North Coast 500 Wester Ross in 3 Days: Mountain Passes, Sea Lochs & Ancient Glens

Strathcarron IV54 8XF, UK

💡 Take the single-track road slowly and use passing places correctly; pull into the summit car park for dizzying views looking west across the Inner Sound toward the Isle of Skye.

Shore St, Applecross, Strathcarron IV54 8LR, UK

💡 Arrive early to secure a sea-facing table for an early lunch; order the locally landed whole roasted langoustines or the smoked haddock fishcakes.

Shieldaig, Strathcarron, UK

💡 Stroll along the waterfront crescent of whitewashed cottages; spot the ancient Scots pine colony on Shieldaig Island and grab smoked sea salt from the village smokehouse.

A896, Strathcarron IV54 8XP, UK

💡 Park at the roadside viewing area between Liathach and Beinn Eighe; the sheer vertical sandstone monoliths rising from the peat bog are among the oldest rock formations in the world.

Achnasheen IV22 2EU, UK

💡 Settle in for a hearty dinner featuring venison burgers and Highland ales against the backdrop of the Torridon hills.

Beinn Eighe NNR - Visitor centre, Kinlochewe, Achnasheen IV22 2PD, UK

💡 Walk the 1.5 km Woodland Trail through the ancient pinewoods; look out for red squirrels and golden eagles soaring over the mountain quartzite.

Achnasheen IV22 2HW, UK

💡 Take the gentle 5-minute walk from the forestry car park through moss-draped birch trees to the waterfall viewing platform, visited by Queen Victoria in 1877.

Badachro, Gairloch IV21 2AA, UK

💡 Settle into this secluded waterside inn tucked into Badachro Bay for lunch; order the local Gairloch crab sandwiches and sit outside on the slipway pier.

Achtercairn House, Gairloch IV21 2BH, UK

💡 Housed in a repurposed Cold War nuclear bunker, this award-winning heritage museum displays the massive Fresnel lighthouse lens from Rubha Reidh.

Poolewe, Achnasheen IV22 2LG, UK

💡 Warmed by the North Atlantic Drift, this peninsula garden famously thrives with rare subtropical plants, eucalyptus, and Himalayan blue poppies on the Highland coastline.

Mellon Udrigle Beach, Achnasheen IV22 2NT, UK

💡 One of the Highlands' most stunning white shell-sand beaches; look across Gruinard Bay for an extraordinary panoramic view of the Assynt and Coigach peaks.

Braemore, Garve IV23 2PJ, UK

💡 Walk across the Victorian suspension bridge suspended 45 metres over the gorge, and step out onto the cantilevered viewing platform to see the Falls of Measach thundering into the canyon.

14 W Argyle St, Ullapool IV26 2TY, UK

💡 Settle in for lunch at this celebrated bohemian cultural venue, inn, and bookshop in Ullapool; order Cullen skink made with smoked haddock or local venison stew.

The Pier, Ullapool IV26 2UH, UK

💡 Walk along Shore Street watching fishing trawlers and the CalMac ferry departing for the Outer Hebrides; finish with artisanal fish and chips or seafood from the Seafood Shack before your drive back to Inverness.