North Coast 500 - Part Two

Good morning all.

Part two of our recent road trip around Scotland. Part one can be found here.

Day Six (sea and sand with a little sun for good measure)
Lochinver to Durness (60 miles)

Weather blustery with heavy showers

Another short trip today taking the scenic route around the coast starting at Achmelvich Beach, where we managed a walk without rain although it was a might blustery! We followed the single track road via Drumbeg which was a bit of a challenge especially when we encountered the car driver who was seemingly unable (or unwilling) to reverse 10 yards back to a passing place forcing us to reverse uphill and round a corner on a blind summit...thankfully I wasn't driving! We stopped at Kylesku for some refreshments then it was northwards, as far as we could go, to Durness through some very remote countryside. We drove to Balnakeil Bay and had a walk along the beach as the weather came in again. After a quick stop at Cocoa Mountain for some lunch we headed to the Smoo Cave Hotel where our bed for the night turned out to be a house to ourselves. We had a quiet afternoon, a meal at the hotel and an early night.

Achmelvich Bay, Drumbeg view point, Balnakeil Bay and Smoo Cave Hotel house

Day Seven (north coast showers)
Durness to John O Groats (89 miles)
Weather started bright and blustery then quickly turned showery
A quick breakfast before we headed to Smoo Cave, no boat trips as it was too wet but a nice walk in the sunshine. We headed off in an easterly direction stopping at the Weavers Cafe and Gift Shop for refreshments, after which the weather turned wet. After picking up some food in Thurso we headed to Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of mainland Britain, where we managed to dodge the showers long enough to have a look around.

Smoo Cave, Dunnet Head and Ben Loyal (from the bridge at Tongue)

We arrived in John O Groats at 4pm and checked into the Jan de Groot Suite for the night. Lovely accommodation on two floors with views to the Orkney Isles and down the coast. A trip around the shops before settling in, then after a microwave meal (we know how to live!) we had a walk and the obligatory photo shoot at the sign.

Day Eight (the height of luxury...not quite)
John O Groats to Wick (about 16 miles)
Weather sunshine with the odd shower
We were packed up by 10am and after another quick walk around we headed for the Castle of Mey. It was mostly dry as we headed around the gardens before a tour of the house. A good, knowledgeable guide made for an interesting tour and an insight into the life of the Queen Mother.

The Castle and Gardens of May

After a lunch in the cafe we drove to Duncansby Lighthouse and walked around the cliff tops to see the stacks. Then we headed south to Wick where we picked up fuel, drove through town...turned and headed north again to Ackergill Tower where we had booked the treehouse for the night. This had been a birthday present for hubby...sadly it proved a little disappointing. Although the treehouse itself was quite quirky it was not the 5* destination we had expected. The weather was lovely though and we had a nice walk around the grounds before having dinner in the tower restaurant...a nice meal which lacked a little 5* finesse with the service.

Duncansby Lighthouse and Stacks, Ackergill Tower

Day Nine (home from home)
Wick To Dornoch (64miles)
Weather variable...lots of heavy showers interspersed with glorious sunshine
A sunny start to the day and once packed up we had a climb to the top of the tower to see the fabulous views of the coastline, then we were headed south once more. We stopped at Berriedale for a late breakfast and a quick walk to take some photos of the bridges before the rain started. Several showers later we arrived at Dunrobin Castle...the seat of the Duke of Sutherland. After a tour of the castle (and an in sight to it's very controversial history) we wandered the gardens before watching the falconry display in glorious sunshine.

Bridges at Berriedale, Dunrobin Castle and Gardens

Our base for the night was The Steading at Balnapolaig near Dornoch. A lovely B&B with everything you could possibly want or need provided. We had a lovely meal at a local hostelry, the Trentham Hotel.

Day Ten  (all good things must come to an end)

Dornoch to Blairgowrie (148 miles)

Weather heavy showers between the rain, turning to sunshine

After a wonderful breakfast we headed into Dornoch for a wander around whilst it was still dry. It wasn't dry for long once we hit the road again and it made pretty miserable travelling. Our journey on the NC500 ended as we skirted around Inverness, although we hadn't driven the full circle we had done the whole coastal route.
Once south of Inverness we realised there was a real lack of facilities on the A9...luckily the Ralia Cafe at Newtonmoore came to our rescue. It was very busy though so we didn't stay for lunch and instead carried on to the House of Bruar for food and a wander around. The weather brightened as we headed for Blairgowrie and the Kinloch House Hotel which was to be our base for two nights rest and relaxation. We had a walk around the grounds before a lovely dinner in the hotel.

Dornoch Cathedral, Kinloch House Hotel and gardens

Day Eleven (old friends)
Weather dry and sunny
We enjoyed a leisurely morning before heading into Blairgowrie for a wander round, then it was onto the Antiques Centre at Abernyte for lunch. Hubby spent the afternoon looking at the antiques whilst I caught up with a school friend I hadn't seen in over 30 years! We chatted over a cuppa for about three hours and we could easily have sat another three...only they were sweeping up around us :)
Another lovely dinner in the hotel and coffee in the lounge with some lively conversation with a few of the other guests.

Day Twelve (time to go home)
Weather changeable...nothing new there then!
A leisurely breakfast before packing the truck for the final time. We headed back to the Antiques Centre and made a couple of purchases before heading southwards over the new Queensferry Crossing and home in time for tea.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip despite the weather and plan to go back and spend more time on the west coast and head over to the islands...perhaps next spring. The trip is definitely not one to be hurried...more a sip slowly and savour the flavour! The roads in mid September were largely clear with only a few motor homes about making the single track roads fairly easy to drive (it seemed that way from the passenger seat any way!). We (the Royal "we" that is!) booked all of our accommodation a couple of weeks in advance and still encountered quite a few places fully booked, I'm definitely glad we didn't leave it to chance. 
Next time the plan is to do it in hubby's new toy - the Ariel Nomad, somehow I don't think the pace will be quite as leisurely!

I hope you've enjoyed the read and a glimpse of some of the many photos taken along the way.

Carol x