North Coast 500 - Highlands’ Open Road

The North Coast 500 is not just a road trip – it’s a cinematic charge through Scotland’s wildest corners. A 516-mile loop that tears through the Highlands with wind-in-your-hair freedom and jaw-on-the-dash visuals, this is the epic that delivers on every frame. Think castle ruins, dolphin-laced waters, otherworldly peaks, and beaches that could pass for the Hebrides – or somewhere far further flung.

Starting (or ending) in Inverness, the unofficial capital of the Highlands, the route unfolds like a scroll – ancient, rugged and unashamedly scenic. Whether you go clockwise or counter, what follows is a week (or more) of untamed beauty – best done slowly, windows down, camera ready.

Head west and plunge into the atmospheric sweep of Wester Ross – a terrain painted in lochs, peat, pine and storybook stillness. Past Torridon and Gairloch, hug the coastal road north toward Sutherland, a vast and staggeringly empty canvas where golden eagles wheel and deer outnumber people. It’s here you’ll want to linger at Kinloch Lodge, a reimagined Duke’s retreat now layered in Scandi-Scot style, wood fires, and generous helpings of Highland hospitality.

Further north, look out for the Old Man of Stoer – a 60-metre sea stack rising out of the surf like a Norse monument, and just one of many geological outbursts along this coast. Pass through Assynt and its crumpled mountain forms before reaching Caithness, Scotland’s northerly peak. Ghost villages and wild beaches await – as does the quiet melancholy of John O’Groats, where the mainland meets the edge. You’ll watch the midnight sun drift towards Norway, and feel like you’re standing at the end of something – or maybe the beginning.

Swinging east and then south, the route hugs the coast along Easter Ross, where the Mermaid of the North greets passing dreamers and pods of dolphins arc across the firth. Inland detours take you through the Black Isle, rich with ruined abbeys, ancient Pictish stones, and reminders of Scotland’s layered history – myth, memory, and whisky-soaked legend.

This route isn’t just a drive – it’s a deep dive into the Highlands’ cinematic soul. It’s where you lose signal, find stillness, and question whether you ever really knew what ‘remote’ meant until now.

To get the most out of the North Coast 500, take your time – a week to ten days is the sweet spot, though longer is better if you want to linger in the wild. The Highlands aren’t made for rushing. Be ready for the elements; Scottish weather is a shapeshifter and can shift from blue skies to coastal squalls in the space of a bend. If you’re heading up in peak season, book your stays in advance – while this isn’t mass-tourism territory, its remote magic is no longer a secret. And most importantly, tread lightly. This isn’t a curated landscape – it’s a living one, raw and resilient. Give it the respect it deserves.

Along the way, we favour the reclusive elegance of Kinloch Lodge—a soulful private rental where Nordic minimalism meets Highland heritage. Continuing in the narrative of natural Scotland is the fabulous hotel Lundies House – a reclusive stopover will give you reason to pause and take in the stillness of your environment while revelling in the perfectly blended alchemy of Scottish and Scandinavian style.