Cycling the North Coast 500: A Complete Route Guide

The North Coast 500 loops 516 miles around the far north of Scotland, out from Inverness and back. It launched in 2015 as a touring route for cars, and the tourist board still calls it "Scotland's Route 66."

On a bike it is a different animal: ten days of single-track road, sea-loch climbs and some of the emptiest country in Britain. This guide covers the loop as a cyclist rides it, not as a driver sees it.

That means the real day-by-day, the climbing that actually hurts, when to go, and how to reach the start. For the rest of Scotland's long routes, see our guide to cycling routes in Scotland.

Why Ride the North Coast 500

The North Coast 500 is the hardest and most rewarding road-cycling week in Scotland. It strings the west coast's sea-loch climbs, the empty north coast and the fast east coast into a single 516-mile loop, and it asks more of a rider than any signed cycle path in the country.

The reward is the emptiness. Villages on the west coast can sit twenty miles apart, the road climbs in and out of every bay, and the weather turns by the hour. Few places in Britain feel this remote from a saddle.

It is a public-road loop rather than a traffic-free trail, and that shapes everything about riding it. The riding is on single-track and A-roads shared with summer camper vans. The challenge is as much about traffic and resupply as it is about the climbing.

What You Need to Know at a Glance

• Route name: North Coast 500 (NC500)

• Length: roughly 516 miles (830 km) as a full loop

• Route type: point-to-point loop on public roads, out and back from Inverness

• Start/finish: Inverness, the Highland capital

• Surface: public road, much of the west coast single-track

• Difficulty: very hard; our tour rates it 5/5

• Recommended bike: road or endurance bike with low climbing gears

• Daily distance: 94–125 km a day across our ten-day tour

• Biggest climb: the Bealach na Bà, about 626 metres, gradients up to 1 in 5

Route Overview

The standard direction is anticlockwise, west coast first, so the hardest climbing comes while the legs are fresh. From Inverness the route crosses to the west coast, works north through Wester Ross and Assynt, along the north coast to John O'Groats, then south down the east coast back to the start.

Riding west first also saves the fast, gentle east coast for the final two days, when the accumulated climbing has taken its toll. Most riders tackle the west coast first for exactly this reason.

Route Map

The three coasts ride like three separate routes. The west, from Lochcarron through Applecross, Torridon and Ullapool to Assynt, is the hardest and most spectacular, with the road pitching constantly beside the sea lochs.

The north coast runs across the top of the mainland, past long empty beaches and the turn for Cape Wrath, from the Kylesku area to Bettyhill and on toward John O'Groats. It is more exposed to the wind but far flatter than the west.

The east coast is the fastest leg, a run south from John O'Groats through Wick, Brora and the farmland of Sutherland on wider, quieter roads. It passes Dunrobin Castle before the final miles back into Inverness.

The NC500 is not waymarked as a cycle route the way a National Cycle Network path is, so a GPS file and an OS map both earn their place. Phone signal is patchy for much of the west and north.

Elevation Profile

The climbing, not the distance, is what makes the NC500 hard. There is no single mountain pass to train for. Instead the west coast delivers thousands of metres of short, steep pitches as the road follows the coastline in and out.

The numbers tell the story. Our hardest day, Ullapool to Scourie, climbs about 2,190 metres in 104 kilometres; the Bealach na Bà day gains around 2,020 metres. Two days on the west coast each climb more than a mountain stage.

The Bealach na Bà itself is the exception to the "no big pass" rule, and the ride's signature. It is a single-track pass to about 626 metres over Applecross, with alpine-style hairpins and gradients up to one in five.

The far north and east are gentler, with longer, more even gradients. The final day back to Inverness is the longest at 125 kilometres, but it climbs only around 1,190 metres, most of it early on.

A rider comfortable with sustained multi-day climbing and low gears can complete the loop. It rewards fitness, and rewards it most on the west.

Suggested Itinerary

Our tour rides the full loop over ten days, west coast first, at 94 to 125 kilometres a day.

Day 1: Arrive in Inverness. The Highland capital sits at the mouth of the Great Glen and is the start and finish of the loop, leaving time to check the bike and see Inverness Castle above the River Ness.

Day 2: Inverness to Lochcarron. An easier opening day of 104 km and around 590 metres of climbing traces the Beauly Firth and quiet inland roads west to the sea at Loch Carron.

Day 3: Lochcarron to Talladale. The hardest and most famous day, 110 km with about 2,020 metres of climbing, takes in the Bealach na Bà's hairpins over Applecross, the descent to the coast, and the road north under the peaks of Torridon.

Day 4: Talladale to Ullapool. A 106 km day with about 1,490 metres of climbing weaves through the Torridon hills and their mirror lochs, then runs north across open moor to Ullapool, the fishing and ferry port on Loch Broom.

Day 5: Ullapool to Scourie. The tour's hardest climbing day packs about 2,190 metres into 104 km, through the mountains of Assynt past Suilven, on a punchy coastal road that never sits flat for long.

Day 6: Scourie to Bettyhill. A 109 km day of around 1,570 metres crosses the Kylesku Bridge over its sea loch and winds through rocky headland and moor, before the land softens toward the golden sands of Bettyhill.

Day 7: Bettyhill to John O'Groats. The shortest and easiest day, 94 km with about 960 metres of climbing, runs fast and rolling along the north coast to the signpost at John O'Groats, the northeast tip of the mainland.

Day 8: John O'Groats to Brora. The route turns south down the east coast for 101 km and about 1,080 metres of climbing, past the ruins of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe and the town of Wick, on smoother and faster roads than the west.

Day 9: Brora to Inverness. The longest day, 125 km with about 1,190 metres of climbing, runs down the east coast past the turrets of Dunrobin Castle and through rolling farmland to close the loop at the River Ness in Inverness.

Day 10: Departure from Inverness. The Highland capital sits on the rail network and has its own airport, so the journey home is straightforward.

Is It Simple to Plan Your Own Cycling Tour?

The NC500 is popular enough to plan yourself, but the far north makes it harder than a route further south. Accommodation and resupply are what take the most planning.

Beds are scarce and book out early in the villages along the west and north coasts, so a self-planned trip means reserving months ahead for summer. The gaps between shops and cafés can run long enough that food, water and spares need carrying for more miles than usual.

Our self-guided North Coast 500 tour handles the ten days, the accommodation and the luggage transfer, with a GPS guide for the route. The planning is done, and the riding is what is left.

• Distance: ~516 miles (830 km)

• Duration: 10 days

• Route: Inverness loop, via Applecross, Ullapool, the north coast and John O'Groats

When to Go

Spring (April – June)

Spring opens the NC500 season, though the high ground holds winter longer than the coast. The Bealach na Bà can stay cold, wet or icy into April, so an early-spring loop carries more risk on that pass than a summer one.

May and June are among the best weeks of the year here. They bring the least rainfall of any month and the long northern daylight. The summer camper-van traffic is not yet at its peak, either.

Late spring is also quieter on the single-track roads and easier for booking beds than July or August. Nights stay cold in the north, so spring riding still wants proper layers.

Summer (July – August)

Summer is the most reliable window for weather and the busiest on the road. Long daylight gives plenty of margin for the big climbing days, and the passes are clear of snow.

July and August put the most camper vans and tourist traffic on the single-track sections. That is the season's real drawback for cyclists, and the small villages book out well ahead, so summer needs the earliest planning of the year.

Midges are worst from June to August in still, damp conditions, especially on the west coast in the evenings. They rarely bother a moving rider, but they make camp stops and photo stops harder work.

Autumn (September – October)

September often holds summer's settled weather with far fewer vehicles, which makes it a favourite among riders who want the route quieter. The traffic thins as the school holidays end and the camper vans dwindle.

By October the days shorten fast and the weather turns less reliable, with the west coast catching the first Atlantic storms. October riders should plan around fewer daylight hours and a real chance of rain.

Many of the smaller guesthouses and cafés begin closing for the season through October, so the choice of overnight stops narrows. The Bealach na Bà can see its first snow late in the month.

Winter (November – March)

Winter is off-season on the NC500, and our tour does not run then. Snow and ice close the Bealach na Bà, daylight drops below eight hours, and much of the accommodation and many cafés along the route shut.

A winter loop is for experienced, self-sufficient riders only, and even then the high, exposed sections can turn genuinely dangerous. Treat winter as the season to plan a trip, not to ride one.

Anyone set on cold-weather riding is better served by a shorter, lower route than the full far-north loop. The NC500 rewards the long days and open passes of the warmer months.

Highlights of the North Coast 500

These are the stops worth timing a day around, in the order the loop reaches them riding west.

The Bealach na Bà and Applecross are the route's set piece. The pass pairs a hairpin climb to about 626 metres with a remote village looking across the water to Skye, and it is the hardest and most photographed stretch of the whole loop.

Torridon follows, its ancient sandstone peaks rising straight from the lochs, and then Ullapool, the west coast's one real town and its last big resupply before the far north. Beyond it, Assynt holds some of Scotland's most distinctive mountains, Suilven and Stac Pollaidh among them, standing alone above open moor.

The Kylesku Bridge curves across its sea loch on the way to the north coast, an elegant span in an otherwise empty landscape. John O'Groats marks the turning point of the loop. It is the northeast tip of the mainland, and the signpost there is the traditional halfway photo.

The east coast saves a last landmark for near the end. Dunrobin Castle, all turrets and formal gardens above the North Sea, sits beside the road on the ninth day back toward Inverness.

Getting To/From There

The NC500 starts and finishes in the same place, Inverness, which makes the logistics simpler than a point-to-point route. Riders comparing other Scottish options can see the full list in our cycling routes in Scotland guide.

Getting to the Start: Inverness

Inverness has the best transport links in the Highlands. Trains run from the Central Belt and direct from London, and the airport connects to several UK cities, so most riders arrive by rail or air and start the loop from the city.

Bikes travel on Scottish trains by reservation, and the spaces are limited. Booking a bike space in advance is worth doing, especially in summer, and anyone driving can leave a car in Inverness for the ten days since the route returns there.

By road, Inverness sits at the end of the A9 from Perth and the Central Belt. It is the last large town with full bike shops and spares before the far north, so it is the place to sort any last mechanical needs.

On Single-Track Roads: Etiquette and Resupply

Much of the west and north is single-track road with passing places, and using them well matters. Pull into a passing place to let faster traffic by, and expect camper vans that react slowly. They are least predictable on blind bends and steep gradients.

Resupply needs thinking ahead. The far north has long gaps between shops, cafés and fuel, so carry food, water and spares for more miles than a route further south would need. Ullapool is the last major resupply before the north coast.

Phone signal is patchy across much of the west and north. Download the route and maps offline, and tell someone your plan before a remote day, particularly outside the summer season.

Ready to Ride the North Coast 500?

The North Coast 500 earns its reputation as Scotland's hardest road-cycling week by refusing to let up. The west coast climbs in and out of every sea loch, the north runs exposed and empty, and only the east coast offers real respite before the loop closes at Inverness.

Ten days is enough to ride all of it without turning the climbing days into a grind.

Our self-guided NC500 tour follows the same ten days, with the accommodation booked, the luggage moved and a GPS guide for the route. Get in touch if a different pace or start date needs working out.

• Distance: ~516 miles (830 km)

• Duration: 10 days

• Route: Inverness loop, via Applecross, Ullapool and John O'Groats

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the North Coast 500 by bike?

About 516 miles (830 km) around the loop from Inverness. Most riders take between eight and twelve days; our self-guided tour rides it in ten, at 94 to 125 kilometres a day.

How hard is it to cycle the North Coast 500?

It is very demanding, and our tour rates it 5 out of 5. The distance is one thing, but the west coast's constant steep climbs are what make it hard: two days each gain more than 2,000 metres. It suits fit, experienced riders rather than beginners.

Which direction should you cycle the North Coast 500?

Most riders go anticlockwise, west coast first. That puts the hardest climbing, including the Bealach na Bà, in the first half while the legs are fresh, and saves the flatter, faster east coast for the final days.

Do you have to climb the Bealach na Bà?

It is the route's signature climb and the reason many riders come, a single-track pass to about 626 metres with gradients up to one in five. A lower alternative loops around the Applecross peninsula for anyone who would rather skip it, conditions permitting.

When is the best time to cycle the NC500?

May to September, with May and June the driest and late September the quietest. July and August bring the most camper-van traffic and the busiest accommodation, so book early for high summer.

What kind of bike do you need for the North Coast 500?

A road or endurance bike with low climbing gears suits the route best, since it is almost all on tarmac with sustained climbs. Many riders on our tour choose an e-road bike for the hardest days, as the west coast's gradients reward gears over outright speed.