Best Drives: Taking the Scottish high road

Australia has the Great Ocean Road, Italy the Stelvio Pass, the USA is famous for Route 66 and Bruce Newton recently told us about Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. Now you can add Scotland and the North Coast 500 to the list.

As the name suggests, the North Coast 500 is a 500-mile drive through the Scottish Highlands and the counties of Black Isle, Sutherland, Caithness, Wester Ross, Easter Ross and Inverness Shire.

The 500 starts in Inverness and my partner Stacey and I chose to drive it anti-clockwise, taking in the picturesque villages on the east coast, the wild north coast and the dramatic unspoiled ruggedness of the west coast. It's a drive that few can rival, as we discovered.

After weaving through the heart of Inverness we joined the A9 motorway. Our first stop was Cromarty Firth, where giant North Sea oil rigs are parked or dismantled; depending on their age and oil prices. These massive structures are fascinating close up, but look out of place against such a verdant green landscape.

Mist and rain had shrouded the nearby mountains and valleys of Lairg, ruining any chance of seeing the RAF pilots hone their low-level flying skills, so we pointed the nose of our Honda towards Dunrobin Castle and take in their acclaimed falcon display. Feeling them rush over our heads at over 250km/h was memorable. Those are actual falcons, by the way – birds, not Fords or F16 fighter jets.

Back on the A9, heading north, the roads were open and flowing and undulating, hugging the coast past the village of Wick to John O'Groats, the north-east tip of mainland Britain. Film fans may remember John O'Groats as the starting point for British competitors in the classic sixties comedy, 'Those Daring Young Men in their Jaunty Jalopies'.

In reality, John O'Groats is not that impressive – and is chockers with tourist coaches. We stayed there just long enough for a photo under the sign post and then left.

Our B&B digs in the fishing village of Thurso lay to the west. Host Antoinette shared her amazing knowledge of Castle Mey, the Queen Mother's Scottish hideaway, and also suggested other places of interest. It turns out Antoinette was the niece of Lady Thurso, who was good chums with the Queen Mother and a regular at Castle Mey.

At her suggestion we took the Castle tour and learnt the Queen Mum was very down to earth and thrifty, hiring a TV and video player from the local store when she stayed. Apparently she enjoyed watching Fawlty Towers.

We explored the windswept clifftops of Dunnett Head, mainland Britain's most-northerly point, and could easily see our next destination; the Orkney Islands. When planning our lap of the NC500 we agreed on a pitstop to the Orkneys would be wonderful. But I'll leave that for another time.

Arriving back on mainland Britain in Scrabster after refuelling the Honda and ourselves at a Tescos, we continued west.

The flowing open roads of the east coast had given way to long sections of a single lane track, the A836; the only road across the top. At first, the road is flat and linear. But from Portskerra to Durness the change is dramatic. Breathtaking scenery, steep hills, plunging valleys, switchbacks and sweepers. Every radius of corner known to man. And empty, so you can really hustle along.

One word of caution about this section; animals. The farms have no fences so all creatures great and small roam around wherever they like. The tricky buggers are the sheep. They hide in the roadside heather and dart out in front of you. There were a few close encounters of the furry kind.

A must-do is a stop at the Tongue hotel for the best hot chocolate... in the world.

After filling our bellies with hot chocolate we traversed the Kyle of Tongue and after another hour of corner carving arrived in Durness, as near as dammit to the south-west tip of Scotland and home to the Smoo caves, which are well worth exploring.

Mackays is the finest hotel in town, and scattered around the car park was a collection of Astons, Mercs and a couple of hot RS Audis. We were welcomed like family and the room and meals were first rate.

The run down the west coast through Kylestrome and Ullapool provided more challenging bitumen: snaking through valleys and rising over the mountain ranges it was draped over, following the contours of the rugged coastline. The scenery was also doing its best to distract us (and doing an excellent job, at that).

At Braemore we took another detour off the NC500 route and made a bee line for the seaside port of Aultbea on Loch Ewe, our overnight stay. Believe me, it is well worth doing.

Before arriving at the Autlbea hotel and its excellent Fat Whippet restaurant, we explored the ruins of castles and went to see the UK's highest waterfall at Eas a' Chual Aluinn. We got to the ferry in the nick of time... only to be greeted by a sign reading 'No ferries today'.

Bugger.

Just outside Aultbea is the Glen Toridon Road, which is much like a Targa special stage. And that's how we drove it. Magic.

Our drive took us to Letterfearn on Loch Duich via Gairloch, Kinlochewe, Lochcarron, stopping at Strome Castle, Kyle of Lochalsch and Eilean Donan Castle.

The highpoint of a night in a delightful B&B on the shores of the Loch Duich was the cooked salmon caught from the Loch just hours earlier. Next morning we retraced our route back to Ach onto the A832 joining the A835 at Loch Garve for the run into Inverness.

After completing the lap, we headed to Drumnadrochit, half way along Loch Ness to board a Jacobite cruise on the deepest lake in Europe.

Wouldn't you know it? Nessy didn't turn up, except in the souvenir shop, but a squadron of RAF Hornets did, and thundered past a couple of hundred feet above us. What a wonderful way to end such a wonderful drive.

OPTIONAL – As we were driving we didn't visit any of the whisky and gin distilleries on route, but here's a few to consider: Dunnet Bay Distillery – Gin and Vodka specialists,
Glenmorgangie, near Tain, The Internationally renowned Dornich Castle Hotel Whisky Bar with an eclectic variety of whiskys, Dalmore, overlooking the Cromarty Firth.

Want to know more? Search online for North Coast 500

Scottish geographical terms:
Firth – a long, narrow indentation of the seacoast
Kyle – a narrow channel of water between two islands or between an island and the mainland; a strait or sound
Loch – a lake or partially landlocked or protected bay; a narrow arm of the sea