North Coast 500 (NC500) motorbike tour
Every now and then I like to head off for a few days solo ride. I selfishly get to go where I want, stop where I want, ride how I like etc. In June 2019 I took a 4 day blast up to and around the fabled NC500 route on my trusty Triumph Tiger 800. I took both panniers and packed the camping gear. I’d planned one night wild camping, two in campsites and one at a youth hostel so it was going to be a pretty cheap trip.
For me, travelling on a motorbike, especially self-sufficient with camping gear, is the very definition of freedom.
Day 1: Edinburgh to Glenelg - 200 miles
I took the road up through Rannoch Moor & Glencoe (M9, A84, A85, A82). I’ve driven & ridden through Glencoe countless times but this time was special as it’s rare that the weather is so good. No visit to Glencoe is complete without stopping at the Clachaig Inn. You can’t beat lunch outside in the sun with a mountain view.
I then headed up through Fort William then west at Invergarry on the A87 towards Skye. This is one of my favourite roads; a great combo of “spirited riding“ and amazing scenery. Then, at Shiel Bridge, I took the old military road to Glenelg. There’s a super twisty section called the Mam Ratagan Pass that’s well worth riding over.
We’d visited Glenelg recently and found out that the beach just past the village is a community campsite and the village hall has pay showers & fresh water taps. I had the beach completely to myself, apart from 100’s of midges.
Dinner was Super Noodles a la poulet in the JetBoil. I then headed over to the fantastic Glenelg Inn for a pint and watched the sun setting over Skye. I had hoped for a shower but the village hall had not long closed.
Day 2: Glenelg to Altandhu (Achiltibuie) - 185 miles
I packed up the bike then rode along to the village hall for a shower - the facilities there are great. If you want to give wild camping a bash then Glenelg is a good place to start. It was then back over the Mam Ratagan Pass and onto Eilean Donan Castle. It was a nice day so I went up to viewpoint up the hill at Dornie. It used to be a hidden gem but it now has a Google pin! I then popped down to a special place called Manuelas Wee Bakery - it’s like a little Hansel & Gretel village in the Highlands. As the name suggests, it’s a bakery but they do takeaway pizza and gin. What else do you need?
I headed north on the A890 to Strathcarron (a great little road) then west onto the A896 - now on the official NC500 route. This is a fantastic, wild & remote part of Scotland, especially riding through Torridon valley.
Today’s lunch stop was the Bridge Cottage Cafe at Poolewe. I’m annoyed that I didn’t take any photo’s; it’s a really nice, friendly place and the food was great. I got chatting to a family and they advised me to head out to Cove up the coast. It’s not on the official NC500 route but going “off-piste“ is where the hidden gems are. At the tip, just north of Cove, is the Arctic Convoy Memorial and remnants of a WW2 camp and battlements.
There are only a few parts of Scotland that I’ve not explored yet and the Achiltibuie peninsula was one of them. It’s phenomenal. Again, it’s not officially on the NC500 route but if you’re coming up this way and like wild, remote places then take the time to explore. It’s also the gateway to the Summer Isles but I’ll come back with Lesley to explore them one day.
There’s a fantastic campsite at Altandhu just north of Achiltibuie village. It’s called Port a Bhaigh (port of the bay) and, as the name suggest, it’s right on the coast overlooking the sea. There’s a pub & restaurant just up the hill called Am Fuaran (the well). It’s a nice traditional pub with a friendly atmosphere. I had a well needed pint and fresh, locally caught seafood for dinner.
Day 3: Altandhu to Durness - 100 miles
While packing away the tent and making breakfast I had a chat with an RSPB warden from a nearby tent and a couple of ladies in a camper that had appeared next to my tent during the night. It’s always nice to chat to people, especially when travelling solo.
It took me at least an hour to get back onto the A837 as I stopped loads to take photo’s of the scenery in better light. Stac Pollaidh (stack polly) looks epic - I’m looking forward to climbing it even though it’s not a Munro.
The weather started to turn mid-morning so I don’t have many photo’s from the day. I saw the usual NC500 hotspots: Kylesku Bridge, Ardvreck castle (well turret!) and the Durbeg loop. Look out for The Secret Tea Garden / Assynt Aromas on the loop. I had lunch there and a little Robin Redbreast joined me for some oatcakes!
After lunch, it started to rain heavily and the fog came down. I had planned to explore more but with near zero visibility I went straight to Sango Sands Oasis campsite. It was howling a hoolie (blowing a gale) so getting the tent up solo was a challenge. After a long hot shower I headed to the restaurant & bar for some hot food and a well needed Guinness or two. I borrowed some Aloe Vera from a couple of charitable girls as my face was bright red from wind & sun burn.
While I sat watching the storm out the window and drinking my beer, I started hatching a plan B…
Day 4: Durness to Edinburgh via Braemar - 275 miles
The plan was to ride the top & east side of the NC500 then south to the youth hostel at Braemar, stay the night then head to Edinburgh in the morning. While lying awake at 5am with the tent being battered by the wind & rain I looked at the weather radar and decided to try and beat the worst of the storm by heading directly south. There looked to be a lull in the storm but the forecast was serious rain by lunchtime.
After I’d packed the bike, the weather had calmed a bit so I went to Smoo Cave as it was only a mile or so along the coast.
I then rode south, briskly! This took me on a road I’d never been on; the A835 to Lairg and it was fantastic. I like travelling through remote, quiet places and this road definitely ticks those boxes. I maybe saw 3 cars on the whole road. I’d skipped breakfast first thing so stopped for a brew and some porridge bars.
By the time I got to Lairg it was raining pretty heavily and got gradually worse as the day went on. The sort of heavy rain that somehow finds its way through the gaps around the visor and onto your face. I’ve ridden in the rain plenty of times, and it doesn’t bother me but riding big miles in these conditions is tiring and, to be frank, not the most fun. On one corner that had overhanging trees (leaves etc on the road) the back end stepped out. Probably only a few cm but it felt like half a meter!
In situations like these I like to keep myself alert by having little chats in my helmet, maybe even a little singing. We’d not long watched the latest Mission Impossible film, Fallout and there‘s a line in the film: “Fate whispers to the warrior? A storm is coming. And the warrior whispers back? I am the storm.” I’m not sure how many times I said, “A storm is coming. I am the storm.” but it kept me amused and pushing on in such poor conditions.
I stopped in Inverness for some fuel and a quick bit to eat at Tiso’s cafe then headed over the Lecht Road to Braemar. I was pretty drenched by the time I got to the Youth Hostel. Being in the Cairngorms National Park it’s an outdoor enthusiast hotspot so they have a great walk-in drying room. I got out of my biking gear, left it to dry, had a long hot shower and headed to the newly refurbished Fife Arms Hotel. It’s not my sort of place, a little too “fancy“ for my tastes, but I wanted to see what it looked like since the refurb. I had some unexpectedly healthy green food and a small glass of Pinot Noir.
After all that, the storm never came. Or at least it moved north and missed Braemar. I went back to the hostel and spent around an hour chatting to a hill walker in the drying room. It was still only 4ish so I decided to ride the last 100 miles home through Glenshee.
Not the NC500 exploration that I’d planned but a memorable day all the same.
In summary
A cheeky 760 miles over 4 days riding in weather ranging from fantastic sunshine to seriously stormy. Great weather is a bonus but very few great travel stories start with ‘it was a lovely sunny day….’
When riding in Scotland make sure you have proper wet weather gear; you never know when it’ll turn for the worst. I won’t go on a multi-day trip unless I have waterproof luggage and clothing. With the forecast so good I bucked my own rule and left my over waterproofs (fluorescent jacket, trousers & gloves) at home. My RST Paragon touring gear is pretty good but even the most expensive gear will eventually let in water.
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