How much time do I need to road trip the NC500?

One of the most common question we get asked - how long do I need to road trip the NC500?!

Well.. that depends on you and how much you want to see!

5 days - Manageable, but be prepared to pack a lot in!

We would recommend a minimum of 5 days to drive this route (and that doesn't include travelling to and from Scotland if you are coming from somewhere else in the UK!). Day 1 would need to start at the first location on the NC500.

You can see a lot of the highlights in this amount of time, but you will be stopping to take a quick picture and move on.

We would recommend starting early each day and packing your own lunch to try and maximise time for stops.

This won't really give you any time to hike or relax on a beach for a few hours. If you're short on time though or on a limited budget, or you simply just want to take in the epic scenery, it's totally doable!

7 - 10 days - This would be ideal!

We would recommend at least a week to explore the NC500 if you really want to get a good feel for the route and not feel too rushed.

It would give you so much time to explore all the hidden gems on route as well as slow down and take you time to soak in everything around you. This is our go-to recommendation!

10-14 days - The ULTIMATE road trip

If you can spare two weeks, then boy you are in for a treat! This will give you time to explore at your leisure, have a couple of beach days and maybe even visit an island or two!

There is so much to see on the NC500 that you will not run out of things to do.

You could also consider pairing the Isle of Skye, Glencoe and Loch Lomond if you have time - these are all stunning areas of Scotland and not too far from the NC500 route. They really are worth a visit!

A longer trip also means less pressure to drive long hours every day, letting you soak in everything on your road trip!