The Scottish Highlands are full of beautiful bays, craggy snow-dusted mountain peaks, peat-stained streams and heather-clad moors scattered with golden gorse and wild deer, all linked by quiet single-track roads dotted with passing places. In the Scottish Highlands you can drive from bright sunshine to a swirling snow-flurry in just a few miles or a few minutes. And, best of all, you can experience one of the world’s last wilderness areas without giving up any modern comforts – enjoying luxurious accommodation, delicious food, true Highland hospitality and, of course, a warming dram or two of excellent Scottish spirits. Scotland’s North Coast 500 (NC500), a loop route covering just over 500 miles (800km) of spectacular Highland scenery, has been named among the planet’s top coastal roads – alongside the likes of Italy’s Amalfi Coast and the Pacific Coast Highway in the USA! My preference is to drive up the west coast through Wester Ross and Sutherland – the wildest, most mountainous stretch – then across the top into Caithness, mainland Britain’s northernmost county, picking up these highlights along the way. For a taste of classic Scottish Highlands food, stop for a bowl of cock-a-leekie soup in a village pub along the way (see video below).
Where to Stay on the West Coast The Albannach (Lochinver)
Lesley Crosfield and Colin Craig offered true Highland hospitality for over 30 years in this luxurious B&B. It’s under new ownership now, and I hear glowing reviews suggesting it’s still a great base for a few days exploring this stunning west coast location. Rooms have gorgeous views and the breakfast menu still features produce from local dairies and smokehouses alongside greens and fruits from their own kitchen garden.
Where to Stay in Sutherland Ben Loyal Hotel (Tongue)
This beautifully located, and very hospitable, hotel on Scotland’s wild north coast looks across the Kyle of Tongue to the mountain it’s named for – Ben Loyal, known as the ‘Queen of Scottish Mountains’. It’s a welcome stop on the long north coast stretch of the NC500, and breakfast is a highlight: smoked haddock from the tiny fishing village of Kinlochbervie, poached with golden-yolked local eggs.
Where to Stay in Caithness Forss House (Forss, near Thurso)
Built in the early 1800s, this heritage-listed Georgian manor set in 8 hectares of garden and woodland has a lovely outlook from the large comfortable rooms. It’s full of memorabilia from the original owner (a keen adventurer and fisherman) and has a whisky bar with over 300 single malts. They serve one of Scotland’s best breakfasts too, with Caithness Smokehouse salmon shaved into long, silky slices on hot, buttery toast.
Where to Eat in Caithness The Galley (Scrabster)
This wonderfully atmospheric 28-seater restaurant, in an old stone salmon icing station and bothy (sleeping quarters), earned its reputation for some of the best seafood in Scotland under Jim and Mary Cowie. It changed hands in late 2022 and, by all accounts, chef-owner Jody Sinclair continues Jim’s legacy – buying from the boats literally at his front door to create delicious dishes inspired by local and international cuisines.
Where to Drink in Caithness Dunnet Bay Distillers (Dunnet)
Martin and Claire Murray founded Dunnet Bay Distillers in 2014, near Dunnet Head – mainland Britain’s northernmost point. They hand-forage several botanicals nearby, including Rhodiola rosea, known locally as rock rose, which gives their award-winning Rock Rose Gin its name. They also make Holy Grass Vodka, and a tasting here is a refreshing change from all those whisky drams!
Best Views on the NC500 Applecross Pass (Wester Ross)
For the most spectacular views on this route of fabulous scenery, climb over the high mountain pass, Bealach na Ba (Pass of the Cattle), through misty hairpin bends and down to the remote village of Applecross, then follow the coast for beautiful views of the Hebridean islands of Raasay and Skye. Rising 630m (2,070′) in around 6km (almost 4 miles), it’s the steepest road climb in Britain – best tackled in a small car.
Updated 06 Oct 2026
The Highlands produce some of Scotland’s finest ingredients – seafood (langoustines, crab, scallops, wild salmon), game (venison, grouse, pheasant), foraged foods like brambles and mushrooms, and heather honey are all Highland staples.
Cock-a-leekie soup, a traditional broth of chicken and leeks, is a warming classic worth seeking out in village pubs along the route.
And of course, spirits are as much a part of the food culture as anything on the plate – from single malt Scotch whisky to a new wave of craft gins distilled with foraged Highland botanicals.
It is worth visiting Scotland’s spectacular far north – but go in with realistic expectations. The NC500 route’s growing fame has made it extremely busy in peak summer months, with campervans and motorhomes causing significant delays on the narrow single-track roads. For a more rewarding experience, avoid July and August. Midweek travel is quieter than weekends, and early morning starts help you get ahead of the traffic.
The scenery is genuinely world-class and the route is well worth the effort – just plan ahead and book accommodation well in advance whenever you travel.
Keep this wonderful road trip accessible by choosing the smallest car possible rather than a campervan or motorhome – it’s the best option for narrow single-track roads with passing places and means you’ll be supporting local accommodation and restaurants too.
If you’d rather leave the driving to someone else, my small-group Scottish ‘Seafood & Spirits’ tour explores the Highlands’ less-visited corners, with the best seafood and Scottish spirits along the way.
The route works in either direction, but my preference is to drive north up the west coast and return south down the east coast.
The west coast delivers the most dramatic scenery – particularly the Applecross Pass and the north-west Highlands around Lochinver and Assynt – and seeing it on the outward journey means you hit the highlights while you’re fresh.
The east coast, quieter and more pastoral, makes for a more relaxed return.
The name Sutherland comes from the Old Norse Suðrland, meaning ‘southern land’. To the Norse earls who ruled Orkney and Caithness from the 9th century, this mountainous territory lay to their south.
So a county that runs right across Scotland’s far north, from Lochinver on the west coast to Tongue on the north coast, is quite literally named the ‘south land’.
It’s Dunnet Head in Caithness, not John o’ Groats as many people assume. The headland – only about 3km (2 miles) further north than John o’ Groats, though around 17km (10.5 miles) to the west – is crowned by a lighthouse built in 1831 by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of author Robert Louis Stevenson, and its cliffs are home to puffins in summer.
