Sometimes you just need to get away! In August 2023, after months of job applications, and having secured new roles, my husband and I were ready to abandon the laptops.

Before our jobs were due to start, we considered our ‘post-honeymoon’ trip options. We needed a break, but couldn’t afford to jet set. Luckily, my parents came to the rescue, offering us their campervan to do the North Coast 500 (NC500).

I was apprehensive about hitting the road, the thought of single-lane traffic, rain and campsite bathrooms gave me pause. But after months of monotony, we knew it was time. With some Booking.com vouchers (as a farewell from my old work) we planned a nine-day road trip, ending in an Oban hotel stay.

Planning

Aided by social media, we mapped our route up North. We’d leave our hometown, head to Braemar, then Inverness, John O’Groats, Kyle of Tongue, Achmelvich Bay, and Uig, before ferrying over to Uist, back to Uig, and driving down to Oban.

Booking

Travelling in peak season meant battling the Highland Games traffic, so we booked our accommodation and ferry the week before. I was pleasantly surprised to find most campsites offered online booking, at around £30 per night, including an electric hook-up.

Driving

I was also delighted to discover that driving the campervan was fun! Having only steered small cars before, the height and speed of the converted Volkswagen Transporter was wonderful. Who knew, no one steals your right of way in a big vehicle?

Braemar

Once loaded with diesel and caffeine, we left our hometown, taking the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Braemar Caravan Park. The journey was powered by Google Maps, with my dad’s AA road map as backup.

Although a sleepy town, Braemar had its charms, including red squirrels, riverbed views and boutique shops. The campsite itself was also very civilised. With squeaky-clean bathrooms, hot showers and a common room, it was the nicest one we’d booked.

Parking up at Braemar, the rain held off long enough for us to cook pasta and eat it outside, accompanied by fizz from our wedding swag. Ending the first night, our spirits were high!

The next morning brought rain, packing and bickering, with the previous night’s joviality quite forgotten. Dying for a hot coffee and truce, we walked into Braemar village. At around 8am the cafes weren’t yet open, so we settled for cold coffee and a wander around.

Heading back to the van, I spotted a red squirrel sprint across the road, before disappearing into the woods. Now rare in Scotland, we took this as a lucky omen for a good drive ahead.

Inverness

Taking a turn of the wheel, I drove us two hours up the A9 to Inverness. As the sun returned, so did our good moods, and we parked up in Inverness to explore the Cathedral. Dating back to 1866, the Victorian Gothic building boasted awesome arches, stained glass windows, and ‘church mice’ teddies, knitted by one of the congregation.

Cheered up, we left the Cathedral and crossed the River Ness, to the old city, where we stopped for haggis toasties and lattes at Rendezvous Café. Sitting outside we basked in the sun and eavesdropped into local gossip. Refreshed, we headed back to the camper for the next (long) leg to John O Groats.

John O Groats

Leaving the city and the sun, we drove through three hours of rain to John O Groats. During this time the most notable thing we saw was Dounreay’s nuclear power station. This was the bleakest scenery of the whole trip, but necessary to reach the north-most mainland.

Thankfully our John O Groats welcome was warmer than the weather, and the campsite team chatted with us, before allowing us to chill our cool-bag blocks in their freezer. After wine on the beach, we headed back to the van to cook dinner and catch some sleep.

The next morning, the rain stopped just long enough for my morning run, and for me to appreciate the sandy farmlands of John O Groats. With pastel-painted buildings, a brewery and a pub, the village had a cozy appeal.

But once again we waved goodbye to our campsite, to get an early start to Kyle of Tongue.

Kyle of Tongue

We might have been too eager to reach our next destination Kyle of Tongue Hostel and Holiday Park, because once parked, we realised it was deserted. We had time to kill, but little to entertain us, so after a sodden stroll along the water, we headed back to the van for a heat. Being a 30-minute walk from town, we consoled ourselves that at least the hostel had a cafe for dinner.

After hair, makeup, and wine I was ready to eat. However, I then realised the café shut at 4pm! With no power hook-up and no dinner in sight, we donned our raincoats to walk into town. Once again we got soaked, but our efforts were rewarded with hot food and local lager at The Tongue Hotel. The restaurant prices were a little high, but the Cullen Skink soup was worth it!

Smoo Cave

Things got even better the next day, as we headed along the coast to Smoo Cave. The sun shone as we parked at the beauty spot and climbed down the side of the bay. At beach level, we turned the corner and saw the UK’s largest coastal cave, staggering 50 feet high against limestone rocks.

Venturing inside, we enjoyed the echo chambers and wild waterfall, before heading back outside, to admire it from the cliff path. The trail carried us to beautiful vistas of the ocean, which we sat on the rocks to admire. With the crashing waves and scorching sun, I would have happily stayed all day, but as ever we had to get going!

Achmelvich Bay

Just an hour and a half later, we reached our next rest, Achmelvich Bay Shore Caravan Park, the prettiest of all the campsites. Hidden in hills, it sat directly on the beach, with a white sandy bay for easy swimming.

Surrounded by European tourists, we watched the watersports with drinks in hand, feeling very Mediterranean! However, the water was feeling very North Atlantic and despite the sun, I only managed to swim in it for ten minutes!

The popularity of Achmelvich Bay meant that all the power hook-ups had been booked, so for dinner we grilled some fish on a disposable barbeque. The romantic notion was slightly tinged by a petrol after-taste. Luckily the campsite shop doubled up as a chippy, so dinner was not a complete loss!

Uig Bay

The next morning, we made the four-hour drive down the coast and over the Skye Bridge to Uig Bay Campsite.  This campsite was clean, with beautiful views of the hills and sea, but best of all it was next to the ferry port. After chatting with the owner we explained that our ferry left early and returned late the next day, and he said that it was no problem, he’d keep our spot with some cones! This was amazing service, considering most campsites close to vehicles after 8pm!

Delighted, we headed off to the Pier Restaurant for some food. Despite its scathing online reviews, the pub grub was tasty enough and came in generous portions.

Uist

Leaving the campsite at 08:30am the next day, we joined the queue to board the ferry to Uist. Having originally planned to visit Harris, a busy booking system meant that we rerouted to Uist, on one of the last return tickets.

Although its website was woeful, the CalMac café was outstanding! After two breakfast rolls each we headed to the top deck with binoculars, for some nature watching. We saw lots of sea birds (but not much else) and headed down to the van to disembark.

Despite it being a Sunday (and most of Uist being shut) the stream of vehicles leaving Lochmaddy port was constant. Everyone seemed to have the same idea, as they raced to the Northern coast to seek some sand. In fact, so keen was the caravan in front that it had overlooked a sheep, which had wandered onto the road, forcing the driver to suddenly swerve to avoid collision. Confused, I too slammed on the brakes, as the ewe trotted back off the road. Hearts hammering, we continued to Traigh Iar beach.

We met more farm animals as we walked to the beach; local cows chewed the cud and warily watched us cross their fields. After 15 minutes of hiking, we climbed a dune, to reveal a stunning sight, a completely deserted beach. Miles of white and secluded shore stretched in either direction, as wind whipped up the waves.

Bravely facing the choppy sea, I went in for a dip. But this was no Achmelvich Bay, with nothing but open ocean there was no hiding from the cold, and with grey skies looming, I got as far as my knees before retreating back to the beach. Despite my misgivings, the sun rallied again, and I dried off on my camping chair, soaking up our surroundings.

After hours of sunbathing, we headed back to the van. Following a microwave dinner, we drove to another Uist beauty spot, to stretch our legs before the ferry. Stopping at Loch Nam Madadh, we crossed a suspension footbridge to visit the Hut of Shadows. The dramatically named hobbit house had a camera obscura, which projected light from a small spy hole onto a frame, showing the landscape. Pretty cool! Curiosity quelled we travelled back to the ferry.

Sailing back to Uig, the sun set, sending orange and purple reflections across the sea. However, it wasn’t until we were back in the CalMac café, staring out of the window, that we saw something truly remarkable. A pod of dolphins flashed their fins, to the delight of us and other passengers. “Dolphins!” I squealed. Hysteria ensued, with people rushing up to the deck to capture pictures. Liam and I stayed seated, not wanting to miss the show. Our commitment was rewarded when, ten minutes later, another passenger shouted, “Whale!”  And just in time, we saw the creature poke its nose out of the water. We were in awe; this was the first wild whale either of us had seen.

Oban

Still buzzing from whale watching, the next day we left Uig on a high. Although facing a four-hour drive, we knew that at the end of it we had the bustling beauty of Oban to enjoy. 

Not to mention a studio apartment, at the Kelvin Hotel, which after eight days of camper vanning felt like the Ritz.

Unpacking our bags, we marveled at the space, and the luxury of an indoor bathroom. Refreshed, we hit the town to eat and drink in the sights. Wandering around the harbour, we climbed the stairs to The Waterfront Fish House restaurant, hotly tipped to have the best shellfish. After ordering the giant Banarly Black Tiger Prawns and chips, I had to agree it deserved the hype, when prawns the size of small lobsters were served with salad and chips, making it well worth the price tag!

Walking off our dinner, we watched the sun set over Oban, before retiring to the comfiest bed we had seen all week!

The next day we woke ready to resume our culinary quest. We started at the Taste of Argyll Kitchen, where both the full Scottish breakfast and the salmon bagel exceeded expectations.

Then we walked off breakfast, in a hike up McCaig’s Tower, a Colosseum-shaped monument dating back to 1897.

Next, we stopped at The Oban Chocolate Company to select some artisan sweets. While there we also enjoyed coffee and a massive slice of fresh fruit Victoria sponge.

Heading back across the waterfront, we stopped at the old Oban Times newspaper building, which had been repurposed as the Oban War & Peace Museum. Here we saw WWII military uniforms and read tales of wartime wedding dresses made from parachute silk.

Round the corner, we visited the Oban Whisky and Fine Wine Shop, where I bought a rare treat, Colonsay Gin, which is the smoothest (and hardest to find) spirit I’ve ever found. Feeling inspired, we headed over the road to The View balcony bar, to watch the harbour hustle with a drink in hand. After a busy day on the town, we grabbed a Chinese takeaway to enjoy back at the apartment. Before bidding goodbye to Oban the next day, I went a jog up Pulpit Hill, to take in the views across the sea to the islands.

After 10 days on the road, we reflected on our top tips for doing the NC500, pre-book accommodation and ferries, pack for all weather, make plenty of playlists and take lots of pics!