North Coast 500 - 7 Days

Description

A Truly Unique Scottish Cycling Experience

A journey around the 500 mile circular route which offers cyclists a spectacular array of mountain ranges, lochs, glens, castles, ruins, beaches and wildlife - not forgetting a range of memorable locations to sample some of the best of Scotland’s food and drink.

Tour Summary

We start in 'The Capital of The Highlands' Inverness and head west to the coast. A stunning but optional ascent over the famous 'Baelach na Ba' awaits with a hair-raising descent into Applecross. Whitewashed crofting houses pepper the road to Gairloch, where we may if lucky catch a glimpse of dolphins.

Following this is the awe-inspiring scenery of Glen Torridon, which is amongst the most spectacular you'll see in the UK. Heading into Wester Ross, the road hugs the coast and there are views of Skye and the Western Isles. After stocking up on supplies in the wee fishing town of Ullapool, we cycle through Lochinver with stunning views to Stac Pollaidh and Suilven, just two of many idiosyncratic peaks in the area.

The sleepy settlement of Kylesku and its iconic bridge see us heading north on a winding single-track road towards Assynt, a region that captures the stark, elemental beauty of the Highlands like nowhere else. The north coast road continues to Durness, the UK's most NW village and worthwhile detour into Smoo Cave. 

The stunning North Atlantic coastline guides us to Melvich before we turn south towards one of the world's last wild places, the 'Flow Country'. An undulating, vast expanse of peat and pools provide our backdrop to Forsinard Station. A smooth single track road weaves alongside Loch Naver and past the famous Crask Inn to Lairg. Our route then heads towards the east coast for the first time and coastal town of Dornoch.

Riding back west to Bonnar Bridge we get spectacular views over Dornoch Firth to distract from climbing 'The Struie', whilst Cromarty Firth and The Black Isle provide a welcome sense of the end being in sight. Before long the cycle paths of Inverness draw us to our conclusion at the majestic Inverness Castle.

 Overview of our 7 Day Itinerary

Customer safety and enjoyment are always our priorities at Pedal Britain, and on this tour we have made a few adjustments to what would ordinarily be considered the traditional NC500 route that enhance both of these.

Firstly, we avoid large parts of the very busy A9 which runs along the east coast section of the NC500, favouring a much safer and ultimately more scenic route further inland. Interestingly this is also a detour highly recommended by Mark Beaumont, who holds the record for this route - just the 38 hours!!

Secondly, for those of you wanting to avoid some of the climbing on this route such as 'The Baelach na Ba', but without compromising the overall experience, we have also built in some alternative route options for Day 2 and Day 4 that are equally as stunning - these are outlined in detail within the 'itinerary' tab.

 Route Map

Itinerary

Arrival Day: Friday > Inverness

Our Hotel in Inverness is 10 minutes on foot from the Railway Station and around 20 minutes drive from the Airport. If you are arriving by plane please let us know your arrival time so we can arrange for transport to the Hotel.

As with all Pedal Britain tours we'll meet at our Hotel around 6.30pm for a tour briefing and then eat together in the evening at a restaurant close by.

Day 1: Inverness to Lochcarron 

64 miles | 103km | 2468ft | 752m

From our start point of Inverness Castle it is an easy cruise on rolling roads out of town, providing tremendous views of the Beauly Firth. Heading North to Garve we pass Rogie Falls and its famous fish ladder, before we strike west through increasingly mountainous country. As we ascend alongside Loch Gowan we are treated to stunning views of the Ledgowan Forest. Then, riding alongside Loch Dughaill on single track, pine tree lined roads, we reach our overnight stop at Lochcarron.

Day 2: Lochcarron to Gairloch  

80 miles | 129km | 7033ft | 2143m

A hearty Scottish breakfast is recommended for todays epic ride. From Tornapress the riding is incredible, with Loch Kishorn away to the left you begin to ascend Bealach na Ba, a UK Top 100 climb. Gently you'll grind your way from sea-level to 2085ft, negotiating alpine hairpin bends and seeing the spectacular view of Scottish Islands and the West Coast unfold before you. After a tricky, but amazing descent into Applecross our work isn’t quite finished, with some punchy climbing around the incredible coastal road to the charming village of Shieldaig.

For those of you not wanting to take on this climb, we have an alternative route that takes you north through equally stunningly remote countryside, rejoining the route at the coast near Shieldaig. This route is 52 miles | 84km | 3267ft | 996m which allows for a more relaxed day in the saddle.

From here our route winds its way through Glen Torridon and arguably some of the most spectacular landscape in the UK. Dramatic mountains such as Liathach and Beinn Eighe rise like ancient giants, providing an unforgettable backdrop to the riding as we reach the village of Kinlochewe.

Heading west on flatter roads we ride alongside Loch Maree which teams with wildlife, before arriving at Gairloch for a well deserved rest and reflect on one of life's great days in the saddle.

Day 3: Gairloch to Ullapool

56 miles | 90km | 4361ft | 1329m

After our big day yesterday you’ll surely be lifted by Day 3 being shorter, but one that contains further magnificent scenery.

Climbing out of the village we head towards Poolewe, from where we rejoin the coastline and cycle along Gruinard Bay. After some further climbing we are treated to incredible views of the An Teallach Hills. As we cross Fain Bridge our ride enters the wild and brooding Dundonnell Forest which culminates after a gentle descent at the Corrieshalloch Gorge. Wide, sweeping landscapes, punctuated by impressive peaks guide us into our picturesque destination for this evening, Ullapool – very much the “capital” of the NW Highlands, with a great range of restaurants and bars.

Day 4: Ullapool to Kinlochbervie 

75 miles | 121km | 6928ft | 2111m

Today is another day of amazing scenery on simply brilliant roads - but with nearly 7,000ft of climbing you will earn the views.

It starts with a stunning single track road that winds its way past the beautiful Loch Lurgainn and Bad a Ghaill. Squeezing between mountains and sea, past deserted white sand beaches on the way to Lochinver. The next 22 miles almost defy description for its sheer natural beauty around every bend and may be like no road you have even ridden before.

You'll be used to the routine by now of short sharp ascents and similar descents, as we follow the coastline past tranquil and undisturbed limestone lochs. Cycling through Drumbeg and Negg the landscape is dominated by the wonderful geology of the Quinag mountain range, en-route to the iconic bridge in Kylesku which spans the Loch a Chairn Bhain. 

Again we offer an alternative route to the coastal road which is 68 miles | 110km | 5577ft | 1700m. This takes you more inland after Lochinver cycling through the incredibly remote but beautiful Assynt region and rejoining the main route at Kylesku Bridge. It's just a shame you have to choose, because both routes are fantastic.  

The final miles of this day take us to the delightful fishing village of Kinlochbervie our overnight stop.

Day 5: Kinlochbervie to Melvich  

67 miles | 108km | 5679ft | 1730m

We start the day cycling a memorable section that covers the wild and exposed terrain towards Durness, the UK's most NW village. After leaving Durness a stop at Smoo Cave is highly recommended, as we once again hug the stunning coastline. Continuing east the views are almost tropical (albeit the temperature is not!!) with incredible white sandy beaches on this unspoilt section of rugged coast.

After following the remote Loch Eriboll the terrain remains undulating as we head across the Kyle of Tongue. Those who did LEJOG with us will be familiar with parts of this next section as we take in the stunning North Atlantic views at Bettyhill. The road has further short sharp climbs, followed by majestic sweeping descents which persist until we reach the sand dunes surrounding the amazing bay of our overnight stop in Melvich.

Day 6: Melvich to Dornoch

92 miles | 148km | 4249ft | 1295m

Today we stray from the traditional NC500 route that would ordinarily take us down the east coast. Our assessment is the very busy and fast flowing A9 is not cycling friendly. Instead we turn south onto the NCN1 where we exchange wild coastlines for a vast remote area of bog moorland known as the "Flow Country". Very few cars venture this way, which makes for cycling in splendid isolation alongside the Halladale River, famous for its salmon fishing until we reach Kinbrace.

Heading west again this final section is a Pedal Britain favourite, as we ride a smooth single track road alongside the incredible Loch Naver in the shadow of the striking Ben Klilbrek (reverse to those that have done LEJOG) towards Altnaharra. 

On leaving Altnaharra we climb steadily towards the famous Crask Inn (where Douglas will happily serve you a wee nip of Whiskey if you so wish) before a glorious 14 miles of gentle downhill to Lairg known as 'The Crossroads of the North'. From here we head east to the coast, where after a very short stint on the A9 we cycle alongside Loch Fleet to Dornoch, where if lucky we might catch a glimpse of some basking seals. 

Day 7: Dornoch to Inverness  

79 miles | 129km | 4449ft | 1356m

The final push. After 6 days of epic riding, you've nearly completing this incredible bike tour. While today has fewer mountains there is still some climbing to be done, especially in the first half of the day.

From Dornoch we cycle back inland on relatively flat terrain towards Bonar Bridge, before tackling the long and occasionally steep 'Struie' which affords spectacular views over the Dornoch Firth, which will again be familiar to any previous LEJOG clients. A welcome descent brings the Cromarty Firth into view as we pass through Evanton and across the Cromarty bridge on the A9 for a short distance.

Then at Culbokie we turn left to the historic and quaint village of Cromarty where we spend most of our time on single track roads. We’ll continue rolling well on the flat roads alongside the Moray Firth, with the Black Isle and Inverness nearly in sight, and we’ll finish where we began, right on the esplanade of Inverness Castle. 

Departure Day: Saturday > Inverness

Pedal Britain staff will need to leave early for the long journey home. However we will beforehand arrange for transport to collect groups from the Hotel and take to the airport if required.

What's included

     8 Nights Bed & Breakfast Accommodation

We stay in a great mix of cyclist friendly Hotels or B&B's. Where ever it is possible we all stay together in the same accommodation as a group. No need to check in Pedal Britain team will have done that for you, just collect your key and relax. Bikes are either locked in a secure area of the hotel or in your room. Breakfasts are all included with a choice of Full or Continental available.

 Fully Supported Tour 

The Pedal Britain support van is never far away to provide any assistance you need, be it access to your day bag, resolve a mechanical issue, report a first aid problem or just have a morale boosting chat. Just phone the driver or tap helmet as we pass if you need anything and we'll stop for you.  

Daily Luggage Transfer

The support vehicle moves all of your luggage between each nights accommodation. Luxury, wherever time allows we'll even put it in your room for you. Also we recommend leaving a day bag in the support van to further reduce what you need to carry on the bike.

Includes Lunch and Brew Stop Refreshments 

Lunches are a mix of rolling buffets in pubs and cafes or a picnic in a very scenic spot. The famous Pedal Britain pop up café delivers welcome brew stops at strategic points along the route to keep energy levels up providing you with water, tea, coffee, fruit, biscuits, cake, flap jacks and anything else you specifically request.

Expert Cycling and Tour Guides

Pedal Britain prides itself on having staff with a 'can-do' attitude, their entire focus is on ensuring they attend to your every need, to ensure that you have the best experience possible. They have detailed knowledge of the route, are first aid qualified and decent mechanics - but most importantly they care about you. When asked 'What makes Pedal Britain better than others?' quite simply it is our amazing staff - the one thing our competition cannot copy.

Pedal Britain Tour App & Detailed Route Notes

From here you can download the relevant file format for the daily route maps - GPX, TCX etc.. These can then easily be transferred to whatever GPS unit you are using such as a Garmin or Wahoo.

Don't have a GPS unit? No problem, just download our APP and it turns your Smart Phone into a GPS unit with turn by turn route navigation. We also provide very detailed route notes which act as both information about the days cycling and back up to your electronic gadgets.

Live Tracking App

Pedal Britain Live Tracker app allows family and friends to see how well your progressing. The same tracker also helps us keep you safe and also ensure your following the route!!

Facebook Tour Groups

We will invite you to join a closed Facebook group for your specific tour. This enables you to get to know people before the holiday and provides a platform to share training experiences or any questions, concerns you may have before the tour.

Not Included

Evening Meals (although group bookings will be made at local restaurants attendance is optional, however payment isn’t!!)

Travel Insurance

Transport to and from Inverness 

Easy Bike Transfer (available for a fee)

Single Room Option (limited number available for additional fee)

Entrance fees to historical or cultural sites

Cycle Hire 

Travel logistics

Getting to the Start and Home from Inverness

One important factor in planning your Scottish adventure holiday with Pedal Britain is arranging transport for yourself and bike to Inverness to arrive on Friday.

Air Travel

The easiest method of travelling to and from Inverness is by air. There are an abundance of relatively cheap flights to Inverness from many airports in the UK.

You can on this tour bring bike boxes (hard case) and bike bags (soft case) - please indicate when asked if you’ll be bringing either one of these as we'll need to arrange with the Hotel for storage of these until we return.

Alternatively for an even more hassle free tour, you can use our ‘Bike Transfer Service’ click for details.

By Car

Inverness is very accessible from all directions and is well served by both major roads / Motorways. But just as an indictor with a few stops travelling this way from the South (Northants) can take 9-10 hours.

Hiring Car/Van  

Best options for Inverness if you are planning to hire a car or van are: Europcar - near the train station. Enterprise or Thrifty - just to the North of the centre.

By Train 

There are frequent trains from across the country to Inverness. We normally stay around 5-10 minutes from the station on foot. 

NB. If you are bringing your bike on a train please make sure you also book it a space on your train as many services have restricted capacity for cycles. 

Bike transfer

Getting Your Bike to Inverness and Home Again

Option 1: Customer Drop Off / Collection

FREE of Charge

If you can bring your bike to our offices in Northamptonshire then we will take your bike Free of Charge. No need to dismantle we'll take it fully assembled and safely secure it in the support vehicle for transporting to Inverness.

We can also take helmets strapped to bikes and day bags labelled with your name.

Option 2: Bike Collection or Delivery - Pedal Britain Support Van

Cost for this service is £75.00 per bike - One Way to Start or From the End

On the Tuesday and Wednesday before a tour starts based on geographical location of clients that have signed up for this service, Pedal Britain's support van will come to an address of your choosing, which could be work, home or cycle shop to collect your bike. 

No need to dismantle we'll take it fully assembled and safely secure in the support vehicle for transporting to Inverness.

We can also take helmets strapped to bikes and day bags labelled with your name.

Option 3: Bike Collection or Delivery - Transport Partner

Cost for this service is £75.00 per bike - One Way to Start or From the End

If you happen to fall outside the geographical area being covered by the support van prior to the tour then do not despair we have an alternative solution.

On the Monday before a tour starts we'll arrange for our trusted transport partner to collect your bike from an address of your choosing, which could be work, home or cycle shop and deliver your bike to Pedal Britain.

Clients will need to securely package up their own bike in a Medium size (150 x 22 x 90 cm) cardboard bike box. A local bike shop will for free or small fee provide a suitable box and much of the packing material you will need for this. Pedal Britain will return your bike to you the same way in the week after a tour ends.

Once we arrive in Inverness on the Saturday the Pedal Britain team will help you re-assemble your bike ready for push off on Sunday.

We cannot via this service accept helmets or any day bags packed inside the boxes.

Option 4:  Bike Delivery - JOG Bike Company 

Cost for this service is £135.00 per bike - One Way back Home

We only use this option when the delivery address for your bike is one that does not fit geographically into any of the routes planned for the Pedal Britain support vehicles and you do not want to use Option 3. The bikes will be packed into oversized reinforced cardboard boxes for you - saddle lowered and handle bars turned - are only adjustments made.

We'll send you a link to provide information required for this service and your bike will be delivered within 7 days of the tour ending.

Bike Transfer Service: Both Ways

Total Cost is £150.00 per bike 

£210.00 per bike if using JOG Bike Transfer Company.

Terms & Conditions of Bike Transfer Service

• Pedal Britain cannot be held responsible for any damage that occurs in transit - although we will obviously take great care of bikes in transit
• Where a third party is being used Pedal Britain cannot be held responsible for any damage in transit
• We recommend that you have insurance in place to cover you for any accidental damage or theft during transit

Bike hire

Pedal Britain has always strongly recommended that clients use their own cycles wherever possible for our tours, as there is no substitute for using a bike that you are familiar with and are comfortable riding. 

However we fully understand that sometimes circumstances mean this is just not possible.

Need to Hire a Bike?

We do not run our own fleet of hire bikes therefore have to source them from our trusted range of suppliers. At peak times of the year stock can be limited therefore please do let us know well in advance if you intend to hire a bike. 

First step is to please email us with your measurements and preferences:

• Frame size
• Shimano group set
• Disc or Caliper brakes
• Carbon or Non carbon

PLEASE NOTE: Most road bikes run 11-28 compact gearing as they are generally set up for sportive hire. However we'll do our best to find a bike that works for you. 

Once you hire the bike it will be available to use from Sunday Lunch in Inverness giving us time to make any adjustments that you may want.

Road Bike Hire:

Branded High Spec Carbon Road Bike = £350-£375 each for 2 weeks. This will be a Trek Madone SLR 6 or equivalent

Non Branded UK Built Bikes = £250-£300 for 2 weeks 

Hybrid Bike Hire:

Branded High Spec Carbon Hybrid Bike = £250-£300 each for 2 weeks.

Want to Bring Your Own Bike But Need Help With Logistics? 

If you currently live outside UK but are unsure about bringing your own cycle, please call or e-mail for advice. We can discuss a variety of solutions that might help you to bring a bike along.

Some of the ways we can help:

1. Bike Box/Bag on Van : On this tour we can accommodate bike bags / boxes as we'll be able to store at our Hotel or with our local hire partner.
2. Getting Bike to the Start : Also if when you land in UK you are planning to tour first / or just want to travel without bike to the start - we can as part of our bike transfer service collect your bike from a Hotel (Tuesday/Wednesday) before the tour and take it to the start for you.
3. Staying on longer in UK after tour : Don't want a bike in tow? We can also keep bike and box with us after the tour, then by using our bike transfer service we can deliver the bike to a Hotel near London/or an Airport when you are ready to head home

Just contact us on info@pedalbritain.com setting out what your plans are and we'll come up with a solution that works for you.

Ask a question?