Life Of A Mumsy Lawyer

Did you know Scotland has its own highland version of Route 66?

The North Coast 500 (NC 500) route starts and ends in the Capital city of Inverness and covers a whopping 516 miles. Unlike route 66, it is not one road but a series of existing roads that form a loop around the Northern Highlands.

As we were visiting for 4 days, we choose to do sections of the route to enjoy the scenery and take our time. We were super lucky to win a complimentary stay at NC500 Pods in Alchmelvich, we used this as our base and ventured out for day trips. The Pods were kitted out with everything you needed and were in the perfect location, it was a short walk to the beautiful beach and local wildlife gathered outside our pod on an evening. I would definitely recommend a stay here, the location is perfect. The highland roads were fun to drive on, I didn’t drive but it was fun to watch!

We spent way too much time Highland Cow spotting, we thought we would try to be Scottish and call them ‘Highland Coows’ but it turned into a fun family game of who could give the worst sounding impression. We ventured up to an hours drive away, we figured the kids didn’t want to be travelling for too long and there were so many places to choose from. The weather was a mixed bag but whatever the weather we were always out rain or shine.

My top Locations on our Scottish Adventure

1. Achmelvich Beach (Take the B869 about 1/2 a mile from the village of Lochinver on the A 83)

We spent hours on this beautiful isolated beach, I watched the boys flying a kite while I gathered my thoughts and questioned if I was still in the UK. The stunning white beach was clean and the water was crystal clear. We enjoyed a picnic and walked along the shore line, it really did feel like we were abroad. This beach is well hidden and what a gem it is. There have been numerous sightings of porpoises, dolphins, and the occasional minke whale, it is an ideal spot for water sports or rock pool fishing.

2. Smoo Caves Sutherland Located just outside of Durness, the cave has one of the largest entrances to any sea cave in Britain at 50 ft high.

The cave entrance is accessible via a circular walk which starts and finishes at the car park. It was raining heavily when we visited but we tackled the stairs with our youngest in a baby carrier and once we got to the bottom it was eerie but fascinating. We got drip wet through after going close to the water flow and getting soaked by the spray (not the best of ideas from my husband!).

The approach to the cave is very impressive, with an entrance 50 feet (15 meters) high, 130 feet (40 meters) wide and 200 feet (61 meters) long. Inside the cave is a wooden pathway and bridge taking you to a cascade that falls 25 meters into an 8 meter deep pool.

If you want to venture further into the cave there are guided “Geological” tours. 20 minute tours on a boat ride to get an up close look at the darker sections of the cavern.

3. Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve, a mile-long canyon, through which the River Droma rushes and it is amazing how glacial meltwater can create such deep gorges.

A short steep walk will bring you to a Victorian suspension bridge, where you can look down on crashing waterfalls. It is a designated National Nature Reserve in recognition of the gorge/surrounding woodland. We had a short walk to the Victorian suspension bridge, it did feel scary once on it as you don’t realise how high you are and my son didn’t want to stick around for a selfie. We walked round to a second viewing platform where you could see the gorge in front of you and it was so peaceful, except the noise from the water bouncing down the river but I find that sound so relaxing.

4. Ardvreck Castle is a fifteenth century Tower House, the ruins stand four storeys tall but the entire northern side has been demolished. The castle dates back to about 1490 when the lands were owned by the Macleods of Assynt.

Access to Ardvreck is easy, there is a small parking area on the A837. There are interpretation panels and a short walk along the shore to the castle. Just to note the ground can be very wet as I found out when I went flying onto my bottom. The castle ruins are not extensive, and you can easily wander around the entire site in 5 minutes but the stop is worth it to learn some Scottish history.

5. Knockan Crag, Elfin, The crag is a globally important geological site, with the discovery that a slice of old rock sits on top of much younger ones. Step on three billion years of history, bridge 500 million years with your bare hands and dig into deep time.

There is an interactive experience, which my son loved as he loves to learn new facts. It was really interesting, we called in by accident to stop for a toilet break and i’m glad we did. I never thought I would be happy to talk about rock formation but you learn something new every day!

From the Rock Room there are three walking trails; The Crag Top Trail circular route gives you an eagle’s eye view of deep time. Thrust Trail takes you to the spot where Peach and Horne solved the mystery and the Quarry Trail is an easier option avoiding the climb to the Thrust.

6. Rogie Falls, next to the A835 road A series of waterfalls on the Black Water with lovely forest walks. There’s something about listening to running water, we stood on the suspension bridge looking out for salmon and taking in the beautiful scenery around us.

It’s only a short walk from the car park and during August/September there’s a pretty good chance of seeing wild salmon leaping upstream.

NC 500 ROUTES

The NC500 covers a wide area, you can choose to travel the full route or travel individual sections like we did. We started in Inverness and travelled towards Ullapool, right up to Durness completing only a quarter of the route. The drive itself is fun, stopping off at scenic places and watching local wildlife, from bendy roads, lakes to suspension bridges.

One pit stop you have to make is Cocoa mountain Scottish chocolatiers for the best homemade hot chocolate and truffles. Located not far from Smoo caves. We stumbled on this place by accident, from the outside it doesn’t look anything special but never judge a book by its cover because it was honestly the best hot chocolate i’ve ever had (i’ve had my fair share too!).

Be prepared to drive over 500 miles, be a good traveller by keeping Scotland beautiful and familiarise yourself with the updated Scottish Outdoor Access Code