Sands Beach – voted by Countryfile readers as the Beach of the Year in 2015/16. It is one of my favourite places in Scotland and a gorgeous 10km walk from the village on the Peninsula.

Alternatively, you could allocate a day of driving each way from London, and then five days on the NC500 as per our itinerary, but I wouldn’t try to do Skye as well. Climb Ben Loyal and Ben Hope – the Queen of Scottish Mountains, Ben Loyal is a Corbett with four dramatic peaks to climb. Ben Hope is the most northerly Munro.

At the time of its construction, the Kings of Norway dominated this area of Northern Scotland. It is believed to have been built Earl Harald Madadson, the earl of Orkney, with intention of the castle being his chief seat on the mainland.

The trip ends making the short drive to the Highland capital of Inverness. We can arrange additional nights here or further south as suits. Ullapool – a great wee town for an overnight stop on the NC500. Discover more things to do in Ullapool Day 4 Accommodation: In Torridon if you want to spoil yourself we can highly recommend The Torridon, which is one of the few 5* hotels on the North Coast 500. We had a lovely nights stay, evening meal, and afternoon tea here. They also operate “ The Stables” next door, a high end B&B style option.A great selection of walks to showcase the scenic excellence of the Northern Highlands, with routes suitable for a wide range of tastes and skill level. Inverewe Garden and Estate at Poolewe– one of Scotland’s most beautiful gardens. Inverewe House has recently been opened to the public for the first time in its history and gives visitors a snapshot of 1930s life in a Scottish estate. Visit Inverewe.

From Ullapool you head south a short way on the A835 before turning right onto the A832 and heading out to the coast. The first attraction you’ll come to is the Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve.For some options see our guide to our favourite B&B’s along the NC500, as well as our overall guide to NC500 accommodation. These tend to be some of the more popular places along the route, so booking well in advance is required. I am thinking of doing the 5 day tour, I will be driving alone and not good at map reading . I would depend on my Sat Nav. Is that practical giving reception etc. Are places well signed. I intend to follow your 5 day Itinerary Our next stop on this itinerary is one of our highlights of the trip, the Whaligoe Steps. This staircase has been built into the vertical drop of the Whaligoe slate cliffs, and give you a stunning view of them from a different perspective. The Whaligoe Steps are a series of limestone steps leading down the 250ft cliffside to a sheltered harbour area below. Old School House B&Bin Gairloch – This relatively new B&B is run by Sarah and Rob who have spent many years in the area. Enjoy your trip when it happens, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at all 🙂