You can drive the North Coast 500 in five days. With a dog, the better question is how long your dog will be happy in the car, because that decides everything else. The loop is a little over 500 miles, and a lot of it is slow: single-track roads, passing places, sheep on the tarmac. A day that looks short on the map can take most of the afternoon.
The short answer: seven days is the minimum we would plan for with a dog, and ten is the pace we would pick. Here is how the four common trip lengths compare.
| Trip length | Miles a day | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| 5 days | About 90 | Fast. Long drives, short stops |
| 7 days | About 74 | Brisk but fair |
| 10 days | About 52 | Relaxed. The one we would choose |
| 14 days | About 40 | Slow, with a day off from driving |
How long is the NC500?
The official route is 516 miles. Ours comes to 519, because we go out through the Black Isle. Driven without stopping, that is around 18 hours at the wheel. Nobody drives it without stopping, and on the north and west coasts the single-track sections make every mile slower than you expect.
5 days: the highlights
Around 90 miles a day, with the two longest days at over 100 miles. It is doable, but your dog will spend a lot of the trip in the car, and stops have to be short.
To make five days work you cut the corner from Kinlochewe to Achnasheen, which means missing Applecross, Torridon and Lochcarron altogether. You still get the Black Isle, the big east coast beaches, Durness and Assynt.
Good for: people who have already seen the west and want the north coast, or dogs who travel well and sleep in the car.
7 days: the classic
About 74 miles a day. That leaves time for one proper walk and a beach most days, and it takes in the whole loop including Applecross and the Bealach na Bà. Two days are long, to Dunnet on day two and to Gairloch on day five, and you will be choosing between stops rather than doing them all.
Good for: most people with a week's holiday.
We set it out day by day in our NC500 7-day itinerary with a dog.
10 days: the unhurried one
Most days come in under 60 miles, so there is time for a long walk and a beach every day. The extra nights go where they matter: one on the east coast at Helmsdale, one at Tongue on the north coast, and one at Scourie, which frees up a whole day for the walk in to Sandwood Bay.
The last two days are still long, from Ullapool to Torridon and then home over the Bealach.
Good for: dogs who need a real walk every day, and anyone who wants to get out of the car more than they are in it. This is the pace we would pick.
14 days: the slow road
About 40 miles a day, with two nights in Durness and a full day there without driving. Short drives mean you can sit on a beach for an afternoon, wait out a wet morning, or take the detours: the Tarbat peninsula, Coigach, the Drumbeg road.
Good for: older dogs, anxious travellers, and people who would rather know a few places well than tick off the whole list.
What changes the answer
- Your dog. A dog who settles in the car can manage the long days. One who gets restless or travel sick needs the ten or fourteen day version.
- Your vehicle. Large motorhomes are slower on single-track roads and should avoid the Bealach na Bà and the Drumbeg road, which adds miles.
- The season. In winter the days are short and some roads close. In July and August the roads are busier and slower.
- Walking ambitions. Sandwood Bay, Stac Pollaidh and the Beinn Eighe trail each take half a day or more. Every big walk you add needs a shorter drive that day.
For how the months compare, see the best time to do the NC500 with a dog.
Hiring a van for the trip? See dog friendly campervan hire for the NC500.
Which way round?
We go anticlockwise: east coast first, then the north coast, then down the west. The east is the easiest driving, so it breaks you and the dog in gently, and the scenery builds as you go. Either direction works.
Final thoughts
If you have five days, go, and accept that it is a driving holiday with good stops. If you have a week, you will see the whole loop and come home wanting to go back. Ten days is where it starts to feel like a holiday for the dog as well as for you, and fourteen is for people who like to stay put.
Whatever you choose, plan fewer stops than you think you can manage. The route rewards the ones you linger at.
More on the NC500 with a dog
- The dog friendly NC500: an overview: Van setup, the main stops and a 10-day outline.
- Dog friendly campsites on the NC500: Where to pitch round the route, and each site's dog rules.
- NC500 7-day itinerary with a dog: The classic week, day by day, built around beaches and walks.
- Dog friendly beaches on the NC500: Twelve beaches worth stopping for, east coast to west.
- Dog friendly Inverness: Where to eat, drink, walk and sleep at the start of the route.
- Where to stay on the NC500 with a dog: Cottages, hotel rooms that take dogs, and campsites.
- Dog friendly Ullapool: Bars, cafés, walks and boat trips in the west coast's main town.
- The best time to do the NC500 with a dog: Midges, ticks, lambing and nesting season, month by month.
- Dog friendly campervan hire for the NC500: Hire firms that take dogs, and what to check before you book.