Scotland’s North Coast 500 cycle route

Part 1 – General info

1. What and where is the North Coast 500 cycling route?

The North Coast 500 – sometimes referred to as the Scotland 500 route – is an iconic route circumnavigating the entire north coast of Scotland, from Inverness, across to the west coast and then right around the west, north and east coasts, via John O’Groats, and back to Inverness.

To some, the NC500 is the ultimate Scottish cycling challenge. It’s 516 miles (830-kilometres) and takes in some of the best sights of the Scottish Highlands. It’s also well known as a driving route, something of a Scotland Route 66 (Route 66 being the iconic driving route in the USA).

It’s been a great success for tourism in Scotland and is very popular with motorbikes and camper vans – (perhaps unfortunately!) this route is by no means just for those who want to plan cycle NC500 breaks. There are ways cyclists can avoid the busier sections, but even so you will encounter traffic at points on this route so bear in mind the dangers when packing and make sure you have high-vis clothing and lights. We’d also suggest leaving those earphones at home…

That said, cycling the NC500 is definitely one for the bucket list, it’s long enough for a multi-day trip, and there are plenty of amenities along the route for cyclists.

 

NC500 cycle route map (note Andy’s route includes the A9, which is a fast and potentially dangerous road – alternatives are available)

2. What routes are there for cycling the North Coast 500?

There are two main ways to tackle the NC500 route according to the official Scotland 500 cycle route map – and both begin and end in Inverness. You can ride it clockwise or anti-clockwise, with the most popular being clockwise.

Why? Because it means you tackle the hillier parts of the route first – the western coast. This way around, the route climbs over 32k feet, with the majority of this in between miles 60 and 360. But it’s no way ‘flat’ on the rest!

The official North Coast 500 cycling route follows the same route as the driving route, but there are ways to avoid some of the busier stretches of road if you want to (such as the A9), though these will add on a few miles to your total.

Going in the clockwise direction, once you leave Inverness, you head west towards Beauly, then around to the western coast where you ride north, following the lines of the shore until you reach the infamous John o’ Groats. From there you head south back towards Inverness and the Black Isle. There are numerous points of beauty on this trip, with rugged landscapes and hidden beaches you won’t see anywhere else in Britain.

3. How long does it take to cycle the North Coast 500?

The current record is now just under 28 hours, but most people like to take around seven days to take in the route. Particularly if you’re bikepacking, or travelling unaided i.e. carrying all your own kit, taking your time and seeing the sights can be much more appealing.

4. Where does the NC500 cycling route start and finish?

The official NC500 cycle route map starts and finishes in Inverness, which is in the Scottish Highlands.

5. Is the NC500 signposted?

It is partially signposted with brown signs, and it helps to direct you to the next village en route. But, we would recommend downloading the North Coast 500 GPX route before leaving, as well as perhaps taking your own cycle north coast 500 maps, as the mobile signal in certain parts of the route can be patchy and shouldn’t be solely relied on! You don’t want to try tackling the NC500 by bike and accidentally end up lost.

6. Is the NC500 hilly (and what NC500 bike route is best)?

Overall, the route takes in just under 10,000 metres in elevation gain. However, most of this is on the western coast line, hence why many people ride this way first! It isn’t exactly flat the rest of the way, but the bulk of the climbing is in this section.

With the amount of climbing on this route, we’d recommend something lightweight for your North Coast 500 bike. Whether this is a touring bike or road bike, try to pack lightly and consider taking the essentials. You’ll be thanking yourself when you climb the Bealach na Ba!

7. Any accommodation tips for the NC500?

Read our tips below or, for more detailed info, head over to our new article that’s solely focused on the best North Coast 500 cycle accommodation.

If you’re cycling the NC500 and do roughly 70 miles a day, these are some of the places you might stop. As far as we are aware, they are cycling friendly but as we haven’t used these locations ourselves, we recommend checking with the staff before booking. You may find that you’d prefer to bike across to alternative locations to find cheaper deals, but these locations are all largely on the route.

Usually the first stop on this route for riders is Lochcarron, where the Rockvilla Guest House comes recommended. It’s got a seafront view, and previous visitors have said the owners allowed the bikes inside the rooms.

You may have to put in a big stint to get to this B&B on the second day, but Corriness House is also recommended by those who have ridden the NC500 route.

If glamping is more your style, then we suggest the North Coast 500 pods campsite, of which there are two locations. One on the western side of the route in Achmelvich, and one on the eastern side in Brora. Each have beachfront views and basic amenities making it ideal for a quick overnight stay. If you don’t mind roughing it then there are plenty of other North Coast 500 campsites along the route too, where facilities may be more limited but you can at least pitch a tent cheaply.

Further along in Tongue, there is the Kyle of Tongue Hostel and Campsite which is great for those looking for a cheaper overnight stay. As you head towards the most northerly points of the trip, you’ll find places like John O’ Groats that caters well to cyclists, after all, it is the end point for many making the LEJOG pilgrimage. Places like the Seaview Hotel have been well received by cyclists.

And as you head towards the finish in Inverness, there are plenty of cycling friendly options around the city. From the Inverness Youth Hostel to quaint B&B’s like Ardbrae House, each has it’s own charm and allows for you to tailor your trip to your own liking.

8. How do I train for the NC500?

There are many ways you can get prepared to ride the NC 500 route. If you’re doing it in one go you’ll need to train slightly differently to someone who’s riding it over several days, but in essence, you want to become comfortable riding your bike over long periods of time. Upping your weekly mileage (slowly!) by incorporating longer rides at the weekends or during your free time is a great way of getting used to being in the saddle.

If you’re worried about the amount of climbing, the best way to prepare is by practicing on your local hills. If you live in the flatlands, it might be worth considering some turbo training that can simulate hills for you. Although it’s not quite the same thing, anything you do now will pay dividends when you’re riding the NC500 route later on.

If you’re looking for more info, read these for our tips on preparing for long rides and training for long distance rides). And if you’re really stuck for ideas, we have written an article on how to train for the Mallorca 312, which albeit isn’t quite the same, but the same training principles will apply. You can read that here.

9. What’s the best time of year to cycle the NC500?

For cycling NC500 holidays, you’re going to want to consider the weather. Scotland’s climate is hardly ideal even at the best of times, and trying to tackle the North Coast 500 by bike during the high winds and rain would be exceptionally difficult, plus it would spoil the views.

It’s best to plan your cycling North Coast 500 break during the summer when you at least have a chance of good weather, plus more hours of sunshine to complete the journey quicker.

Even if you tackle the ride in summer you should check the weather forecast each morning and ensure you have kit for every eventuality. If the forecast is really bad you may even need to be prepared not to ride that day. It’s also worth having the number of a local taxi company to hand in case you need an emergency pick up.

10. What’s the best way to get to and from Inverness?

Other than driving, your two other options are flying or travelling by train.

Inverness Airport is just eight miles from Inverness city centre. From here there are domestic flights all over the country.

Inverness train station is also an excellent option. There are around twelve trains per day from Glasgow, seven trains per day from Edinburgh and four from Glasgow. There is also one direct train a day from London – and the Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train from London that runs six nights per week. You’ll need to check with the train operator for their requirements for carrying bikes on the trains.

11. Are there bike shops on the NC500?

As far as we are aware, there are no bike shops between Beauly and Thurso on the NC500 route (which is over 300 miles).

This means it’s extremely important your bike is in tip top shape before you embark on cycling the NC500 – and that you are confident doing basic bike repairs yourself. Invest time before you depart to ensure your trip doesn’t end in disappointment!

12. Are there any books about cycling the NC500?

Most books about the NC500 are aimed at motorists. However these are books on the NC500 route for cyclists. The Big Rides book obviously contains more of an overview of the route than the other two, and serves as a useful North Coast 500 route planner.

Part 2 – Andy’s ride

11. Which North Coast 500 cycle route did you do?

You can see the route I rode above. There are variations on this route, but most North Coast 500 routes follow this general route. In many places there is literally just one road – so you can’t get lost! You can do it clockwise, or counter clockwise.  I chose clockwise as I had an ambitious plan to complete in two days and I wanted to get the majority of the climbing out of the way on day 1.

The intrepid round the world record holder, Mark Beaumont, set an initial elapsed time record of about 38hrs for riding the entire North Coast 500 cycle route. In 2016 this was bettered by ex Scottish Common Wealth Games cyclist James McCallum, who targeted and completed it with an elapsed time of 31hrs and ride time of 28hrs, 57mins. In 2023, the NC500 cycle record was beaten again by Matt Downie with a time of 27hrs and 30 minutes exactly.

12. Why did you decide to tackle Scotland’s NC500 cycle route?

It was a totally ‘on a whim’ decision. I had received some sad news of the death of one of my Mum’s good friends to cancer, and the funeral was to be near Oban.  I’d vaguely heard of the NC500, and watched something GCN did with Mark Beaumont – it looked amazing!

I checked the weather, and the forecast was stunning, Inverness was only 120 miles or so from Oban, so a plan formed!  I decided I wanted to try and do it in two days, partly driven by time availability due to work, and partly as a mental and physical test for myself ahead of returning to defend my 2018 UK CTT National 24hr title.  I wanted to remind my body what it was like to ride for long hours.

So on Wednesday evening, 26^th June I drove into Inverness, parked up the van, downloaded a map of the route to my Garmin and bedded down.

13. Tell us about day 1

I had booked a BnB just over half way round at around 280miles,  I HAD TO GET THERE tonight!  My plan was to travel as light as possible, so all I carried was a spare set of kit, sunscreen, energy products for the day, spares and battery chargers.  I had planned ahead and sent the BnB all the energy product I would need for day 2 to enable me to travel lighter on day 1.

Part 1: Inverness to Bealach na Bah (AKA Applecross Pass): 0-120 km (0-75 miles)

So the alarm went off at 4.30pm and I crawled out the van!  This far north it hardly goes dark at all at this time of year, so I woke to a beautiful, fairly crisp morning.  A quick breakfast and I was off.   I always find on very long rides that the mental part of the first few hours is hard.  Dealing with the thought, after 10miles, that today I have another 28x that to go, or 20k ft of climbing to do is no easy feat.  I used a strategy I use a lot in long races, and prescribe with clients I coach: I chunked the ride down into four sections, with planned stops at certain points to act as interim markers.

My first planned stop was at the bottom of Bealach na Bah, the longest road climb in Britain, which is commonly know as Applecross pass.  This came at around 70miles.

That first 60 miles or so was pretty easy, and fast, crossing Scotland, effectively coast to coast at one of its narrowest points. You traverse from the industrial city of Inverness, gradually climbing into the highlands where the views are magnificent and just ‘huge’!  It’s hard to convey the majesty of the surroundings.

The early start meant I barely saw any traffic, at all until well past the Applecross pass!

After 60 miles you hit the coast and the first test,  a sharp 1mile climb out of Loch Carron, then after a nice fast descent you arrive at the bottom of Bealach na Ba.  I have climbed Bealach before,  last year with a friend where we smashed a 40 odd mile loop out, so I knew what I was facing.  To be honest, it’s not that hard a climb, for 2-3 miles you get gradual 2-4% gradients, so big ring stuff.  The last 1.5-2miles it kicks up and goes to 10% in parts, but before you know it you are at the top and looking out on the unbelievable view from the top (see banner photo).

Part 2: Bealach na Ba to Kinlochewe: 120-196 km (75-122 miles)

Following this you have a section of never-ending rollers, I was struggling with a nagging cross head wind here which made each one energy sapping, forever changing gear form 52-11 to 36 -28 as you drive over each one.

The next section heads inland on a stunning single track road from Torridon to Kinlochewe.  One of the noticeable things on this ride is how the wind changes. As you leave the coast you invariably get a tail wind, but maybe 10miles in land this would change to a head wind!  On this section this was actually great, a tail wind 10miles in land, then a tail wind as you climb back to the coast at Garloch.

I was on about 19mph average speed here after 5hrs, although I was a bit above planned power numbers!

Part 3: Kinlochewe to Ullapool: 196-318 km (122-198 miles)

The next long section to Ullapool was energy sapping; every time you went away from the coast you hit massive rollers and long climbs. The climb from Dundonnell was one such section, cresting to the fabulous view we see below, looking towards Sgurr Mor. The climb and views were stunning, the descent to Ullapool, at 200 miles was even better!

Part 4: Ullapool to Rhiconich: 318-446 km (198-277 miles)

I stopped in Ullapool, it was now around 4pm and I had about 80 miles to go.

Average speed was still good so I was on track for an 8-9pm arrival at the B and B. After a huge refuelling, that predominantly involved Scottish Tablet and Iron Bru (well when in Rome…!), I was off.

This next section was HARD.  Another noticeable part of this trip is BEWARE when you go inland.  The road just climbs and descends relentlessly, the next section to Lochinver certainly backed this up.

After Lochinivor was a small right turn with that sign we all dread ‘road impassable for caravans and coaches’ – this meant one thing STEEP gradients!

Here a bit of a sea fret blew in so it started to get cooler. It was also 7pm at night, and I was getting cold.  After 261m I hit a 25% gradient sign, this was for about 500m. HELL!

Then another section like this, before a thankfully steady run into my BnB: Ardberg BnB at Rhiconich.  There the hosts sorted me pizza and chips in lieu of breakfast.  The best I’d ever tasted!

After retrieving my box of goodies, resolving a few squeaky bits on the bike I hit the sack, for the next 4.30am alarm call

14. How was Day 2?

 

I woke up before the alarm! A good sign. I was surprised how good I felt in all honesty.  I was up quickly and on the road by around 5am, with just a couple of energy bars and a gel to get me going.

The morning was truly stunning!

Part 1: Rhiconich to Thurso: 0-141 km (0-88 miles)

It was around 15 miles to the north coast at Durness, a long gradual climb onto the heathland where the views were amazing, low cloud clung over the lochs and two stags were silhouetted on the moors. It was a quintessentially Scottish scene that could have come off a box of Scottish shortbread!

Once on the coast road, the route continued its relentless up and down rolling nature, down into cloud and sea fret, up into some stunning views on the moorland.

One thing noticeable about this coast is how little habitation there is – and also how little opportunity to fuel there is.  I was so glad of my strategy to send food ahead. Due to the early start I didn’t pass a shop that was open until more than 50 miles into the day, so without the food I’d sent ahead, I’d have been in trouble.

From Tounge, through Bettyhill (where I found a shop), Armadale and right to Thursoe was a series of relentless climbs and descents alternating from by the sea to anything up to a mile in land.  Again the main feature of the ride was clear, the more inland, the more you climbed and descended.

Part 2: Thurso to John O’Groats: 141-174 km (88-108 miles)

As I came into Thursoe the scenery changed, from the rugged coastline and moorlands, to more rolling farmland, and a noticeable increase in the wind.  Along the north coast road, past Douneray Nuclear plant and it was into John O’Groats at around 11am.  By now a sea fret had blown in and a strong south easterly was blowing making it hard going.

Stopping in John O’Groats, with 120 miles or so to go I realised I was actually, on ride time, well within the existing record, and on elapsed time only a few hours outside, despite my luxurious 6.5 hrs sleep!  I was on about an 18.5mph average speed for the day, so doing okay!

After the obligatory picture at the sign post at John O’Groats, loaded up with tablet and Lucozade, I decided to push on and see if I could hit Inverness by tea time.

Part 3: John O’Groats to Inverness: 174-372 km (108-231 miles)

The main A9 / A9 travels in a south / south westerly direction, so particularly the first 50miles I was slugging into a nagging cross head wind which made the going tough. [Note: the A9 is a fast and potentially dangerous road that you should consider bypassing.]

As you head south, the landscape again changes from the rolling farmland to more sheer cliffs and stunning beaches. It reminded me of the North Yorkshire Moors around Whitby,  massive long steep climbs, and hair raisingly fast descents!  Between Helmsdale and Tain the road never flattened once, constantly undulating and sapping energy.  Still I pushed on well and was well over 20mph average for all this section.

The final run down the Moray Firth had me pass Glenmorangie distillery. It was very tempting to stop but I hit on!  Just after Glenmorangie, the A9 turns due west and you pick up a monster tail wind – this was a fast 20 miles!

Come 5:45pm it was all over!

 

So Day 2 in cycling computer stats:

15. What were your numbers for your NC500?

509 miles

Moving time 27 hrs 36 mins (80 mins quicker than the current record)

Elapsed time 37hrs exactly

33,000 ft climbed

18.5mph average speed

238w normalised power (average 230w)

126bpm avg HR

16. If you had to pick your three favourite sections of the route, what would they be and why?

1. The Bealach Na Ba climb – it’s a picturesque road, climbing parallel to a sea loch to start and then turning inland and climbing towards the pass. The view from the top is just unbelievable. One of the best I’ve ever seen.

2. Dundonnell to Ullapool descent – really fast, on great tarmac with stunning inland views to the highlands and lochs, before sweeping down through the forest into Ullapool itself.

3. Durness to Thursoe on the north coast – because I left so early in the morning, it felt like I was the only one on the planet and the scenery, with the sea mist, was spectacular.

17. What were your North Coast 500 highlights (and lowlights)?

The scenery was just jaw-dropping for much of the ride – lochs, moors and mountains. I was also lucky to be riding in fantastic weather, which is certainly not a given for this part of the world. While there were busy stretches of road, I also thought that overall the roads were pretty quiet, which made the whole experience much nicer.

The worst thing about the ride was the relentless climbing! It felt like the whole route didn’t have any flat sections in it!

You should also plan ahead for the north coast, since there really aren’t many facilities there.

Finally, I’d suggest not hitting the A9 run back into Inverness on a Friday afternoon (when I was there) – though I suspect, it’s not very pleasant at any time of day/week…

18. Tell us about your kit choices

I used my standard SRAM red eTap equipped Evo2Max Hyperson road bike, with 52/36 and 11-28 gearing. I just added just a frame pack with key essentials.

My packing list looked like this:

1. 2x500ml frame mounted bottles, 1x500ml bottle in my back pocket

2. Garmin 1030

3. External power pack with leads for phone and garmin

4. Socket chargers x2 to charge everything overnight

5. Spare set of cycling kit

6. Gilet

7. Arm warmers

8. Bike lube

9. Insulation tape (solves almost anything)

10. Sunscreen and lypsyl (*which I lost early on and am paying the price for now with seriously cracked lips!)

11. Pair of boxer shorts to sleep in

12. Toothbrush and toothpaste

I wish I’d also taken gloves for the morning – it was COLD, about 4 degrees early on. I got round this on day 2 by taping yesterday’s cycling kit around my hands as impromptu gloves, it worked a treat and, to be honest, I’d probably do again rather than carry more items!

19. What did you eat and drink while cycling the NC500?

I carried (and sent on for day 2)

1. 14 OTE gels

2. 4 OTE bars

3. Tube OTE electrolyte tabs

I stopped pretty much whenever I saw a shop to ensure my bottles were full. This was vital as I didn’t know when I might be able to refuel again, especially up until I got to John O’Groats.

I also ate a couple of sandwiches from the shops en-route, sweets, nuts and seeds – and my own body weight in Scottish tablet!

20. What tips would you give to someone wanting to take on the Scottish 500 cycle route?

1. Route planning – you can make your NC500 route planning as easy or as complex as you want. Many people make a detailed North Coast 500 itinerary and plan this in huge detail, mapping every stop, possible rest point and undulation.  Or you can do what I did: download a map to my Garmin, pick a point to stop over night(s), book some accommodation and press ‘start’!

2. Accommodation – you can either choose to BnB, hostel or camp.  I chose BnB to minimise what I had to carry and give me a clear point I ‘must’ reach. Mentally I find this helps.  I would have found it too easy to just stop otherwise.

3. Road conditions – I found the road conditions generally pretty good. There are a lot of single track roads where you need to watch for camper vans and bikers, but in general the route is quiet.

4. Best time of year to ride – definitely consider the time of year you tackle this route and the weather. I’d strongly recommend the time I did it, high summer, for the long days and chance of the weather being good. This route is ALL about the weather. I only went as the forecast was great, but a typical Scottish coastal day of rain and wind this ride would be grim, wet and cold and nothing to see.

5. Fitness – you need to be fit to do this route; every time you go inland you will be climbing a lot!

 

Big thanks to Andy for sharing his experience of cycling the North Coast 500. What a route! We hope you are feeling inspired to give cycling the NC500 a go…

Want something to help you remember your NC500 ride?

These cycling map prints are just the ticket, serving as a great reminder of your Scotland 500 route map.

More info here. Prices start at £35.

Want more inspiration for challenge rides?

You might find our in-depth article on Land’s End to John O’Groats inspiring!

Check out our guides to RideLondon, Mallorca312, Granfondo Stelvio Santini and riding the Tour of France course.

Or check out our guides to other fantastic parts of the UK for cyclists, from Cornwall to the Yorkshire Dales to the Brecon Beacons.

NC500 features in our list of the World’s best long-distance cycle routes. Want to see what else is on the list? Read this.