We did it! What began as a simple PR invitation to stay at a hotel on the far north coast of Scotland turned into an unforgettable 11-night adventure - including 7 incredible days driving the iconic North Coast 500 Scotland route.

If you’re not yet familiar with it, the NC500, short for the North Coast 500, is a 516-mile scenic loop around the northern Highlands, often described as "Scotland’s Route 66." Starting and ending in Inverness, the NC500 route takes you through some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the country - think rugged coastlines, dramatic mountains, peaceful lochs, ancient castles and sweeping beaches. It’s widely regarded as one of the most beautiful road trips in the world.

When the email from the Ulbster Arms in Halkirk, Caithness landed in my inbox, I had never even heard of the NC500. I looked at the map and thought, Wow, that’s a long way from home… but if I don’t say yes, will I ever get the chance again? I mentioned it to my son, and without hesitation, he said, “You have to do it and you have to drive the NC500!” Fortunately my husband was keen too!

With three PR stays confirmed, including the original invitation, I set about planning our NC500 itinerary. In this blog post and the following ones too, I'm be sharing our full route, how we tackled it in just 7 days, and everything we learned along the way. From the highlights we’d recommend to the things we might do differently next time, this is my personal travel guide to experiencing the NC500 in midlife.

If you’re thinking of adding the North Coast 500 Scotland to your travel bucket list — do it! It was a magical trip, and we loved every moment, even when the Scottish weather decided to show us all its moods - although I will be honest, we were very lucky in that regard!
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The NC500 was officially launched in March 2015 by the North Highlands Tourism Project Board, and they’ve done a brilliant job making the region accessible and enjoyable. Facilities were clean and easy to find, the route was well signposted, and despite my initial concerns - will we find enough toilet stops? Will we get lost? Will it be too much driving? - everything worked out better than I expected. Yes, it’s a lot of driving, but there are plenty of stops and scenic pauses to break it up.

This wasn't a sightseeing break, or a busy walking holiday, it was simply an opportunity to see family who were staying nearby, escape the grey skies here and get some warmth on our skin, some brightness in our eyes and relax in the sunshine.  We booked three nights (wish it had been longer) to fit in around work commitments, we packed only cabin bags (unheard of for me), and booked an Airbnb with a sea view!  And it was fabulous, here is my mini guide to Tarifa on the Costa de la Luz in Southern Spain, including what I wore for our winter break.

We departed Lucca and as our next check-in wasn't until late afternoon, we decided to explore the Tuscan countryside first and headed up the hill we had been admiring from our accommodation, the winding road really took us off the beaten track and through the vineyards and olive groves.  We'd seen many cyclists passing us during our stay and it would be some steep climb on a bike but the views were worth it and it gave ua a closer insight into real life in Tuscany.

We then started the main part of our journey towards the Chianti region, we'd chosen this area as our final stop so we could do some wine tasting, and explore a different area of Tuscany.  We also thought that by this point in our break, we'd want some down time for relaxation and the house we chose was in a very sleepy village.

Missed part one and two, read them here, Florence and Lucca.

Next stop Lucca, a beautiful medieval walled town in Tuscany, it is about 1 hour from Florence and 30 minutes from the coast.  Many visitors take a day trip from either Florence or Pisa but we wanted to enjoy the countryside around Lucca as well as explore the town itself so decided on 4 nights staying just outside the ancient walls. 

We left Florence, picked up our Fiat 500 Convertible at Florence Airport then set off for the approx. one hour drive to our Airbnb.  We had decided on a traditional Tuscan farmhouse about ten minutes away from Lucca itself, nestled in the pretty hills and with fabulous views of the vineyards and olive groves, plus an inviting swimming pool, it was the perfect location to relax after the tourist hotspot of Florence.  The farmhouse was gorgeous but slightly more basic, it was very traditional, however we did find the bed very hard!

Missed my Florence post, read it here!