Scotland NC500 Cycling — North Coast 500

Scottish Highlands, Scotland · United Kingdom

Challenging14 daysEurope~£1,300 est.

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Overview

Cycle the North Coast 500 — a 516-mile loop around the far north of Scotland from Inverness, over the Bealach na Ba (626 m, Britain's greatest road climb, with alpine hairpins rising straight out of the sea loch), along the Applecross coast, beneath Torridon's 750-million-year-old sandstone giants, and around the wave-battered north coast to Smoo Cave at Durness and the ferry detour towards Cape Wrath. The west-coast half is the hard half: single-track roads, brutal gradients and Atlantic headwinds that can halve a day's distance. When the gradient finally eases on the Bealach summit and the Inner Hebrides open out below, the suffering makes sense. Two things catch riders out: Highland weather, which serves four seasons before lunch even in June, and midges, which make camping from June to August a test of character — a head net weighs nothing, so carry one. May and September are the sweet spots. Budget around £1,300 for two weeks of B&Bs, hostels and café stops; wild camping is legal in Scotland and cuts that dramatically. Book beds in Applecross and Durness well ahead — they are scarce, and much of the route shuts early out of season.