Ultimate Guide to Scotland’s NC500: Part 1 – from Hampshire to Clachtoll in a VW T3 Campervan
The NC500 in a VW T3 Campervan – Part 1 to the start line!
Reflecting on our adventures, one of our absolute favourite campervan trips was the North Coast 500, affectionately known as the NC500. This 500-mile loop around Northern Scotland starts in Inverness and showcases some of the most breathtaking landscapes you’ll find in the United Kingdom. Just a few weeks before we set off for Scotland, we returned from a lovely week with family in Cornwall, which included a leisurely drive to Lands End. Our plan was to reach John o’ Groats a couple of weeks later so we could joyfully claim we had “driven the length of the UK”, with a short break in-between!
Lands End to John ‘o Groats and a map. Well it’s a kind of a plan/route!
Day One – Hampshire to Penrith – 300 miles (482.8 km).
As we embrace the calmer seasons of the year, we embarked on our journey in late September 2018, heading north to the beautiful Lake District for our very first overnight stop. I’m not the biggest fan of driving Bellamy on the Motorway, but she seemed quite content cruising along at 60 mph (96.56 km/h) with her charmingly vintage 4 gears. A special moment marked our trip as Bellamy reached 100,000 miles on the speedometer—what a lovely milestone to celebrate!
Overnight we didn’t stray too far from the M6 staying in Penrith in a comfortable campsite called Thacka Lea Caravan park. We could just make out the Lake District, and we vowed to return one day.
As It was only a short walk to the town, it would have been rude not to explore and find some food. This allowed me to sample a local ale, now it felt like our break had really started.
Day 2 – Penrith to Lock Ness – 285 miles (458.66 km)
Today we had Lock Ness as our destination which was around 5 hours north in a normal car. But we estimated around 7 hours at our Bellamy pace. We watched the antics of our neighbour trying to get warm having braved a night in a makeshift roof tent as we enjoyed an early breakfast, and a coffee or two. Then we were off again, heading north on the Motorway.
The M6 petered out and turned into the A74M as we crossed the border into Scotland at Gretna Green, just after 11 am. Still, a long way to go for our next camp.
We pressed on through Glasgow, as the metal mermaid ’Arria’ called from the Motorway embankment to rest our weary souls. I think it was about here that I was longing to get off the motorways and slow down the pace of both Bellamy and us.
A few more stops en-route in the Cairngorms National Park before we eventually made it to our overnight stop Loch Ness Shores Camping and Caravanning Club.
This was a lovely site and a quick search found an interesting walk to the nearest hotel/pub which afforded us some great views of the Loch and Campsite below. A hearty meal and some more local beer was consumed before we returned to the shores to explore as the sunset and watched the bats swooping around the Loch.
Excited but tired we returned to Bellamy for a good nights rest as the 1st leg of the NC500 would begin proper tomorrow in Inverness.
Day 3 – Loch Ness to Brora, via Cromarty. 102 miles (164.15 km)
After 2 days of motorways and A-roads, It was time to slow down the pace as we started the NC500 properly. The first stop would be Inverness to fill Bellamy with Fuel and Food, after a couple of photos of Bellamy on the shores of Loch Ness.
Accompanying us around the NC500 was a great iPhone App – The Local Guide. An interactive guide around the NC500, full of interesting facts of the towns and villages you will drive through and also give you idea’s for places to visit off the NC500 route.
http://www.the-local-guide.co.uk
Our first stop was actually off the NC500 route, the beautiful village of Cromarty on the Black Isle. As we headed towards Cromarty, the Local Guide app asked if we were interested in visiting a Clootie Well. Intrigued, we followed the directions found a place to park and left Bellamy for a wander….
The Clootie Well is a rather weird remnant of an ancient tradition once commonly found in Scotland and Ireland, of holy wells to which pilgrims would come and make offerings, usually in the hope of having an illness cured. The tradition dates far back into pre-Christian times, to the practice of leaving votive offerings to the local spirits or gods in wells and springs. It was a fascinating and bizarre place to explore, so many people had left an offering it created a magical atmosphere.
Soon we had made it to Cromarty and explored the village including buying some outstanding cheese and condiments to help us around the NC500.
We had another shortstop as we headed to Brora, a Homeware store in a converted barn for a browse, soup and a cheese scone. https://www.anta.co.uk Finally, we arrived at the Brora Campsite with enough daylight to explore the empty beach after avoiding the golf balls as we strode across the fairway. Then back to Bellamy for a warm supper, some of that outstanding Cromarty cheese and a peaceful nights sleep.
Day 4 – Brora to Dunnet Bay, via John o’ Groats 81 miles (130.36 km)
We had several things on our itinerary for today; The Whaligoe Steps, Duncansby Stacks, John o’ Groats, Dunnet Head and finally Dunnet Bay for our overnight stay. The weather started out well, a warm sun helped as we packed down. However, high winds and a storm were forecast for later in the day. Better get the waterproofs ready!
The Whaligoe Steps
Our first stop-off point was The Whaligoe steps to visit the quirky Cafe Louise had been looking forward to. Unfortunately, the Cafe was closed on Tuesdays which I found myself in the dog house for a while! Good job we had Bellamy for a warming cup of coffee and a sandwich after negotiating the 365 steps down and back up.
Duncansby Stacks
Our next stop was for a brisk walk near the Duncansby Stacks, a place we had earmarked as somewhere we’d like to visit as we loosely planned our trip. The weather had turned a bit as we arrived with some high winds and driving rain, perfect to help keep the pace up across the fields to the view of the stacks.
John o’ Groats
Then onto John o’ Groats to complete our Lands End to John o’ Groats journey that we started all those weeks ago. We got the obligatory photo, but couldn’t manage to get Bellamy on the mound as it was busy. We didn’t spend that long here as it was all a little too touristy for our liking, so we set off for the ‘real’ most northerly point of mainland Britain.
Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head may be only a few miles away, but it felt like a world away from the busy John o’ Groats. A nice walk gave some wonderful views with brooding skies, it even stopped raining!
We arrived at our final destination of the day Dunnet Bay Caravan Club site for a walk along the deserted beach before a relaxing evening in the van with the rain and wind lulling us to sleep.
Day 5 – John o’ Groats to Sango Sands via Broch Dun Dornaigil. 100 miles (160.93 km)
When planning the NC500 adventure, one decision was which direction to drive the circular route from Inverness. The East coast is flatter and the West having the highlands to explore. I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer, but we decided to go anti-clockwise purely as we wanted to save the spectacular West Coast and maybe the Isle of Skye until the end of our journey.
Today saw us heading to Sango Sands for our stop. The itinerary was fairly open for us, just the general idea of exploring Smoo Cave near tonights overnight camp. After stopping in Thurso to stock up on provisions, we enjoyed the coastal drive West through some remarkable landscapes.
Broch Dun Dornaigil
The trip guide app alerted us to a diversion to a Broch, an Iron Age Drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland which we decided to investigate. This led to some wonderful single track roads along Loch Hope’s shores that made us feel we were the only people for miles. I think we passed one car coming the other way during this diversion. It was great to explore such an old structure in the rain before we returned the way we came.
Sango Sands
Arriving later than expected at Sando Sands due to a number of ambling detours we decided to delay our visit to Smoo Cave until the morning. The campsite allowed us to pitch on the cliff edge after checking that it wouldn’t be too stormy overnight! The weather had dried up a lot and we decided to explore the local village and made a wonderful discovery, Cocoa Mountain. Categorically the best Hot Chocolate we’ve ever tasted.
That evening we decided to walk to the nearest Pub/Hotel for some food. This ended up feeling further than the 3 miles round trip due to the rain returning and an interesting walk back after a couple of pints in the dark! Walking past the noise from Smoo Cave in the dark chilled us even more!
Day 6 – Sango Sands to Clachtoll – 55 miles (88km)
Out first stop of the day was Smoo Cave, a short drive back the way we came yesterday. The weather had improved from yesterday, making the caves more accessible today. The water’s roar was loud, but nowhere nearly as loud as we heard the night before as we walked past it on the way to the local pub.
It’s a fantastic place to explore. Arriving early in the day did mean we had the place nearly all to ourselves for much of our visit. The rushing water reminded us of the extreme power of nature.
Our route now started to head South towards some of the most spectacular scenery in the United Kingdom. The urge to stop around every corner to take photos was immense. Today’s drive was a short 55 miles, yet it took us most of the day as we enjoyed the magnificent views. With every bend of the road, the views continued to move us until we almost became numb to the beauty.
Finally, we arrived at our destination for the evening, Clachtoll Beach Campsite. A golden sandy beach and rocks to explore, all to ourselves without anyone in sight.
The sun was shining as we retired to Bellamy. We even managed to sit outside and enjoy the view before getting our bed socks early and planning our Journey’s next leg.
Links
- North Coast 500 Official Website: This provides comprehensive information about the route, including attractions, accommodations, and maps to help plan your journey.
North Coast 500 Official Website - Visit Scotland – Travel Guide: An essential guide for anyone traveling to Scotland, offering insights into landmarks, cultural attractions, and travel tips along the NC500 and beyond.
Visit Scotland - Campsites Along the NC500: A curated list of campsites along the North Coast 500 route, perfect for those traveling in campervans or tents.
Campsites on the NC500 - Loch Ness Shores Camping and Caravanning Club: Learn more about the campsite mentioned in your post for those planning a stopover near Loch Ness.
Loch Ness Shores Camping - Historic Scotland – Visitor Attractions: Information about historic sites such as Broch Dun Dornaigil, and other ancient structures, managed by Historic Scotland.
Historic Scotland Attractions
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