NC500

The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems. The start and finish of this route is Inverness. Here we are at the railway station, the gateway for many on this route. However this route is by road from here on. Hang on to your hat -here we go. Official free Map download: www.northcoast500.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NC500-Official-Map.pdf NB when we did this in 2014, the NC500 did not exist. It came into existence in 2015 Now as I set off from here I shall in fact virtually travel along the coastal route clockwise as our Ipernity friend Roger also sets off from here but will travel anti-clockwise. We aim to meet each other around Durness on the NW corner of Scotland.

The Culloden Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the Highland Main Line, to the east of the city of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It was designed by Murdoch Paterson and opened in 1898 as part of the Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway, which was built by the Highland Railway. The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby ending the Jacobite rising of 1745. WiKi The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

A look at Inverness Castle on the River Ness. Inverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. A succession of castles have stood on this site since 1057, although the present structure dates from 1836. WiKi The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

The Caledonian Canal. Almost the last of the locks of this most famous canal that runs from Fort William to Inverness via Loch Ness. The big bridge behind is the Kessock Bridge carrying the A862 which would be the first and last big bridge of the whole NC500 journey. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

The Black Isle is a peninsula just to the north of Inverness and Avoch Harbour on its SE coast is a very attractive spot on the way to Channery Point, perhaps Black Isles most famous tourist hot-spot. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

Channery Lighthouse. Channery Point is perhaps Black Isles most famous tourist hot-spot. Not for its attractive lighthouse but for the sighting of its dolphins. It is one of the best spots in the UK to view bottlenose dolphins from the land. The dolphins are often visible off Chanonry point, particularly on an incoming tide when they play and fish in the strong currents. Porpoise and seals are also seen here. We saw none but many people around us saw them! The lighthouse was established: 1846, Engineer: Alan Stevenson, Tower Height: 13 metres Light Range: 15 miles, Elevation: 12 metres, Automated: 1984 The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

Invergordon, on the Cromarty Firth as seen from the north of the Black isle. Most famous for its Highland Whisky perhaps but now also a very popular cruise ship destination from where its passengers can tour the highlands and its distilleries. This is also one of Scotland's oil and gas rig assembly centres. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

As we leave the Black Isle to start the NC500 proper, heading west across Scotland, we spy this oil/gas rig with its legs high above the water line in Cromarty Firth. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

The Fairy Glen in Rosemarkie sits just north of Channery Point on the Black isle. There are a number of waterfalls here but this stunner is clearly the best of them. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

We have now left the east coast and are travelling west from Inverness. The North Coast 500 follows the main roads along the coastal edges of northern Scotland and is popular with sightseers and car enthusiasts due to the rugged nature of the terrain – and twisting roads. Here we are crossing over the Applecross Peninsula on the famous Bealach na Bà pass, a winding single track road through the mountains. Next stop: Applecross itself. A 1993 slide.

After travelling west from Inverness and its Black Isle, our next call is the wonderful remote peninsular of Applecross, north-west of Kyle of Lochalsh in Wester Ross, Scottish Highlands. This 1993 slide is taken from near our rental holiday cottage at Camusterrach about 2 miles south of the village of Applecross. We are actually looking west over the Inner Sound to the Isle of Skye. A 1993 slide. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

Another look across to Skye from Camusterrach, Applecross. The white house was our home for a week. See adjacent photo for details of the area. A 1993 slide. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems. NB the village of Plockton is just 10 miles south of here -as the crow flies!

From this location, just south of Applecross village we can get some great sunsets. It is almost silent except for the calling of seabirds. A 1993 slide. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

Shieldaig on the edge of the Applecross peninsular is about 10 miles NE of Applecross village as the crow flies but almost 20 miles by road. Situated on Loch Torridon. Described as one of the most picturesque villages in the Highlands . We are going north from here via the A832 towards the village of Torridon and then via Kinlochewe and Gairloch to Ullapool our next port of call. A 1993 slide. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

Gairloch 1989. A slide. Gairloch is one of the principal villages on the North coast 500 route. This view taken over Loch Gairloch looking south. This is the view from the Gairloch beach looking over to Charlestown and much further to the mountains of Skye taken with my Canon long lens. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

1989 and we have arrived at Loch Broom, the big sea loch on which its famous small town of Ullapool sits, an important stop-off point for this North Coast 500 tour. We are at the eastern end here with Ullapool the white line in the far distance. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems. I am doing this virtual road trip clockwise as our Ipernity friend Roger does it anti-clockwise. We are hoping to meet up in Durness.

2014. As we take a brief break in this wonderful little town of around 1500 inhabitants we feel the tourist attraction here. A busy place partially as it is the only sizable town for many miles but also because of the through traffic to the ferry for Stornaway on the Island of Harris. The town itself sits on the north east side of its most wonderful Loch Broom. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

2021. Ullapool Ferry terminal. The main crossing to the Hebridean Island of Harris. A real tourist hot spot here as a place to rest for a few days on the NC500 route. A large campsite caters for those enthusiast. The town itself sits on the north east side of its most wonderful Loch Broom. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems. Many tourist cut short their NC500 tour by driving straight to or from Ullapool from Inverness leaving out the Applecross and Torridon stages.