Scotland’s North Coast 500 is probably the best bike ride I have ever done. A combination of the route, scenery and beautiful sunny weather for the entire trip made this a memorable ride. The route starts and finishes at Inverness Castle and is 516 miles long. The route was officially launched in 2015 by the tourism board for the North Highlands to boost visitor numbers and increase business and it has been a huge success though not universally welcomed by all locals who value their quiet way of life. For the cyclist the NC500 presents a tough challenge with some serious climbs and exposed roads where you are at the mercy of the elements. There are a few recommended variations to the normal route for cyclists, eg around Lochinver and later on near Portskerra where the A897 can be taken, which avoids having to cycle south on the busy A9 road. The week before I set off I came across a great YouTube video by the GCN boys with Simon Richardson and Mark Beaumont it’s called Bikepacking Scotlands North Coast 500 , it’s beautifully shot and well worth a look.

Day 1  Inverness to Applecross

An early start saw me in the Inverness Youth Hostel car park reassembling the bike from the back of my car and making those last minute adjustments about what to take based on how the weather was looking. It was about 8.00am by the time I cycled round to the castle for the obligatory setting off photo. By chance it was here I got talking to a guy called Liam Harris, he runs a cycle touring holiday business www.gocycletours.co.uk and this week he had 5 clients doing the NC500 and setting off at the same time as me. The clients do the cycling without carrying anything and Liam provides the backup with a transit van and they camped there way around the route. Over the next few days we would be leapfrogging each other and meeting up in cafes and pubs a lot. I made my way out of the city via the end/start of the Great Glen Way, (a route I had done a few years ago), then cycled along the Caledonian Canal until I reached the A862 and headed for Beauly and Muir of Ord, then left to Contin and Garve. It was a beautiful sunny morning, quite chilly to start with but it wasn’t long before the gloves and arm warmers were stashed away and as it turned out never used again for the whole trip! The riding from lnverness to Lochcarron is quite easy with gentle climbs, that changes quite dramatically when you leave Lochcarron when a 20% climb has you reaching straightaway for the bottom gear… a good warmup for what is to come……. The Bealach na Ba is one of the highlights of the whole route, a fearsome long climb and swooping descent that allows access to the Applecross Peninsular. My bed for the night was the SYHA affiliated hostel called Hartfield House, about a mile away from the popular Applecross Inn.

Day 2   Applecross to Kinlochewe

my cousin Robert was by chance stopping at Kinlochewe caravan site this week, he is a keen cyclist and despite being 71years young is still strong on the bike. He set off from the caravan about 7.30am and we met on the Applecross Coast road at Fearnmore. We then cycled back to    Kinlochewe together along the very hilly northern section of this road to Shieldaig, stopping off at the very nice Nanny’s cafe for a big breakfast, where we also caught up with Liam and his cycling group. Then it was a stunning ride down to Annat and along Glen Torridon with great views over to Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe and down to Kinlochewe where I spent the night sleeping in the awning of his caravan. This was only half a days ride really but it allowed us to visit a rather nice pub at Badacro and to go and visit Gairloch.

Day 3  Kinlochewe to Polbain

By 7.45am the next morning I had said my goodbyes to Robert and Delia and was enjoying the early morning sun cycling on the road alongside Loch Maree With the imposing Slioch in the background. It was fairly easy going as far as Gairloch then it got hilly before descending down to Poolewe and past Inverewe Gardens, another steady climb takes you up to a good vantage spot of Loch Ewe, which was a marshalling point for Artic convoy ships during the Second World War. Then it was round Guinard Bay with its beautiful beaches followed by another long steady climb up to a viewing point looking down the length of Little Loch Broom, followed by a very fast descent past the Dundonnell Hotel, well known to mountaineers as its a good base for climbing the mighty An Teallach located behind it, one of the grandest Munros. Another long steady climb ensues before a fast descent down to join the A835 for the 12 mile run into Ullapool along the banks of Loch Ewe. I spent a couple of hours in Ullapool, enjoying the beautiful weather and then resupplying at Tesco’s, I was planning to bivi out tonight so I needed food and drink for later on as well as something for in the morning, when all that was sorted I had an enormous fish and chip supper just to make sure, I might have gone for something smaller had I known about the big climb coming up straight out of town. About 10 mile along this road I turned off left on a small road leads to Achiltibuie and skirts Loch Lurgainn and gives great views of Stac Pollaidh, once past this mountain I was on the look out for somewhere good to bivi for the night, I nearly chose a small sandy spot on the loch side but instead carried on to Polbain and found a good spot on some low grassy cliffs overlooking the Summer Isles and fell asleep listening to the ferry chugging its way back and forward with the sun still shining on my face.

Day 4  Polbain to Durness

I was out of the bivi by 6.00am and had a quick cup of coffee and some food and was back on the road again before 7.00am making my way around around the tiny hamlets of Atlandhu and Achnahaird then a stiff pull up to join the road I travelled last night past Loch Osgaig turning left at the next junction signposted to Lochinver, this was a beautifully quiet, scenic and hilly road and in the sparkling morning sun I was seeing it at its best. I was looking forward and slightly dreading this next section to Lochinver and Kylesku , Dave Barter in his book “Great British Bike Rides” brings together 40 of the best rides in Britain and highlights this ride (done as a loop from Lochinver) as his personal favourite and he stresses how hilly it is and labels it a bit of a leg ripper! I rolled into Lochinver very hungry and called into a new looking Bunkhouse and cafe (An Cala cafe) for a big Scottish fried breakfast, it was a chance to recharge my phone too. I forgot about the famous pie shop here which I intended to visit and only noticed it when riding out of the village, the road steepened up straightaway but after a few hundred meters I turned off left onto the minor road that gives access to the beautiful beaches at Achmelvich, Clachtoll and Clashnessie Bay. At the tiny hamlet of Drumbeg I called into the very well stocked little store for an ice cream and juice and sat outside on the benches enjoying the sun. After Drumbeg the road got proper hilly with several climbs and one long steep climb in particular standing out. Eventually though the Kyelescu Bridge came into view in the distance across Locha’ Chairn Bhain and it was a long swoop down to rejoin the A894. Here I turned left and crossed the eye catching bridge, stopping to take a photo and admire its sweeping curves. I found the 10 miles to Scourie hard work, a series of long steady climbs combined with a rough road surface and an increasingly strong headwind took their toll and I crawled into town looking for refreshments. Here I teamed up with another cyclist doing the 500 too and we set off for Durness vowing to “take it easy” but competitive instincts took over and I think we both went harder than we really wanted. There is a massive long steady downhill into Durness which goes on for miles but the wind was now so strong we were pedalling downhill just to maintain our speed. The Cape Wrath running festival was on this week and all accommodation in Durness was taken, so after a good meal in the campsite bar/restaurant, it was bivi number 2 on the beach.

Day 5  Durness to John o’ Groats

After a quick cup of coffee and some bars I was back on the road again by 7.00am basking in the warm early morning sun, cycling past Durness Smoo cave and then the millennium cairn and onto the pleasant circuit around Loch Eriboll. The landscape was changing now, the rugged rocky terrain of the West Coast was gone and it was rolling smoother hills which reminded me of the North York’s Moors at times. I stopped at the store at Tongue for some breakfast before continuing onto Bettyhill enjoying scenic views over the Kyle of Tongue on the way. Just before Strathy I came across the section of moor that had been burning for some days, there was a convoy system in place to escort vehicles the mile or so where visibility was really bad due to all the smoke. At Melvich I called into the Haladay inn for a bar meal and pint, where I caught up with the cyclist I rode with yesterday. This was a decision point in the ride. My original intention was to turn right just after Melvich onto the A897, this road would head south on cycle friendly small roads and would be in keeping with the route so far, this was the way the GCN boys went in the video mentioned earlier. However I had never been this far north before and a couple of years ago I was all set for a Lands End  to John o Groats attempt before a broken knee cap spoilt everything, I was curious to see the finish point, so I carried heading East on the A836 past the decommissioned nuclear power station at Dounreay, through Thurso and past the golden sands of Dunnet Bay. The strong and cold Easterly wind was making progress slow and I eventually rolled into John o’ Groats at about 5.30pm, after the obligatory photo next to the famous finger post, I headed for the Seaview Hotel just up the road for a bar meal and a couple of pints. I checked out the price of their camping pods, they wanted £50, so I ordered another pint and mentally prepared for bivi number 3 on John o’ Groats Beach. I was tucked up in the sleeping bag by 8.30pm listening to the waves lapping on the nearby shore.

Day 6  John o’ Groats to Inverness

I was up again at 5.00am, quickly packed my gear away and scrambled back up to the finger post again and took another picture hoping to capture the early morning golden sunshine. The plan today was to try and make it all the way back to Inverness, a ride of about 120 miles. The 17 miles along the quiet A99 into Wick went quickly, where I spotted the Old Pultney whisky distillery. Another 17 miles on the A99 following the coast brought me to Latheron where the road becomes the A9 and the traffic was noticeably heavier. Somewhere near Dunbeath I stopped off at a little roadside cafe and gallery near a Croft to get a sausage sandwich which helped get me up a long Braes of Berridale climb, then continued on to the picturesque Helmsdale, the last 4 mile down to the village is a very fast descent. I arrived in Golspie about 11.30am, just in time to get a huge Scottish fried breakfast at Poppy’s Cafe on the main street. I was looking for ways of getting off the busy A9 now and was advised my best bet would be to continue along it as far as Tain. Just before reaching The town I passed The Glenmorangie distillery, another old favourite single malt of mine, this time I stopped and had a look around. In Tain I picked up the marked cycle route that takes you on a very quiet back road to Alness. This way marked cycle route in fact takes you all the way back to Inverness via Evanton, Dingwall and across the Moray Firth using the Kessock Bridge and delivers you right in the centre of the city. I finally arrived back at Inverness Castle at about 5.30pm, 6 days after setting off, I then cycled round to the Youth Hostel and managed to get the very last bed, a good end to a memorable ride.