · 5 days · 10 stops

North Coast 500

The 830 km loop round the north of Scotland from Inverness: Torridon, the Bealach na Bà, Ullapool, Kylesku, Durness and the east coast back.

Days
5
Stops
10
Driving
334 km
Behind the wheel
3h 47m

Driving figures are measured road distances between the stops listed for each day, not straight lines. The transfer from wherever you sleep to the first stop of the day is not included.

Daylight on this route, by season

The single number that decides whether a self-drive day works. Almost every guide tells you to "check the daylight hours"; here they are for this route, on the solstices and equinoxes.

Day Driving 21 Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar
Inverness → Torridon 1h 6m 18h 3m 12h 21m 6h 35m 12h 16m
Bealach na Bà → Ullapool 1h 40m 18h 1m 12h 21m 6h 36m 12h 16m
Kylesku Bridge → Smoo Cave 0h 38m 18h 22m 12h 21m 6h 18m 12h 16m
John o' Groats → Wick 0h 23m 18h 19m 12h 21m 6h 20m 12h 16m
Urquhart Castle → Inverness 0h 17h 59m 12h 21m 6h 38m 12h 15m

Measured at the midpoint of each day's stops. "Midnight sun" means the sun does not set; "polar night" means it does not rise.

Day by day

Day 1: Inverness → Torridon

2 stops · 97 km · 1h 6m driving

In winter: About 1h 6m of driving inside 6h 35m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    Inverness

    Where the loop begins and ends

  2. 2

    Torridon

    Mountains falling straight into Loch Torridon

Legs and times
  • Inverness → Torridon: 97 km, 1h 6m

Day 2: Bealach na Bà → Ullapool

3 stops · 153 km · 1h 40m driving

In winter: About 1h 40m of driving inside 6h 36m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    Bealach na Bà

    The pass to Applecross — single track, hairpins, no buses

  2. 2

    Applecross

    Village on the peninsula, looking across to Skye

  3. 3

    Ullapool

    Harbour town on Loch Broom

Legs and times
  • Bealach na Bà → Applecross: 16 km, 0h 10m
  • Applecross → Ullapool: 137 km, 1h 30m

Day 3: Kylesku Bridge → Smoo Cave

2 stops · 58 km · 0h 38m driving

In winter: About 0h 38m of driving inside 6h 18m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    Kylesku Bridge

    The curved bridge over Loch a' Chairn Bhain

  2. 2

    Smoo Cave

    Sea cave at Durness, a short walk from the car park

Legs and times
  • Kylesku Bridge → Smoo Cave: 58 km, 0h 38m

Day 4: John o' Groats → Wick

2 stops · 26 km · 0h 23m driving

In winter: About 0h 23m of driving inside 6h 20m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    John o' Groats

    The north-eastern corner of the mainland

  2. 2

    Wick

    Harbour town on the east coast

Legs and times
  • John o' Groats → Wick: 26 km, 0h 23m

Day 5: Urquhart Castle → Inverness

1 stops · 0 km · 0h driving

In winter: About 0h of driving inside 6h 38m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    Urquhart Castle

    Castle on Loch Ness, on the way back to Inverness

When to drive it

21 Jun

18h 9m

of daylight

21 Sep

12h 21m

of daylight

21 Dec

6h 29m

of daylight

21 Mar

12h 16m

of daylight

Longest days are around 21 June, shortest around 21 December. On this route the swing is large enough that the same day's driving can be comfortable in June and entirely after dark in December — which is why the table above is per day.

Plan this route with the daylight in view

Tseril builds the multi-day route on a map, warns you about the legs you would drive at night, and shows the snow and weather at every stop. Free to use.

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