North Coast 500
Bike
17 Aug 2019
The North Coast 500 loop was established several years ago, and circles the top peninsular of Scotland, running for around 500 miles (~800 km) with a few variations. Set up by the tourist board to attract people to the more remote areas of Scotland, the route is often compared to Route 66 in the US as the initial concept was designed for car road trips, but has since become popular with cyclists. I moved from Bristol to London earlier this year, and I had been looking forward to having the convenience of the overnight Caledonian Sleeper train from Euston down the road, which conveniently runs all the way up to Inverness, the start and finish point of the route.
I decided to ride the route over a fairly relaxed six days, as this would be my first tour in Scotland and I wanted to be able to stop along the way and take it all in. Also, as this was a solo mission I decided to stay in more built-up towns each night rather than camping remotely, staying in various B&Bs, hostels and bunkhouses so I could chat with other travellers and locals. Most of the ride is on quiet lanes, singletrack roads or B roads, not straying too far from towns and shops, so pretty straightforward logistically and for resupply. The main challenge here is the weather, which largely comes down to luck, and I can’t say I lucked out!
Day 1: Inverness - Applecross. 133 km | 1500 m+ | 6.5/7.5 hours
Day 2: Applecross - Ullapool. 200 km | 2700 m+ | 9/10 hours
Day 3: Ullapool - Durness. 148 km | 2500 m+ | 8/9 hours
Leaving London at 9pm, my night in a chair on the sleeper train was relatively quiet, but not exactly a quality night’s sleep as I was freezing cold. I got settled in my seat and left my warm clothes on my bike, thinking I would be able to access them a few hours later before I went to sleep. It turns out the luggage area is locked and so I had make do with what I had. Still, the train was super convenient and I jumped off, grabbed a coffee and some breakfast, and was on my way, heading west out of Inverness towards the coast. The busier main roads out of Inverness soon quietened down and I got into my rhythm and used to riding a loaded bike again. The roads were mostly flat and I meandered my way west, passing multiple vast lochs, rivers and lakes - there is a lot of water in Scotland!
Expecting some harsh Scottish weather from the off, despite being August, the weather wasn’t warm, but the start had been dry. This all changed after about two hours though, and I prepared for some prolonged wet weather. I enjoyed the rural roads and remoteness, still surprised that this time yesterday I was cycling through central London and smiled to myself abut the fact I could jump on a train I could be here so quickly.
The crux of this whole tour comes on the first day, with a long climb out on the west coast, Bealach na Bà. Translating to Pass of the Cattle, Bealach na Bà tops out at 626 metres and the road runs for 9.5 kilometres from bottom to top. With an average gradient of 6.5%, and a gentle first 5 kilometres or so, the climb eases you in, but it does have four hairpins as a testing finale, where the gradient maxes out at serious 17.4%.
I made it over to the rugged Applecross peninsula and stopped for the obligatory photo next to the sign covered in stickers, before beginning the climb up Scotland’s highest pass that has now become an iconic must-ride road in the UK. The rain had continued throughout the day and as I got further along the mellow run-up to the pass, the wind picked up and I rode into thick fog. I found myself being blown across the road and as the visibility got worse I could see no more than two meters in front of me. I could hear motorbikes engines as they came over from the other side of the pass, but I wouldn't see them for maybe a minute after first hearing them, when they would appear from nowhere out of the cloud. I was also having to ride right down the middle of the road, which was narrow as I was nearly blown over the metal barrier by strong crosswind gusts that would pick you up and shift you over a metre or so. I was unclipping my left foot from the pedal and pushing off with my foot against the barrier to stop myself from toppling over. It was an intense climb!
In hindsight, setting off from Inverness at 10am and riding for five hours or so, meaning I started this climb late afternoon in such bad weather wasn’t ideal. By the time I reached the top I was soaked through, and putting my extra jacket on took a few minutes as it was so windy, also nearly ripping it in the process. The descent was worse than the climb and pretty scary due to the strength of the wind. I needed to get down as quickly as possible to warm up but needed to brake hard the whole way to ensure I wasn't blown off the bike.
At the bottom of the hill there’s a cafe bar, The Junction, so I took my opportunity to get inside warm up and try to dry off, creating a large puddle. I had some tea whilst receiving strange looks from everyone inside who were enjoying a Saturday night drink. I adjusted my plans and decided to head down the road to a local B&B after a lady in the cafe approached and offered me after taking pity!
Setting off the following morning with dry kit on and a full Scottish fried breakfast, I was looking forward to another day on the road. I was getting my route for the day loaded up whilst rolling along and looked up to find a huge stag stood in the road ahead looking straight at me. I paused and retreated back down the road and decided to sit this one out. The stag was interested for about five minutes and then walked on, thankfully, so I pedaled on keeping an eye over my shoulder. Another dry morning lead me to false hopes, and rain ensued. Today I’d cover 200 kilometres and it didn’t stop raining for the entire day, with just a few patches where there was a lighter drizzle. Whilst heading north to Ullapool I didn’t pass through any towns or civilisation, weaving in and out of coastal peninsular and around lochs, the lanes were quiet and I loved how remote I felt. I resupplied at a petrol station with various snacks and drinks.
I had a great evening and following morning in Ullapool, and as I rolled out I looked forward to returning at some point. I stayed at The Ceilidh Place in their bunkhouse and had a huge fresh fish and chips whilst listening to a Scottish folk band, and in the morning breakfast and coffee at Cafe Margot, who make a good brew! I filled up and continued north for another day, leaving Ullapool on a busy road that gently inclined for what seemed like an age, which wasn’t too enjoyable. The Scottish roads were lumpy and grippy, requiring noticeably more effort than roads down south.
The day would finish on the north coast in Durness where I’d then begin heading east along the top of the peninsula. The day’s riding was mostly another wet one, but once I’d left the busy road the lanes were incredible and I saw only a few people or cars all day. There was very little anything around and the rugged coastline was wind and rain weathered, and the lumpy, narrow lanes were surrounded by small lakes and fast-running rivers on either side, it was all very picturesque and a wore a wide smile all day.
Arriving at a hostel for the night in Durness, I was pleased to see lots of other people out on adventures. There were cyclists and hikers and surfers and a large communal room where we chatted and exchanged itineraries whilst drying out kit. I remember well the one hiker who took off his socks and boots, and pulled up his trousers to find countless ticks on his legs. He was in for a long evening picking them out. Most people staying here were heading out to Cape Wrath on the ferry in the morning, which is the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain. I thought about squeezing it in but didn’t risk it in the end, I hope to return and make it over there at some point.
Day 4: Durness - Thurso. 116 km | 1700 m+ | 5.5/6 hours
Day 5: Thurso - Helmsdale. 117 km | 1100 m+ | 5/6.5 hours
Day 6: Helmsdale - Inverness. 117 km | 1000 m+ | 5.5/7.5 hours
The next day I woke to blue skies! Hallelujah! The hostel was bustling with people prepping their kit for the day. The day stayed dry and I had a steady morning heading east, despite the relenting lumps in the road making it hard going. The roads rose up and dipped back down quickly to sea level, but this gave good vantage points for looking at the beaches and coasts below. There were car parks full of camper vans and surfers heading out in the choppy water. A short-ish ride and I was in Thurso, which had an incredible beach where I hung out for a few hours with fish and chips, again!
The remote, weathered and little-used roads up here are in pretty bad shape, so I was thankful for the 38mm tyres I was running to cushion my hands and wrists and help prevent road buzz and the tingling sensation from setting in. Multiple days on the roads can take their toll on the nerves in your wrists if you’re not used to it.
Day five was another more relaxed day on the north and north-west coast, and thankfully another dry day. From Thurso I rode over to John O’Groats before turning south and heading down to Helmsdale, where I stayed in a renovated church.
The road south from John O’Groats is busy - a wide A road used by various lorries and trucks, so most cyclists deviate from the route and turn south around Thurso instead, and come inland onto quieter B roads. However, I decided to stick with the route, as for one I wanted to visit the iconic spot of John O’Groats, synonymous with cycling and I’ve seen and read so much about LEJOG rides. I didn’t know if I’d make the journey up here again for the foreseeable so I wanted to visit, I am also used to busy roads and don’t have too much of a problem riding on them. I’d also I planned to visit a coffee shop in Cromarty, Slaughterhouse Coffee, an old harbourside shack converted into a coffee bar, so I was sure I wanted to stick to the coastal route.
Setting off for the last leg, down from Helmsdale to Inverness began on what I assumed would be a fast road, so I set off at 7am to avoid the traffic, and it worked out really well. The east coast is less dramatic and there’s less going on, and despite mostly thinking about arriving back in Inverness shortly, there are still some punchy climbs. This section also had a more industrial feel as I was being passed by supermarket lorries and huge logging trucks. This is where you need to get your head down and push on, especially as I found myself hoping that around the next corner I’d find myself back in the remote and adventurous setting of the west coast. I then decided to leave the busier road and follow to the coast out, lengthening the journey slightly. I jumped on a cool little ferry over to Cromarty where I pulled up at the coffee bar I’d been looking for. After an hour or so chilling here drinking coffee, I cruised along a bike path all the way into Inverness.
Jumping back on the sleeper train at Inverness at 8pm, and heading back to London, the convenience of this route makes it a good one to dip your toe into Scotland and multi-day routes if coming from London or the south. Riding this over six days is easily doable, even through bad weather.
I woke up in London the following morning and headed across London to get home for breakfast. The whole trip and in particular the train up to Inverness had been very straightforward and I was now hatching lots of plans for subsequent trips to Scotland as the ease of getting into remote parts of the country was remarkable.
Further info
See more at: northcoast500.com.
Useful links: Komoot Collection, Liam Yates’ NC500 trip, Restrap NC500 ride report, Highland Fling: NC500 by Tandem trip report, Pannier.cc NC500 trip report, Cyclist magazine’s Bealach Na Ba article, Josh Quigley’s NC500 record ride.
Short films: GCN’s NC500 trip.
Related reading:
- Mountain Higher, Daniel Friebe & Peter Golding
- 12 Months in the Saddle, John Deering & Phil Ashley
- 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, A road cyclist’s guide to Britain’s hills, Simon Warren
- One Man and His Bike, Mike Carter
- Big Rides, Great Britain & Ireland, Kathy Rogers & Marcus Stiltz
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