BLOG 8: John o'Groats to Ullapool

We follow the NC 500 west along the north coast of Scotland, making a brief stop to photograph a beautiful bay and find some Brits enjoying themselves in the sea water, which is around 10 degrees 'warm'.

Passing the Dounreay nuclear power plant, the route leads through quite exciting landscapes - classic Scottish high moors and beautiful bays - towards Durness. We actually wanted to stop here for the night, but the campsite was fully booked already 6 weeks before! We had to realize this a few times, since Covid there have simply been “too many” people traveling with motorhomes and so May is almost high season in Scotland. Unfortunately - 'old campers' like us don't enjoy it at all, but 'that's life'.

From Durness we are now heading south again - so to speak, the return journey home is already beginning, although there are still more than 2000 km and about 3 weeks ahead of us....

We cross the elegant Kylesku Bridge and soon after turn west towards Clachtoll to reach our today's destination at a quite spectacular bay via - once again - narrow 'single track road'.

The next morning, we continue - there are not only cars, but also sheep as oncoming traffic. Thankfully, even on these back roads far away from any ferry port, you're advised to drive on the left-hand side of the road in the UK. I would say: That’s really British!

We make a stop for the Ardvreck castle ruins at Loch Assynt. The building was begun at the end of the 15th century and, after a checkered history, finally collapsed after a lightning strike at the end of the 18th century. A Scottish legend has remained - the builder from the MacLeod clan had promised his daughter as a bride to the devil if he would help him with the construction. When the devil wanted to get the promised daughter, she is said to have thrown herself off the tower and being around in the walls ever since.

Soon we reach Ullapool, a small town with only about 1500 inhabitants, but nevertheless the main town of the very sparsely populated north-west Highlands. In the evening we strengthen ourselves with fish from the 'Seafood Shack', an almost cult snack stand. Unfortunately, the highly acclaimed scallops have already run out….

Ullapool is also important as a ferry town - the next day we will also cross over to Stornoway on Lewis, an island in the Outer Hebrides, on 'CalMac', the Caledonian-MacBrayne state ferry company.