Finding a bed on the North Coast 500 is harder than finding a beach. Villages are small, rooms are few, and in the north-west a hotel that takes dogs may have only two or three rooms that do. The answer is to book your nights first and plan your days around them, and to book early: from June to September the dog friendly rooms go weeks ahead.
There are three ways to do it. A cottage gives you an enclosed garden and a base for two or three nights. A hotel or inn room suits one-night stops, and means supper with the dog at your feet downstairs. A campsite is the cheapest and the most flexible. Most trips mix them.
Everything here was checked in September 2026. Cottages are in route order, anticlockwise from Inverness.
Dog friendly cottages on the NC500
Every cottage below welcomes dogs inside and has an enclosed garden. Follow the links for photos, prices and dates.
Holly Tree Cottage, Tain
A detached 19th century cottage for six in Tain, with two wood burners, a reading snug and a generous enclosed lawn. Tain has supermarkets and fuel, and the beaches of the Tarbat peninsula are a short drive away, which makes it a sound first or last night.
It is a town cottage, so the walks start with a short drive.
- Sleeps: 6 in 3 bedrooms
- Dogs: Up to 2
- Best for: A first night with shops on the doorstep
Garden Cottage, Tain
A three bedroom cottage for six just outside Tain, down a quiet lane that ends at a sandy beach. Alongside the enclosed garden there is a fenced half acre paddock, so a dog can have a proper run without leaving the property.
Two dogs is the limit, however big the paddock.
- Sleeps: 6 in 3 bedrooms
- Dogs: Up to 2
- Best for: Dogs who need space to run off lead at home
Quarryside Farmhouse, Castletown
A farmhouse for six on the Caithness coast, with a Rayburn, an open fire and an enclosed lawned garden. Dunnet Bay is close by, and Duncansby Head and John o' Groats are an easy drive.
Caithness is open and windy, so expect weather.
- Sleeps: 6 in 3 bedrooms
- Dogs: Up to 2
- Best for: A base for the far north-east
The Wee Housey, Durness
A two bedroom stay for four at Durness, with en-suites, glass balconies and a fully enclosed garden. Balnakeil Bay and Smoo Cave are minutes away, and Durness is the best place on the route to stop for more than one night.
Durness is a long way from the next town in either direction, so arrive with supplies.
- Sleeps: 4 in 2 bedrooms
- Dogs: Up to 2
- Best for: Two or three nights by the north coast beaches
Anam Cara Croft, Rhiconich
A one bedroom croft cottage near Kinlochbervie, with a large enclosed garden and a sea loch below. It is the closest of our cottages to the walk in to Sandwood Bay, and unusually it takes up to three dogs.
It sleeps two, so it is one for couples.
- Sleeps: 2 in 1 bedroom
- Dogs: Up to 3
- Best for: A couple with more than one dog
Ca Na Each, Culkein
A crofting cottage for four near Drumbeg in Assynt, with an enclosed garden and a wood burner. The white sand beaches at Clashnessie, Clachtoll and Achmelvich are all close.
The road in is steep, narrow single-track. It is a fine drive in a car and hard work in anything large.
- Sleeps: 4 in 2 bedrooms
- Dogs: Up to 2
- Best for: Beach days in Assynt
Mackenzie Cottage, Poolewe
A detached cottage for five in Poolewe, 30 yards from the shore of Loch Ewe, with an enclosed lawned garden and a ground floor bedroom and bathroom. Inverewe Garden, where dogs on short leads can walk the paths, is up the road.
Poolewe is a small village, so plan on cooking most nights.
- Sleeps: 5 in 3 bedrooms
- Dogs: Up to 2
- Best for: Anyone who needs a bedroom on the ground floor
The Estate Office, Applecross
A six bedroom house for twelve at Applecross, with a pebble beach at the door, an enclosed garden and a wood burner. The inn, where dogs are welcome in the bar, is along the shore.
You reach it over the Bealach na Bà, which is not suitable for large vehicles, or by the longer coast road from Shieldaig. Walks nearby cross croft land, so take a lead.
- Sleeps: 12 in 6 bedrooms
- Dogs: Up to 2
- Best for: A big group at the end of the road
Dog friendly hotels and inns on the NC500
These are the hotels and inns on the route whose rooms take dogs, with the charge where they publish one. In most of them you can also eat with your dog in the bar.
| Where | Hotel | Dogs in rooms |
|---|---|---|
| Inverness | Heathmount Hotel | Dog friendly rooms |
| Inverness | Black Isle Bar and Rooms | £10 fee |
| Helmsdale | Belgrave Arms Hotel | One dog, for a fee |
| Wick | Mackays Hotel | One small or medium dog |
| Bettyhill | Bettyhill Hotel | £20 a night, up to £40 |
| Tongue | Tongue Hotel | £20 per dog per night |
| Kylesku | Kylesku Hotel | £20 per dog per night |
| Ullapool | The Ceilidh Place | Hotel and bunkhouse rooms |
| Gairloch | The Old Inn | Dog friendly bedrooms |
| Torridon | The Torridon | Some rooms, £20 per dog |
| Applecross | Applecross Inn | Some rooms, up to two dogs |
| Contin | Coul House Hotel | £15 per dog per night |
Always tell them about your dog when you book. "Dog friendly" usually means a handful of particular rooms, and they go first.
Starting with a night in the city? See dog friendly Inverness.
For Ullapool, see dog friendly Ullapool.
Campsites
Almost every campsite on the route takes dogs, most without charge, and several sit right behind a beach. The usual rule is leads on site.
We list them all in dog friendly campsites on the NC500.
How to plan your nights
- Decide your trip length first. It sets how far apart your beds need to be.
- Book the north-west before anything else. Between Durness and Ullapool there is the least choice.
- Use cottages for two-night stops. Durness, Assynt and Gairloch each reward a second night.
- Check the fine print on dogs. Ask about size limits, the number of dogs and whether they can be left in the room.
Not sure how long to go for? See how many days you need for the NC500 with a dog.
Final thoughts
The NC500 suits people who book ahead. Get the nights in the north-west pinned down, mix a couple of cottage stays with single nights in inns, and the rest of the trip can be as loose as you like. Leave it to chance in July and the rooms that welcome dogs will already be taken.
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.
- How many days do you need for the NC500 with a dog?: Five, seven, ten or fourteen days compared.
- 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.
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