Discovering the Far North and Wester Ross from Inverness
North and west of Inverness, the Highlands open into a different kind of scenery altogether – sea cliffs, ancient sea caves, ruined coastal strongholds, and lochs, glens and mountains that look more like sculpture than landscape. This is Caithness, Sutherland and Wester Ross: a panorama of everything Scotland is famous for, all within a few days driving of the city.
Much of this ground is covered by the North Coast 500 route, and there's no shortage of operators offering to drive you round it. What follows here is not the full circuit, but my own selection of sites along this route that I like to stop at.
Places I like to visit around Caithness, Sutherland and Wester Ross
- Dornoch: A picturesque cathedral town on the Dornoch Firth, with a medieval sandstone cathedral and a quiet, historic town centre.
- Dunrobin Castle: The largest great house in the Northern Highlands, with formal gardens overlooking the Dornoch Firth.
- Carn Liath Broch: A well-preserved, two-thousand-year-old Iron Age broch, its drystone walls still standing to a remarkable height.
- Castle Sinclair Girnigoe: The dramatic clifftop ruin of the Earls of Caithness, perched on a narrow headland above the North Sea near Wick.
- John o' Groats: The traditional "end of the road" from Land's End, with views out across the Pentland Firth to Orkney.
- Dunnet Head: The true northernmost point of mainland Scotland, with a lighthouse and sweeping coastal views.
- Tongue: A small Highland village, in the heart of Clan Mackay territory, framed by the mountains of Ben Loyal and Ben Hope.
- Smoo Cave: One of the largest sea caves in Scotland, cut into the limestone at Durness, with a waterfall dropping into its inner chamber.
- Ardvreck Castle: The evocative ruin of a Clan Macleod stronghold on the shores of Loch Assynt, framed by some of the oldest mountains in Europe.
- Knockan Crag: A National Nature Reserve where the visible rock strata transformed our understanding of how mountains form, with a short trail and views over the Coigach and Assynt hills.
- Corrieshalloch Gorge: A mile-long box canyon crossed by a Victorian suspension bridge, with the Falls of Measach dropping forty-five metres below.
- Gruinard Bay: A sweep of pink sand and turquoise water, with views out toward the Summer Isles.
- Inverewe Garden: A sub-tropical garden at 58 degrees north, made possible by the Gulf Stream, on a peninsula in Loch Ewe.
- Loch Maree: One of Scotland's most beautiful lochs, dotted with ancient pine-covered islands beneath the slopes of Slioch.
- Torridon: Among the oldest mountains on Earth, rising almost sheer from sea level in dramatic isolation.
- Shieldaig: A pocket-sized fishing village on Loch Torridon, with a pine-covered island just offshore.
What is the catch?
This route is genuinely one of the most spectacular drives in Scotland, but a few honest considerations are worth knowing before you book.
This is a tour that moves every night. There is no base to return to and no day spent in one place: you stay in Wick (Day 1), Tongue (Day 2), Ullapool (Day 3) and Gairloch (Day 4), then travel back to Inverness on Day 5. That means packing and unpacking every morning and evening, and a different bed each night. It suits guests who enjoy the rhythm of a road journey, but it can feel tiring if you prefer to settle in somewhere.
I have built the itinerary to ease this. We never start earlier than 9am, and most afternoons finish by 4 or 5pm, which leaves time to check in, unwind and enjoy each village before dinner.
The route has also become considerably busier in the summer months, particularly with motorhomes and self-drive traffic tackling the North Coast 500 at their own pace, so there can be more traffic than expected on some of the single-track sections.
Many of the smaller hotels and guesthouses along the route now request a minimum two-night stay in the peak summer months, which can make accommodation options during that time more limited. Early booking genuinely pays off here.
None of this changes my view that it is one of the most breathtaking routes in the country and well worth doing. I am happy to guide this tour in any of the summer months, though my own preference is for the quieter shoulder seasons, in spring and early autumn, when the roads are calmer, accommodation is easier to secure, and the pace feels even more unhurried.
How to explore the Far North and Wester Ross
All of the locations listed above can be explored independently by car – with only light walking required to reach most sites – if you have the time to plan the logistics and do not mind long single-track sections of road. Additionally, several tour operators also offer small-group tours covering the North Coast 500 route.
However, if you prefer a private tour, I offer a curated 5 Day Far North and Wester Ross Private Tour from Inverness – covering most of the sites above, following the coastline from Caithness right through to Wester Ross, at an unhurried pace.
5 Day Far North and Wester Ross Private Tour
This is a curated private journey through the far north of Scotland, from the Caithness coast to the mountains of Wester Ross. It is not one of my six standard tours, but a bespoke itinerary for guests who want to experience the best of the North Coast 500 route at an unhurried pace, without driving the full circuit.
What's Included
- Private tour for your group only (1, 2 or 3 persons)
- An experienced driver-guide and historian (John Alasdair Macdonald)
- A comfortable tour vehicle with good visibility and generous legroom
- All taxes and fees
What's Excluded
The tour price does not include your accommodation costs, entrance fees, meals and refreshments.
Tour Itinerary
- Day 1: Inverness to Wick — Departing Inverness, we travel north across the three firths – the Beauly, Cromarty and Dornoch – pausing in the cathedral town of Dornoch. The afternoon takes us to Dunrobin Castle, then on to Carn Liath Broch before continuing north to Wick, our base for the night.
- Day 2: Wick to Tongue — From Wick, we explore the clifftop ruin of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, then continue to John o' Groats, pausing nearby at the Duncansby sea stacks. The afternoon takes us to Dunnet Head, before a scenic drive along the northern coast road to Tongue for our overnight stay.
- Day 3: Tongue to Ullapool — Departing Tongue, we travel west to Smoo Cave at Durness, then continue through the wild scenery of Assynt to Ardvreck Castle on the shores of Loch Assynt. We pause at Knockan Crag before arriving in the harbour town of Ullapool for our overnight stay.
- Day 4: Ullapool to Gairloch — Our most relaxed day begins as we leave Ullapool for Corrieshalloch Gorge. We continue along the coast to Gruinard Bay, then on to Inverewe Garden at Poolewe, before a short drive to Gairloch, our base for the night.
- Day 5: Gairloch to Inverness — On our final day, we travel along the shores of Loch Maree, one of Scotland's most beautiful lochs (and my favourite). Our route continues through Glen Torridon, with a stop at the fishing village of Shieldaig on Loch Torridon. The afternoon takes us back east through Lochcarron on our return journey to Inverness.
How do I book the tour?
The first step is simply to email me directly – info@thehebrideanexplorer.com – with your preferred travel dates. I will then reply with availability and a detailed tour quotation (with absolutely no obligation to proceed at this stage).