My Foodies Guide to the North Coast 500 is a great resource if you’re planning a road trip around the Scottish Highlands. From great coffee stops, to fab butchers and restaurants with amazing views.
Oh boy, writing this Foodies Guide to the North Coast 500 has made me pine for the Scottish mountains, the countless sunsets, and the freedom that living on the open road brings. Scotland is a wonderful place to visit in a campervan and we are both missing it terribly.
The North Coast 500 is a recently created official tourist route throughout the Scottish Highlands. It starts and ends at Inverness Castle and has been likened to the US Route 66. It is a serious destination these days for anyone who loves travelling by road and you’ll find yourself sharing these remote, often single track lanes, with everything from gigantic motorhomes to the latest Porches and lycra clad cyclists.
What makes this route so interesting? The views, the sense of remote isolation, the mountains and the coastline (especially the beaches!). It is quite possibly the most breath taking part of the entire UK.
Our adventure started on May 1st, 2017. We had no strict plans other than a couple of dates to catch a ferry over to Orkney & Shetland. I had a few foodie contacts lined up before we left home, but I wanted to keep the trip as spontaneous and free as possible. We decided to make the bulk of the research as organic as possible and get personal recommendations from the travellers and locals we met along the way.
Foodies Guide to the North Coast 500
Check out the Google map below which has the official NC500 route marked on. As we had the luxury of travelling with a kitchen on board, you can expect to find a real mix of places. From butchers to fishmongers, as well as fab cafes and restaurants.
- The blue flags are places on or close to the route that we think are worth pulling over for.
- The red flags are nowhere near the NC500 route but are places we stopped and highly recommend if you happen to be passing. Randomly there’s a motorway services just south of Gloucester on the map that is well worth a stop if you’re also from the south. And there’s a couple of flags on Shetland* if you’re planning to take a trip out to the islands.
Have you done the NC500 recently? Are there awesome places we missed? If so please tell us, and other readers, in the comments below. Let’s give a shout out to all those venues that go the extra mile to serve great quality food in this extremely remote corner of the UK.
* We travelled to Orkney and Shetland courtesy of North Link Ferries, who are foodie pioneers in their own right. Each ship has an award winning restaurant, and items on their menu come with a little flag to denote whether the product came from Shetland, Orkney or Mainland Scotland.
We loved our time in Orkney, but Shetland was the star of the show for us – it’s just beautiful. If you’re making the pilgrimage to do the NC500, and you have a little extra time, I promise you won’t regret making the trip out. You can catch a ferry to either set of islands from Thurso (Scrabster).
Happy travels!
Jane x
Huge thanks to NorthLink Ferries for giving us the opportunity to travel to Shetland, I’m pretty sure we’ll be back soon! As always all thoughts are my own.
Dannii says
This is on my bucket list and I am hoping to do it next year. I loved following your trip and the beaches really did look incredible.
Jagruti says
You are very lucky visit these places..glad you had great fun. x
Emily says
I’m from Edinburgh but have never visited the highlands (I know) it’s always been on my list of places to visit. It sounds like you had so much fun!
Jane Sarchet says
Isn’t that always the way Emily! You have a beautiful country :)
Jane x
Malcolmj says
The Gloucester Services were opened by the family who have Tebay Services in Cumbria which is streets ahead of the national chains.
Jane Sarchet says
That right Malcolm, we stopped at Tebay too on the journey north. The farm shop/deli there is good, but the one at Gloucester has a bigger range of products – so many yummy things! Just wish I lived closer :)
Jane x
Mary // Chattavore says
What an interesting post! I’ve never been to Scotland but I think it is about the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in photos, and it is on my bucket list for sure!
Jane Sarchet says
I do hope you get to visit one day Mary, I was blown away by the landscapes. So very beautiful :)
Jane x
Hope says
I love this! My husband is from Scotland so we go back there every few years and do a bit of traveling around, the highlands are so beautiful, great to have a foodie guide to refer to!
Kent Smith says
We leave Bristol on Saturday and are heading up there for two weeks….. can’t wait !!
Jane Sarchet says
Ahh, I’m so envious Kent! I hope you have the best time :)
Jane x
Janice says
It was brilliant following your travels on social media and seeing all the beautiful photographs. I’ve never been to Orkney or Shetland, but would love to go and your trip just made me want to go more!
choclette says
Oh wow, I’m so envious of your road trip. I love Scotland so much and haven’t been there in far too long. What a fabulous trip and how exciting to see so many new places. Three cheers for Myrtle :D
I’ve never been to the Shetlands or any of the other islands, but hope to get to some of them at least one day.
Sarah K says
My hubby and I just drove the North Coast 500 in September. We saw so much glorious scenery, I wish we had more time to explore the area in depth. We had a fantastic dinner at the Strathy Inn where the very kind owner helped us find a room when everything for miles was full. I advise everyone to make reservations in advance and to allow at least a week to 10 days for this fantastic drive!
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Sarah, thanks for stopping by!
We heard so many stories of folk not being able to find accommodation at short notice, so definitely agree about booking hotels up in advance (or take a campervan!)
Jane x
Melanie Chadd says
The NC500 is definitely one roadtrip that should not be rushed.
There are so many fabulous cafes, pubs, pie shops etc that are worth stopping off for.
Lovely post, thanks for sharing your experience.
Jane Sarchet says
Totally agree Melanie, and such a beautiful part of the UK too :)
Thanks for stopping by
Jane x
Wilma Dent says
I think you missed the Albanach, a Michelin star restaurant in Lochinver, Sutherland. Well worth a visit.
Jane Sarchet says
Thanks so much Wilma :)
Dale Pryde-MacDonald says
Very disappointed that only 2 East Coast restaurants are mentioned and nearly 5 times the amount on the West Coast are noted. There are some absolutely fantastic eateries on the East Coast & Central Sutherland and this does not give a fair reflection on the NC500, as a whole.
Jane Sarchet says
Just reporting on the places we found and rated Dale :) Feel free to leave your favourites in the comments!