SCOTLAND – NC500

The North Coast 500 was launched by the Scottish Tourist Board, as a way to get more visitors to the remote north-west coast of the country, with a 500 mile-plus road trip. It’s billed as the Scottish answer to ‘Route 66’, and it has scenery that is at least a match to anything you’ll see on the American route.

The NC500 starts and ends in Inverness, which is the capital of the Highlands, with such esoteric delights as supermarkets, cash points and petrol stations.

It sallies forth west through the barren, blasted alien landscape of Sutherland, up to the northern coast road by Cape Wrath, then heads along the top to Thurso in Caithness before coming back down past the Black Isle and the relatively urban areas round the Moray Firth. Amazing roads, world-class scenery, and (if you’re lucky) much better weather than you might expect.

◆ Must see

Obviously, John o’ Groats at the top right needs a pic, but the best spot is Cape Wrath, a stunning rocky peninsula. There’s a lighthouse on the cliffs, with a small foot-passenger ferry from Durness, connecting with a minibus that takes you up to the viewing point.

◆ Top tip

There really aren’t a lot of petrol stations in the Highlands (even fewer are open 24/7). Fill up whenever you can, and if you have a bike with a small tank range, consider carrying an emergency jerry can with you. Some short-range bikes are basically unusable up here…