North Coast 500 Road Trip
Inverness - Wick - Thurso - Durness - Ullapool - Gairloch - Applecross
Expect on your North Coast 500 Road Trip Itinerary
Landscape
Security
Benefit-stress ratio
Beach
Comfort
Road conditions
Wildlife
Culture
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7 Stages
522 mi
1.6 h/stage
North Coast 500 Road Trip
Stage 1
Inverness - Wick
110
mi
Stage 2
Wick - Thurso
37
mi
Stage 3
Thurso - Durness
70
mi
Stage 4
Durness - Ullapool
95
mi
Stage 5
Ullapool - Gairloch
56
mi
Stage 6
Gairloch - Applecross
61
mi
Stage 7
Applecross - Inverness
86
mi
Best months to drive North Coast 500 Road Trip in Scotland
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII
North Coast 500 Road Trip Itinerary
North Coast 500 Road Trip definitely ranks among the most scenic road trips in Scotland.
North Coast 500 Road Trip is a perfect opportunity for family.
On your way around this trip, you will explore such places as Inverness, Thurso, and Durness.
The route described in this article was designed for 9 days of travel, but you can also complete it in 6.
If you are charmed with the allure of what Scotland holds in store, you can always extend your tour.
The adventure takes 522mi and there are around 1.6 hours daily on the road.
Ready for the journey? So, let’s jump behind the wheel and set out!
During North Coast 500 Road Trip, travellers will have a great opportunity to contemplate picturesque natural gems.
The road trip is a great opportunity to see a number of interesting highlights at a relatively reasonable price and stress-free.
In spite of the fact that the accommodation options on the way are not that luxurious, they still guarantee good value for money.
Holidayers should be prepared that the adventure is more expensive in terms of budget owing to greater number of amenities.
Driving on the left and a moderate number of accidents are characteristic features of the road environment in Scotland.
The best time to travel is between May and September.
Inverness
Distance:
515 mi,
Driving time:
12.8 h,
Pace: fast
Airports:
INV
Distance:
515 mi,
Driving time:
12.8 h,
Pace: fast
Airports:
INV
Inverness - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - commons.wikimedia.org
Wick - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.publicdomainpictures.net
Wick - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.flickr.com
Thurso - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.flickr.com
Thurso - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - commons.wikimedia.org
Thurso - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.flickr.com
Durness - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - commons.wikimedia.org
Durness - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.pexels.com
Durness - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.wallpaperflare.com
Ullapool - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - commons.wikimedia.org
Gairloch - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - commons.wikimedia.org
Gairloch - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.needpix.com
Gairloch - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - commons.wikimedia.org
Applecross - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.needpix.com
Applecross - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - commons.wikimedia.org
Applecross - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.flickr.com
Inverness - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - www.wallpaperflare.com
Inverness - Scotland - Europe - Road Trip - pixabay.com
North Coast 500 Road Trip Summary
We believe that the presented road trip idea gave you plenty of inspirations for your future holiday excursions.
The itinerary we’ve suggested can be used as a base that can be recreated in its entirety or only partially and that can be enriched with diverse beauty spots.
If car travel is the preferred travel mode for you, there are a number of vital traffic regulations to follow and a number of things to keep in mind to turn your trip into pleasure. These tips will also become useful for tourists who are interested in car hire or camper hire.
When sightseeing around Scotland, you should obey the local road rules. Alcohol is best to be avoided at all costs when travelling around Scotland. Travellers ought to remember that the allowed blood alcohol level is low and is only 0.8‰. Travelling in a car around the city is allowed at the maximum speed of 30mph. 60mph is the maximum car speed in undeveloped areas. Avoid exceeding the permissible speed of 70mph while on highways. In order to stay safe, it is best to equip your car with a first aid kit and fire extinguisher and drive with your headlights on at daytime.
But what are the costs of the whole trip. Depending on the budget option of your choice, the total expenses during the whole adventure can vary. A wide range of budget options is showed below.
If you’d like to benefit from the cheapest offer to cover the planned 522mi across Scotland, it can amount to 85 GBP. Travel expenses connected with economy hotels will cost up to roughly 505 GBP. Holidayers who opt for this option will spend roughly 551 GBP on restaurants and food. Travellers will have to pay about 287 GBP if they aim for the budget car hire offer as well. Thus, the estimated travel expenses amount to approximately 1,141 GBP without vehicle rental and 1,428 GBP with car hire.
When it comes to the standard offer, you have to spend the maximum of 85 GBP to cover the planned stages of the road trip. Cost amounting to 1,010 GBP can be expected by all holidayers who are considering standard accommodation. Drivers may expect that the standard option in terms of restaurants and food will cost about 735 GBP. Travellers who want to cover the tour in a standard rental vehicle can expect a cost of roughly 459 GBP. Summing up the standard offer, the estimated cost of the road trip will total more or less 2,310 GBP for holidayers who would like to try vehicle hire and 1,851 GBP for those who are not interested in rental.
Holidayers who are searching for the highest level of comfort will be pleased with the premium offer. When it comes to this offer, the estimated cost of the road trip will total roughly 3,475 GBP for holidaymakers who are considering car hire and 1,851 GBP for those who do not need a hire car. Travellers who want to cover the itinerary in a premium hire car can expect a cost of approximately 804 GBP. In the premium option of the adventure, you should expect the average cost of approximately 138 GBP when it comes to gasoline. Drivers who will go for top services in all aspects of their adventure should expect to pay roughly 1,431 GBP for overnight stays and roughly 1,102 GBP for food and restaurants.
North Coast 500 Road Trip is also an exciting opportunity for all camper enthusiasts. If you are considering this transport option, the expenses are roughly 1,722 GBP. Gasoline expenses when travelling in a camper should amount to roughly 159 GBP. Tourists who are interested in camper hire should expect to pay around 215 GBP for accommodation and roughly 551 GBP for expenses connected with food.
The Road Trip Costs section shows all the above-mentioned costs in detail.
The part of Scotland mentioned in our adventure idea is superb to be visited between May and September. There are plenty of intriguing road adventures that we offer on our website if you’d like to see other of our road trip ideas. Even the most demanding of drivers will definitely be surprised by the broad spectrum of travel opportunities that we offer.
The itinerary we’ve suggested can be used as a base that can be recreated in its entirety or only partially and that can be enriched with diverse beauty spots.
If car travel is the preferred travel mode for you, there are a number of vital traffic regulations to follow and a number of things to keep in mind to turn your trip into pleasure. These tips will also become useful for tourists who are interested in car hire or camper hire.
When sightseeing around Scotland, you should obey the local road rules. Alcohol is best to be avoided at all costs when travelling around Scotland. Travellers ought to remember that the allowed blood alcohol level is low and is only 0.8‰. Travelling in a car around the city is allowed at the maximum speed of 30mph. 60mph is the maximum car speed in undeveloped areas. Avoid exceeding the permissible speed of 70mph while on highways. In order to stay safe, it is best to equip your car with a first aid kit and fire extinguisher and drive with your headlights on at daytime.
But what are the costs of the whole trip. Depending on the budget option of your choice, the total expenses during the whole adventure can vary. A wide range of budget options is showed below.
If you’d like to benefit from the cheapest offer to cover the planned 522mi across Scotland, it can amount to 85 GBP. Travel expenses connected with economy hotels will cost up to roughly 505 GBP. Holidayers who opt for this option will spend roughly 551 GBP on restaurants and food. Travellers will have to pay about 287 GBP if they aim for the budget car hire offer as well. Thus, the estimated travel expenses amount to approximately 1,141 GBP without vehicle rental and 1,428 GBP with car hire.
When it comes to the standard offer, you have to spend the maximum of 85 GBP to cover the planned stages of the road trip. Cost amounting to 1,010 GBP can be expected by all holidayers who are considering standard accommodation. Drivers may expect that the standard option in terms of restaurants and food will cost about 735 GBP. Travellers who want to cover the tour in a standard rental vehicle can expect a cost of roughly 459 GBP. Summing up the standard offer, the estimated cost of the road trip will total more or less 2,310 GBP for holidayers who would like to try vehicle hire and 1,851 GBP for those who are not interested in rental.
Holidayers who are searching for the highest level of comfort will be pleased with the premium offer. When it comes to this offer, the estimated cost of the road trip will total roughly 3,475 GBP for holidaymakers who are considering car hire and 1,851 GBP for those who do not need a hire car. Travellers who want to cover the itinerary in a premium hire car can expect a cost of approximately 804 GBP. In the premium option of the adventure, you should expect the average cost of approximately 138 GBP when it comes to gasoline. Drivers who will go for top services in all aspects of their adventure should expect to pay roughly 1,431 GBP for overnight stays and roughly 1,102 GBP for food and restaurants.
North Coast 500 Road Trip is also an exciting opportunity for all camper enthusiasts. If you are considering this transport option, the expenses are roughly 1,722 GBP. Gasoline expenses when travelling in a camper should amount to roughly 159 GBP. Tourists who are interested in camper hire should expect to pay around 215 GBP for accommodation and roughly 551 GBP for expenses connected with food.
The Road Trip Costs section shows all the above-mentioned costs in detail.
The part of Scotland mentioned in our adventure idea is superb to be visited between May and September. There are plenty of intriguing road adventures that we offer on our website if you’d like to see other of our road trip ideas. Even the most demanding of drivers will definitely be surprised by the broad spectrum of travel opportunities that we offer.
- Road Trip Costs
- How much does it cost to go on a North Coast 500 Road Trip in Scotland?
-
Economy
Low budget options by car rental, accommodation and catering. In- and Out-bound travel expenses are not included.- rent & more 287 GBP
- drive & more 85 GBP
- sleep & more 505 GBP
- eat & more 551 GBP
- Total (est. for 2 prs.) 1,141 GBP
- Total (est. for 2 prs.) incl. rented car 1,428 GBP
-
Standard
Mid budget options by car rental, accommodation and catering. In- and Out-bound travel expenses are not included.- rent & more 459 GBP
- drive & more 106 GBP
- sleep & more 1,010 GBP
- eat & more 735 GBP
- Total (est. for 2 prs.) 1,851 GBP
- Total (est. for 2 prs.) incl. rented car 2,310 GBP
-
Premium
High budget options by car rental, accommodation and catering. In- and Out-bound travel expenses are not included.- rent & more 804 GBP
- drive & more 138 GBP
- sleep & more 1,431 GBP
- eat & more 1,102 GBP
- Total (est. for 2 prs.) 2,671 GBP
- Total (est. for 2 prs.) incl. rented car 3,475 GBP
-
Camper
On the road in RV, overnight at camp grounds with self cooking. In- and Out-bound travel expenses are not included.- rent & more 1,722 GBP
- drive & more 159 GBP
- sleep & more 215 GBP
- eat & more 551 GBP
- Total (est. for 2 prs.) 926 GBP
- Total (est. for 2 prs.) incl. rented car 2,647 GBP
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Facts for safer driving in Scotland
drink drive limit
0.8
‰
max speed urban
30
mph
max speed rural
60
mph
max speed highway
70
mph
headlights at daytime
off
fire extinguisher
no
tolls
yes
seat belts
yes
