North Coast 500

Wild, rugged and impressive.

The spectacular landscape, rich culture, pretty clouds, and the purity of the Scots themselves make this tour a unique experience. For many, this is one of the most beautiful trips in our program.

The outward journey (first day) and return journey (last day) you will drive on your own initiative. If you want us to make a reservation for the ferry crossings, please contact us to ask for the possibilities. 

From Newcastle, you'll drive along a beautiful route towards the hotel in Pitlochry, a village built in the Victorian style. At first, driving on the left might take some getting used to, but a sticker on your left mirror or GPS system will always remind you that they drive on the left here. When you cross the border between England and Scotland, the man playing a tune on the bagpipes is guaranteed to be there. Once you're over this border, you can already start enjoying the beautiful views, old buildings, ponds and lochs, bridges, and classic villages in Scotland. Towards the end of the route, you'll pass by The Famous Grouse distillery. It's also nice for simply having a cup of coffee in the restaurant and the approximately one-hour tour is also fun to experience. If you take off your helmet in the parking lot, you can already smell that whisky is being made here. 

Today, you will traverse through the green Cairngorm National Park and the Grampian Mountains located within this vast park. The route continues along a beautiful narrow road through nature with stunning views. Then, you will drive a part of the Malt Whisky Trail, with well-known distilleries such as Glenfiddich. The hotel is located in Inverness, a bustling city with a thriving culinary culture and considered as the capital of the Scottish Highlands. Inverness is a lively city, with bustling shopping streets during the day, and cozy pubs in the evenings, often accompanied by the typical sound of bagpipes. Additionally, you can visit the museum where the ancient mystery of the Loch Ness monster is unraveled. The River Ness flows into the North Sea at Inverness.

From Inverness, you drive northwards along the east coast on the North Coast 500. This long route includes an additional loop through the truly wild nature of the Scottish Highlands. This beautiful route follows the most stunning roads along the coastline. Passing through several Lochs, you will come across Urquhart Castle, which you could also visit. This location is also used for the TV series Outlander. The route continues via Drumnadrochit towards the north on a beautiful small road. You now pass Loch Shin, which is the largest lake in the Sutherland region with an area of 22.5 km² and a length of 27.2 kilometers. You keep driving further north towards the northernmost point of Scotland. A beautiful place to take a break from driving and take a look is at the "Dunnet Head Lighthouse" or the famous "John O'Groats". You continue driving along the coast towards Thurso. The city of Thurso was founded by Vikings and they built an important port there, which was used as a trading post at that time, but nowadays it is of great importance to the Scottish fishing industry and as a ferry port to the Orkney Islands.

Today, once again, you have the opportunity to choose between a short and a long route. The number of kilometers may be quite high, but the driving time for today is relatively short. You still follow the North Coast route with stunning views over the coastline and the Highlands. After a few kilometers, you cross the Kyle of Tongue Bridge. Just before the crossing, there is a lookout point and a parking lot. You continue the route along the coastline of Loch Eriboll, which is also a bay of the Atlantic Ocean. Here, you are once again treated to stunning views. You now come across the "Smoo Caves". Here, you have a view of the narrow gorge of the Atlantic Ocean, which is certainly worth a stopover. The route continues towards the hotel and you pass by the beautiful village of Ullapool, which is definitely worth a visit, as it is surrounded by beautiful, rugged mountainous landscapes. You are now almost at your hotel where you will be staying tonight. The hotel in Gairloch has a beautiful view of the harbor and the "Isle of Skye"! With clear weather, you can see whales, dolphins, and even orcas in the sea.

Today you have the option to choose from three types of routes. The short route takes you over the Applecross Pass, an iconic pass where you'll be treated to fantastic views of the sea.

The long route doesn't go over the Applecross Pass, but instead takes you over the Isle of Skye, possibly one of the most beautiful places in the world. The northernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, a magical place with some of Scotland's most characteristic landscapes.

The XL route combines the Applecross Pass and the Isle of Skye. It's an intensive, long route, but if you depart on time and enjoy making a few extra miles, it's doable and you won't regret it!

You'll be staying in a modern four-star hotel in or near Fort William. The Water Nevis river runs through this place, named after Scotland's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Fort William is located at the foot of this mountain and, together with the mountain, is a beloved tourist destination in Scotland.

After breakfast, you will continue the route to your next overnight hotel in Drymen. From Fort William, you will drive almost directly through perhaps the most beautiful valley in Scotland: Glencoe. This valley was carved out by a glacier during the Ice Age. In winter, with sufficient snow, skiing is abundant. The end of the James Bond film Skyfall was also filmed in this vast valley.

The route continues over the "Old Military Road," as there are several in Scotland. This part of the route along the shore is again very beautiful and fun to drive. You will pass the "Trossachs trail," which is popular among motorcyclists in Scotland and a real bend festival. After the Trossachs trail, you will drive the last part of the route to yet another hotel of this trip in Drymen, a small town located near the large city of Glasgow.

The final day route takes you through the English Northumberland National Park to Newcastle. The first part of the route passes through a busier area of Scotland around Glasgow. The route takes you on larger roads towards the beautiful old towns of Peebles and Jedburgh, through the Scottish Borders towards Newcastle, where the Scottish journey ends.