Wide open spaces
‘There’s nothing quite like the freedom of the long open road. Never-ending back roads, wide meandering country tracks and beautiful bends through some of Scotland’s finest coastal scenery are just a few things you can expect along the North Coast 500. Strap yourself in for the road trip of a lifetime.’
Keeping this quote in mind, in February 2020 I set off with Teun, Tessel and my brother Roel in a rented 4WD to the far north of Scotland, ready for the ‘wide open spaces’. And ready for the cold! The weather forecast is grim; buckets of rain, snow and strong winds. The route is set and the B&Bs are booked. Whether we will be able to complete the entire route is not so evident. In case of heavy snowfall, roads in these regions may be closed for multiple days, and there are rarely any alternative routes. In that case, the only option is to wait patiently for the road to reopen.
So is it advisable to visit northern Scotland in the middle of winter? We can answer that with a wholehearted ‘yes’! It is wild, wet, cold, cloudy, sunny, lonely and bleak. We experience all four seasons, often in the space of an hour. We need all our winter clothes, hats and gloves every day, especially because of the freezing wind. But above all, it is wonderful, beautiful and spectacular. Impressive clouds, like veritable castles in the sky, sail by almost every day. The weather is actually surprisingly good. It is changeable, but the sun does come out regularly.
The natural beauty is overwhelmingly impressive, especially the stretch between Thurso and Ullapool. We’re very happy with our sturdy 4WD, but we could have managed just as well with a normal car. We drive through small patches of deep snow, and there are a few minor flooding issues, but in general the roads are easily passable. We are not going fast, about a quarter of the route are narrow ‘single track roads’ with passing places. But it is not our intention to drive fast, doing so we would miss all the beauty! Obviously, not as many businesses are open as during the high season, but the Scots leave just enough reataurants and bars open to enjoy a nice meal and a good drink. On the way, we stop at a number of whisky distilleries. This is one of uncle Roel’s demands, as he is very pleased to have me as the designated driver. At the Pulteney Distillery, a very charming lady gives him such a nice private tour that we have trouble getting him back in the car.
We drive over 1600 kilometres from Edinburgh, in a counter-clockwise loop. Via Inverness we travel to John o’ Groats, Duncansby Head, Dunnet Head and Thurso. Then we head on to Tongue, Durness and the dunes at Balnakeil Beach. After that we travel down the west coast to Lochinver visiting Drumbeg, Stoer Lighthouse and Achmelvig Beach along the way. We had already visited the area around Ullapool and the Applecross pass in 2016, so we decide to skip that. The last part takes us back to Edinburgh through the snow-covered Highlands.
