2021 not much to do and not much money, so decided to drive up to Scotland and admire the NC500 route.
Bought myself a £2.99 map of the route and started plotting where to stay and what to see. Using paper maps and google maps really worked well. Plotting where to stay and visualising how far apart they were combined with hunting for campsites meant 2 maps was useful. I tried to ensure I did not have to drive more than about 2 hours between campsites each day, once I was in Scotland, so leaving enough time for exploring. Plus so it did not feel like I was stuck in a car all week. So after much searching and double checking I had all the campsites booked for the trip, making sure I got them booked in the right order was quite stressful as a few had similar names. I picked campsites as they were a lot cheaper than B&B’s etc. but also meant I was self-sufficient and could avoid crowds, plus I really like camping and getting back to basics.
Once accommodation was booked I then started hunting through maps and reviews on the best places to see on the trip which fitted into my route. Then pack the car with camping, hiking and cooking stuff and I was off.
Day 1. Drive to Glasgow. Quick pit stop at nice services. 4.5 hour drive.
Decided to break the journey up rather than trying to get all the way to Inverness in 1 day. Plus gave me a bit of time to pack in the morning after finishing work the day before. Drive was easy motorways and had not planned anything in Glasgow other than sleep and a good place to stop.
Day 2.
Drive to Inverness.
More hills today to look at on drive as the road went round the Cairngorm National Park. Drove though Newtonmore and Avimore as I have stayed in both many years ago but did not stop as very busy.
Got to Inverness in good time as had an early start from Glasgow.
Quick food stop at Tesco before exploring Fort George and some pebbly beaches at the mouth of Inverness and the sea.
Drove along Loch Ness, did not see any monsters.
Day 3.
Drive to Thurso via Wagoli steps and john o groats.
Scenery started to get a bit more Scottish on this
drive up the east coast, a lot less people and a lot more countryside.
Got to Wagoli steps, they were tricky to find.
Went up and down the stairs and spent a bit of time exploring the cove at the bottom as tide was out.
Then drove up to look around John o Groats, not much there other than touristy bits but just around the corner is some nice views of Duncansby Stacks in the sea, worth the visit up by the light house, and views towards the Orkneys.
Drove west and arrived in Thurso for camping and food. Sea view campsite which was very nice on top of a cliff overlooking the sea but still close enough to town for a short walk. Had a walk along the beach after pitching camp.
Driving up the east coast saw a weird stone spire on hill near Golespia, will have to find out later. Turns out it was the Duke of Sutherland Monument.
Day 4
No driving today just walking about. This was due to a campsite not getting back to me so decided to have a rest day from driving, book two nights here and explore the very north of Scotland.
Thurso is quite nice lots of local shops, long coast line, a distillery, fishing docks and even saw wild salmon jumping in the river. Was purely by chance I walked into a nice park for some lunch and heard splashing in the river, thinking kids were throwing stones until I stopped and watched and 5 or 6 Salmon were having a good feed jumping out every few minutes.
After lunch went for a long explore along the coast past an old castle and various other ruins along a nice cliff top walk.
Day 5.
Drive to Durness.
Had an early start so I could get a spot at the campsite as places were limited and not allowed to book in advance, plus there were a couple of fun spots I wanted to stop at on the way.
Today was the first section of single track driving and was a good introduction on what was to come.
Turns out it was not bad, plenty of passing spots, not much traffic early on and everyone I did meet was good enough to stop or wait for a passing spot.
Was a nice sunny drive. Some rather narrow twisty roads but was not too busy.
Stopped at Smoo cave and a few other photo spots on the way. Smoo cave was interesting as unusually for a cave it had a really big opening at the mouth before disappearing into a underground river system. There were some nice views of the cave from various points.
Got to the campsite in time for new bookings and got a nice spot on top of the cliff.
As I arrived early morning I thought I would explore and spotted a little gate off the campsite so headed off.
Went for a walk up the beach and onwards through some farm land before joining onto a small road.
The road went on towards another peninsula and across a beach, yes across it and then along it. I was now quite intrigued by were this went so followed the small track all the way to the very end of the peninsula. I then saw some live bombing runs just out to sea, turns out it is a MOD firing practice and the only place they are allowed to drop live bombs.
After a longer walk than anticipated returned to camp for some food and then explored the beaches and cliffs next to the campsite.
Day 6.
Drive to Clachtoll via Lochiver.
Now on the west coast of Scotland there were more great scenery, mountains and smaller roads.
Stopped at Kylesku Bridge on the way as it was quite nice for a few minute leg stretch.
Before getting to camp I pulled off to explore Hermits castle, was a good place to stop as nice beach and sunshine. The castle was tucked away and not really sign posted or on any set path but really worth checking out.
Road to beach car park was quite small so decided to make the most of the sunshine and have lunch on the beach.
Took the shorter route to the campsite so was ok drive.
Campsite at Clachtoll is nice with a herb garden and plenty of space, each pitch is marked out. Evening fire pits were available and being quite large site was nice and quiet.
Nice beach just down from campsite with quite a few SUP’s, kayakers and swimmers. Had another walk round the beaches and mini peninsula with good views of the sea and coastline.
Day 7.
Drive to Little Loch Broom.
Today I had found quite a few places I wanted to walk round on the route and luckily weather was good.
First walk was around a tiny fishing pond I found, this was unplanned but had nice views.
The first planned stop was to walk round Ardvreck Castle ruins and little waterfalls. This was quite busy but still worth the stop. (not sure these tourists understood the keep off the ancient monument sign) The castle was perch out on the edge of a Loch which made for some nice views.
Continuing on my drive down the west coast I planned another stop which was highlighted on my map. A walk to Bones caves which was very nice loop walk with a spring filling a river part way, as there was no obvious source of the water it must have been underground but puzzled a few people. The actual caves were quite impressive on the side of a hill, there were 4 of them in total with the biggest enough to go in the cave and see the mountains across the valley, they were not deep but enough to shelter in if needed.
Quick stop in Ullapool for bread. Ullapool is apparently the place to stop for all caravans and campers it turns out as it was very very busy, which is why I did not stay here.
The drive to campsite in Badallach is very remote, not quite on the NC500 route but looked close enough on the map. When driving there it was obvious it was off the beaten track even more than some of the places which looked small, there was nothing here but the bothy/campsite and the Loch little broom. There were only 5 people staying including myself, but the facilities were fine as an extension to the bothy provide things for campers.
As it was a quiet evening went for a short walk to the Loch.
A few midges out in the evening so hiding in car or tent just reading a book and planning tomorrow. Up until this point I had not been bothered by any midges as there had been a bit of a breeze to keep them away.
Day 8.
Correction. – A lot of midges!! Packed tent v quickly in the morning so a lot of midges got trapped in the tent, ready for when I unpack ☹.
Long 6 mile drive down single track out from campsite avoiding sheep and pot holes, again fortunate that it was empty as less passing places on this stretch. Finally made it back to what now feels like a big road and the official NC500.
Drive round Loch Ewe to Torridon for a walk which had been suggested. Got distracted and went for a quick walk round Loch Clair first as it was on route. A bit further down the road came across a small car park with a large Stag in it, apparently he is the resident of the car park and does not mind sharing.
It also turns out this was the start of a planned walk, which went up a nice valley before heading up and round a mountain towards a waterfall, it had so many great views along the route as well as the top, it was a there and back walk.
I then headed for the campsite which was on the sands and dunes a couple miles out from town. This campsite was quite large and spread out with people in tents, tepees and campervans tucked in between all the sand dunes. Facilities in this campsite were really good and obviously used to handling lots of people. When putting up the tent I had indeed trapped a large amount of midges which was quite unpleasant as they swarmed around my tent before finding new places to go.
Throughout the trip I had been playing around with time lapses of the drive which resulted in filling up my memory card on my phone, oops. Had to do a bit of shuffling of albums to make any space for further pictures.
Day 9
Drive to Applecross via Torridon.
There were still a few walks along the Torridon road I wanted to do but also wanted to time the long drive to Applecross so there was less traffic.
The drive along the Torridon road is up there in my book with the drive through Glen Coe, it has great scenery on each side a small winding road through the middle, the down side is the road is single track but you are in no rush to drive through this place. Also it means less of the scenery is covered in tarmac which is nice.
So when I got to Torridon I went for a walk around a Deer park and shoreline of the Loch before a quick detour up the hillside to get a better view.
I then continued along the road, which kept getting smaller, into a forest for the start of a longer walk along more of the shoreline. This turned out to mainly be on roads, roads were very small, but some good views of the loch before wiggling through some tiny villages in the middle of nowhere with their own communal fruit and veg patches before back to the car.
Then came the drive down the 20 mile single track wiggly road to Applecross. Saw some vintage cars on the road and looked like a planned meeting/rally as 2 big trucks of cars were loaded up with all sort of classics. By the a few miles in it had started to rain so drive was dull along the coast as need to focus on were the road was and less on the scenery.
Arriving at the campsite had to pitch the tent in the rain but it did ease off enough that I ventured down the hill to the village and waterfront. Decided to splash out and buy my first meal of the trip and had fish and chips by the water’s edge. Watched a man swimming around in the harbour who got joined by a seal who was ducking underwater each time the man dove down to pick up rubbish. Also witnessed 3 big stags emerge from the trees to get fed by an old man in his garden before they vanished back into the countryside.
Returned to campsite which had now filled up quite a bit to see a hearse converted into a camper, including awning on the side. Campsite was at the top of the hill but had enough trees around it to keep the wind off, so was quite a nice night.
Day 10
Drive from Applecross to Skye.
This was the last day of the official NC500 driving as heading to Skye but the route still had 1 last treat for me. The sunshine had come out and an early start meant I got to drive down Blah nac na bah on my own in the morning sunshine.
This is quite an infamous section of the NC500 as it is a switch back single track road down from the tops of Applecross to the Loch below. It was a really nice drive and quite pleased I drove down it rather than up the hairpin bends.
I then continued the drive over the bridge and into Skye. I carried on up the east coast of Skye to check out some views of the coast line, waterfalls and a walk.
As the weather was ok and I still had time decided to go to Quiraing which started quite a way up a hill so views were already quite good. Setting off was nice but windy and some good views over the coast back towards mainland Scotland. Once at the top and the section of the walk to loop back over the mountain and back to the car the clouds had descended and visibility was reduced. At this point several people were debating if it was worth trying to find the track over the top or pick the safer known route back along the bottom. After a quick scout up the hill into the clouds I decided I could not see enough of the track and too many steep drops was not worth it, so turned back and headed back the way I came. (Also to note I only put 3 hours on the car park ticket for a 4 hour hike, so made rapid progress back)
I did however treat myself to a Cheese toasty and cup of Tea at the end as I was quite wet.
Luckily this was the only time I had gotten really wet during the trip and I had a nice B&B to stay at. Yep I had booked a B&B for my stay on Isle of Skye, partly to allow myself some time to sort out my stuff and also lots of the campsites were full. But a hot shower and comfy bed were very welcome.
A quick evening walk into Portree presented another surprise running into a work colleague, I had not seen in several years, purely by chance. Then a back to a comfy bed.
Day 11.
I had planned to try and explore the south of Skye today so headed down to fairy pools and Glenbrittle from some walks and waterfall spotting. As it was quite drizzly there were not too many people visiting the fairy pools but also meant there was not a great deal of views and was a bit too chilly to be hanging around. There was only 1 brave/mad person taking a dip in the pools when I left.
The low cloud/rain also meant no views of Cullins so settled for a plod around a forest walk. This was mainly on logging tracks but with the consistent rain and limited visibility was a bit of a trudge. I then stopped at the Oyster Shed, as it had been recommended, and was on the way back. Not liking raw oysters I went for some cold smoked salmon which was nice and very good portion of fish.
In general a bit of a soggy day.
The end of the day was very nice however as the weather back in Portree was dry so walked round a local loop which included a bit of the town, a nice bay then up a steep hill and past some farms until back to the hotels.
Day 12.
Today I was planning on heading west of the island as I had not been in that direction yet, however 2 minutes down the road I changed my mind as the sun was shining. Quick decision to head north and to go to Man of Storr as it was sunny and I might be able to see it. Boots had not fully dried out from the previous day but fresh socks meant it was ok. Great views of the Storr and surrounding hills, could see all the way across to mainland Scotland. I even got carried away and hiked up and round the ridge to look down on the Storr, which not many other people do but was a very nice view, similar to all the drone shots people were capturing.
As the owner of the B&B told me there are 3 times to go – stupidly early if you are a photographer and want the sunrise shot, straight after breakfast for a nice view but not too many people, then the tourist time which is jam packed. I managed to leave before it got too busy.
Then went to original plan and drove west
to see what was over there. It was nice enough, still a bit grey over the west compared to the east. Stopped for a vegan burger in Durvegan, seemed appropriate. Had a little walk round an old church and the Lochs.
Back to B&B to sort stuff, pack the car for next 2 days and rest up.
Day 13.
Drive from Skye to Loch Lomond national park.
On the recommendation of someone else who had just been to Skye I got the ferry back to the mainland and was lucky to see Porpoises swim along the boat. These mini dolphins made the crossing very fun.
Once on mainland Scotland, all the roads felt wide again, I drove through Glen Coe which was wet so not the usual spectacular scenery. Stopped off at Falls of Falloch just because it was on route and a few people I know have kayaked off it, it did not look runnable when I saw it!
Found the camp site, which was part of the west highland way, which I did not know was a thing until then. Putting up the tent was quite a challenge as half the grass was a puddle or very wet and the other half seemed to have a layer of rock 1 inch under the ground, which made putting in pegs very tricky.
The campsite was full of people part way through the hike and was interesting overhearing peoples experiences so far.
I decided to go for a run along a bit of it, just to see what it was about. I then made use of the café to refuel on pasta and bread and then headed to bed.
Day 14.
I had planned on staying 2 nights here and hiking one of the hills in the area but decided to drive home as too wet to do anything and could not see anything higher than 2 meters due to cloud cover.
Long drive home about 7 hours as traffic was bad and then got stopped by the Tour of Britain bike race.
Overall a fun trip round Scotland going places I would not have gone or even knew existed. Although it was a lot of driving on narrow roads I never felt it was an issue and was never in a rush to get anywhere.
(As a side note the fortnight before this trip my car started having issues losing all power and acceleration, thought I had it sorted but it gave up about 6 times on the entire journey. Used the old “turn it off and on again” trick, the faster I turned it off the less issues I had, which was fine when no traffic. However it did had another level of anxiety to the trip if I would actually make it somewhere)
In my opinion the west coast had a lot more picturesque places to see with more of my stops aimed at this area, yet they were less accessible so needed to be planned. The east coast still had some good views but was a bit more populated and did not feel it has the same appeal to stop and explore as the west did.
Saw wildlife and went on walks for 2 weeks which was nice as the past 18 months I had mainly been stuck in a house avoiding Covid and people, so was nice to be outdoors. Equally camping was a nice reminder of how few things you need to have a comfy night sleep and escape into the wilderness. Got lucky on the weather as it was great the first 9 days when I was camping and only got wet at the later part of the trip when I was in a B&B so did not mind getting wet as I could get dry.
Would recommend it to anyone who likes outdoor adventures, walking, countryside or Scotland.
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