SoSophey.com

A summary of our road trip and some top tips. Read more on my Scotland’s North Coast 500 blog post.

Where We Stayed

At No. 9, Dornoch. £120 B&B. atno9.co.uk

Aiden House B&B, Durness. £80 B&B aidenhouse.co.uk

The Albannach, Lochinver. £280 D,B&B thealbannach.co.uk

Solas B&B, Big Sand, Gairloch £75 B&B solasbandb.co.uk

Food and Drink

Luigi, Dornoch. luigidornoch.com

Castle Hotel, Dornoch. dornochcastlehotel.com

Sango Sands, Durness. sangosands.com

Cocoa Mountain, Balnakiel. cocoamountain.co.uk

Kylesku Hotel, Kylesku. kyleskuhotel.co.uk

The Albannach, Lochinver. thealbannach.co.uk

Oran-Na-Mara, Drumchork. eweview.com/cafe/

Myrtle Bank Hotel, Gairloch. themyrtlegairloch.co.uk

Whistle Stop Café, Kinlochewe, IV22 2PF.

Road Trip Top Tips

– Allow at least three night stops on the NC500.

– Travel in the summer to make the most of the long daylight hours- and of course for better chances against the wild Scottish weather.

– Pack for all seasons- this is Scotland after all!

– Take plenty of insect repellent in the summer.

– Book B&Bs early in high season, as the best ones fill up quickly.

– Travelling in a caravan or camper van would give you greater flexibility, especially with children; it also means that if you get drenched hillwalking or are brave enough for a dip, you can change into warm dry clothes and have a cuppa and a snack wherever you happen to be.

– Most of the villages in between our night stops were small with very limited facilities- don’t expect a wide choice of cafés and lunch stops along the way. If you’re hungry or low on fuel and you pass a place, stop there!