The Highlights
Fast. Long driving days, short stops. Doable, but your dog will spend a lot of time in the car.
90 miles a day
Wildpack Field Guide No. 01
The Dog Friendly North Coast 500
Scotland’s greatest road trip, written for people who travel with a dog. A proper travel guide to the whole loop, region by region, in one PDF.
- ✓102 pages covering 196 checked places
- ✓Plans for 5, 7, 10 and 14 days
- ✓PDF download as soon as you've paid. No account needed
Buy the guide · £4.99One-off payment by card through Stripe. Yours to keep.
- Miles
- 519
- Beaches
- 40
- Walks
- 36
- Pubs & cafés
- 54
- Stays
- 39
Look inside
Real pages from the guide
Click any page to see it full size.
The whole loop, region by region
It’s a guide to the places, not a fixed itinerary. Read the chapters for the parts you’ll drive and pick what suits your dog and your pace.
- 01
Inverness, the Black Isle & Easter Ross
Inverness · The Black Isle · Easter Ross & the Tarbat peninsula
- 02
East Sutherland
Dornoch & Embo · Golspie & Brora · Helmsdale
- 03
Caithness
Berriedale to Whaligoe · Wick & Sinclair's Bay · John o' Groats & Mey · Dunnet & Thurso
- 04
The North Coast
Melvich to Bettyhill · Tongue & Loch Eriboll · Durness & Balnakeil
- 05
The North-West & Assynt
Kinlochbervie & Sandwood Bay · Scourie & Kylesku · The Drumbeg road: Stoer, Clachtoll & Achmelvich · Lochinver & Loch Assynt · Coigach & Inverpolly · Ullapool
- 06
Wester Ross
Braemore to Gruinard Bay · Poolewe · Gairloch & Badachro · Loch Maree & Kinlochewe · Torridon & Shieldaig
- 07
Applecross & the Road Home
Applecross & the Bealach na Bà · Lochcarron, Plockton & Eilean Donan · Strathpeffer & the last miles
However long you’ve got
The guide sets out the route for four lengths of trip, with miles and driving time for every day.
The Classic
Brisk but fair. Around 80 miles a day with time for one proper walk and a beach most days.
74 miles a day
The Unhurried
Relaxed. Most days under 60 miles, so there's time for a long walk and a beach every day. This is the pace we'd pick.
52 miles a day
The Slow Road
Slow. Two nights in Durness, short driving days and time to sit on a beach while your dog digs holes.
40 miles a day
Made for travelling with a dog
Where your dog can go
Inside, in the bar, at the outdoor tables or on a lead in the grounds: spelled out for every place, and checked.
Beaches with room to run
Forty of them, from the long east coast sands to the white coves of Assynt, with the lead rules for nesting season.
Walks for every kind of dog
Short leg stretches by the road, gorge and forest loops, and full hill days for fit dogs.
Pubs and cafés that want your dog
Bars that serve food to dog owners, cafés with water bowls, and when to book.
Dog friendly beds
Cottages from Wildpack plus campsites and van stops, all the way round.
The warnings that matter
Currents at Chanonry Point, the Cape Wrath firing range, livestock, cliffs and the Bealach na Bà.
Get the guide
Plan the trip around your dog
- 1Pay securely by card through Stripe.
- 2Download the PDF straight away. No account needed.
- 3Keep your private link to download it again on any device.
Questions
How do I get it?
Click Buy the guide and pay by card through Stripe. As soon as the payment goes through you land on your download page, with the PDF ready. The device you paid on remembers you, and you get a private link to download it anywhere else.
Do I need an account?
No. If you already have a Wildpack account, sign in with the email you paid with and the download works there too.
Can I use it offline?
Yes. It's a PDF, so save it to your phone or print it before you set off.
Is it a fixed itinerary?
No. It's a travel guide organised by region, so you can plan your own days. If you'd like a starting point, it includes the route split into 5, 7, 10 and 14 days.
Is the free blog post the same thing?
The blog post is the outline. This guide covers 196 checked places in detail, with where your dog can go at each one.