NC500

🚐 NC500 Adventure – Milford to Ullapool
I left Milford on the 21st of September, Vanilla packed and humming with anticipation. The M6 gave me a crawl near Lancaster, but nothing could stop us. Past Glasgow, through the Cairngorms, beyond Inverness — and suddenly the sea was at my side.
🌊 Balintore – First Highland Night
Day’s drive: 459 miles | 8h 48m | £103 fuel
By the time I pulled into Balintore, the light was fading and the gulls were calling overhead. I parked up on East Street, just a few steps from the sea. Vanilla cooled quietly, the heater ticking, while the North Sea whispered against the shore.
That first night was pure magic — the moment I knew the NC500 had truly begun.
🏰 Thurso – Castles, Groceries & the Edge of the Map
Day’s drive: 110 miles | 4h 02m | £25 fuel
Day two was about ticking boxes and filling cupboards. Glenmorangie’s copper stills gleamed, Dunrobin Castle’s turrets pierced the sky, Wick Tesco gave me the bread and Peperami to keep going, and John o’ Groats gave me the windswept photo every NC500 traveller needs.
By evening, I’d parked at Thurso Caravan Park, the Atlantic winds rattling the van. Inside, the fridge was humming and the kettle steaming — Vanilla was warm and ready for another night on the northern edge.
🏞️ Kyle of Tongue – Lochs, Mountains & My First Drone Flight
Day’s drive: 58 miles | 3h 57m | £14 fuel
The road west past Bettyhill was unforgettable — moorland rolling into sudden golden beaches, mountains lurking on the horizon. I pitched up at the Kyle of Tongue Hostel & Campsite, Ben Loyal looming like a watchman.
🛸 Drone Highlight: The camera soared above the tidal flats of the Kyle, the causeway stretching across the water like a silver ribbon. From the air, Vanilla was just a speck by the shore, dwarfed by the sweep of sea and mountain. Ben Loyal rose majestic in the distance, its ridges sharp against the sky.
That night, the loch shimmered in the fading light and the stars spilled across the Highland dark.
🌊 Durness – Surf, Storms & Atlantic Power
Day’s drive: 30 miles | 1h 33m | £7 fuel
This was a day of pauses — lingering at Melness, gazing across Loch Eriboll, then pressing on to Sango Sands at Durness.
The Atlantic was in charge here. Surf thundered into cliffs, spray burst white into the air, and the van rocked gently against the gale.
🛸 Drone Highlight: From above, the cliffs looked raw and jagged, waves exploding against them in white fury. Vanilla clung to her pitch bravely, while the ocean stretched endless and wild beyond. It felt like flying at the very edge of the world.
That night, I slept to the roar of the Atlantic, snug in my rolling home while the storm raged outside.
🛸 Scourie – Calm Bays & Evening Light
Day’s drive: 29 miles | 1h 24m | £6.77 fuel
South again to Scourie, where the world softened. The bay was calm, fishing boats bobbed gently, and the campsite overlooked it all. I stayed over 21 hours, soaking in the peace.
🛸 Drone Highlight: Vanilla was a tiny dot on the shoreline, while the bay spread wide in golden evening light. The drone caught the curve of the coast, the mirror-like surface of the water, and the boats drifting slow, unhurried arcs.
It was a day of serenity, a contrast to the wild drama of Durness.
🏖️ Achmelvich – White Sands & Turquoise Seas
Day’s drive: 39 miles | 2h 19m | £9 fuel
The road wound tighter, hugging cliffs and threading through crofts, until suddenly paradise appeared: Achmelvich Beach. White sand. Turquoise water. The smell of fish and chips drifting from the hut by the shore.
I pitched up at the Shore Campsite, perched right above the bay.
🛸 Drone Highlight: From above, Achmelvich was a jewel — water shifting between jade and sapphire, crashing onto sand so white it glowed. Vanilla sat perched above it all, a tiny guardian of the shoreline.
That night, the sunset set the sea ablaze, and later the Milky Way poured across the sky.
⛴️ Ullapool – Harbour Life & Highland Rain
Day’s drive: 38 miles | 1h 35m | £9 fuel
The 27th brought me through Ardmair Bay, its sweeping curve catching the light, before dropping into Ullapool. Whitewashed houses hugged the harbour, ferries moaned as they came and went, and rain swept in hard from the loch.
I stayed two nights at Broomfield Holiday Park, right on the harbour wall. Vanilla braced herself against the storm while I ducked into the Arch Inn for roast beef and pints.
🛸 Drone Highlight: Ullapool from the air looked like a painting — houses lined like toy bricks along the shore, ferries carving white trails through dark water, mountains brooding behind. Vanilla was just a speck among it all, but part of the bigger story.
📊 Trip Totals (So Far)
764 miles driven
£175 fuel burned
25 hours behind the wheel
7 overnights: Balintore → Thurso → Kyle of Tongue → Durness → Scourie → Achmelvich → Ullapool (x2)
From tidal lochs at Tongue to crashing surf at Durness, calm bays at Scourie, Caribbean sands at Achmelvich, and Ullapool’s rain-soaked harbour — this adventure has been pure Highland magic.
Vanilla has carried me every mile, and my drones have shown me the Highlands from above — wild, beautiful, and unforgettable.Read more