North Coast 500

A road trip around the Northern Scottish coast

Hello people and pooches. Joe the Cocker here after a long gap in writing my blogs. I have just completed a trip with my human where we drove a lot and hiked a lot. While my human drove the car, I slept on the back seat, and when we stopped, it was usually time for a mini adventure for me. It was a perfect combination for me with loads of sleeping and loads of crazy time running around new places. You can’t beat a good sniff around new places. My human complained that the driving was tiring at times, but for me, it was time to recharge my batteries. I know that he loved it really because he kept  saying,’WOW!’ and ‘that is stunning’ and disturbing my beauty sleep. Anyway,  let me tell you about our adventure.

Our roughly conceived plan was to drive from home to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands and from there to drive the NC500, or North Coast 500, and then to drive back home. My human has always wanted to complete this drive since its conception in 2015. We had hoped to be hiking trails again by now, but my dad’s knee injury has limited him. So, now that he isn’t constantly moaning and groaning, he thought that this trip would get us back into touring without carrying a large backpack every day. The plan was to complete the route in seven days and to camp each night. My human bought the NC500 guide book written by Robbie Roams and watched Robbie’s YouTube videos for inspiration. Robbie took his pooch along with him on his trips on the NC500, so we gained some good tips from his information. https://robbieroams.com is where you will find his site.

We quickly discovered on our trip that places that claim to be dog friendly fall into three categories. There are places that are genuinely dog friendly,  places that are dog tolerant and places that make no effort towards dogs and simply want to benefit from accepting dogs into their establishments. We will let you know how places that visited fit into these categories according to our experiences. We will also honestly describe how we felt about everywhere that we visited on our trip. We hope that by doing this, it might  help anyone planning a similar journey.

So, the day arrived that we were to set off on our way to Scotland. The car was packed with six large see-through stackable plastic boxes full of stuff. I knew that we wouldn’t need half of it on the trip, but my human seemed to want to empty the entire contents of the house into the back of the car. As long as he packed all my stuff, I didn’t mind. The back seat had two of my beds and one of my blankets on it so that I would be comfortable. We got out of bed at stupid o’clock to set off in the dark. I instantly went  back to sleep while my chauffeur headed for the north. With a 430 mile drive ahead, I planned to get some serious snoozing done. The weather forecast was horrendous for the first couple of days of our trip with Storm Agnes due to produce high winds and heavy rain so our plans were changed. We would be spending the first  two nights in a guest house and not in the tent. We have had a couple of bad experiences of camping in Scotland during gale force winds, so I was relieved when my human put his sensible head on.

Day 0 – Home to Inverness

The traffic was quiet and the weather was strangely calm. All the motorway signs were warning of high winds and heavy rain. We had a couple of short pit stops at motorway services but made good time. Our first real break was in Aviemore, the popular Scottish Highland outdoor pursuits hub. My human said that it seems a bit tackier than it was in its heyday. We found a large outdoors shop with a  dog friendly cafe. The Explorer Cafe is upstairs in the Tiso outdoors shop and is genuinely dog friendly. I was made to feel at home while I was fussed over by the waitress who brought a bowl of water for me. As usual, I attempted to drink it all just in case another pooch came along and wanted to share it. Survival of the fittest! We had a short walk around the area before we drove onwards and northwards.

Anyone who has read any of my previous blogs will know that the human half of this partnership tends to sing to himself a lot. This is usually when we are hiking, but he also does it in the car. The days little ditty was ‘I’m on my way’ by The Proclaimers. Very apt as we were heading for Scotland. It was also incredibly irritating as he only knew a few words of the song, as usual, which he kept repeating over and over and over. I hate this!

It took almost eight hours to get to our overnight stop in Strathpeffer, a small Victorian spa, about twenty miles from Inverness. The NC500 officially starts in Inverness, but we decided to stay outside of the city as we had visited there at the end of our Great Glen Way hike. Strathpeffer is slightly off the route, but it is a convenient base to tour the Black Isle, which would be our first day on the North Coast 500.

We stayed in a beautiful Victorian B&B called Holly Lodge. Hollylodgeandcottage.com is run by Fiona, who made me and my human feel very welcome. We had a lovely en-suite room where I was given a blanket to sleep on and a bowl of water. My dad was happy because Fiona had left a decanter of whisky for him in the room. We had an early night after my human had devoured a mountain of Singapore Vermicelli from the local Chinese takeaway. Oh, and a couple of wee drams.

Day 1 – The Black Isle

After a comfy nights sleep, we made our way to the dining room. The big feller was obviously intent on making himself even bigger as he demolished a bowl of cereal followed by a full Scottish breakfast plus toast and whisky marmalade. With full bellies, we set off to visit the first of many places that we planned to explore on our adventure.

The first place on our itinerary was the nearby Rogie Falls. We parked in the small empty car park just as a coach load of tourists pulled up. We sat in the car for a few minutes until they had all disappeared along the path towards the waterfall. Then it was my opportunity to have a run around and a good sniff in the undergrowth. There had been plenty of rain overnight, so I decided to run through every puddle and patch of mud on the undulating path. When we reached the falls, it was the first occasion on the trip that the big feller uttered the words ‘WOW, that is stunning’, and believe me, it wasn’t the last.

Todays song that the annoying one tried to implant into my head was ‘Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls’ by TLC. I’m the one who needed TLC after listening to that all day!

We headed eastwards to the Black Isle for our next visit. Chanonry Point is a popular place to spot dolphins, porpoises, and whales. Orcas or killer whales can sometimes be seen from this viewpoint. What a wild and windy spot this was on our visit. The southern shore was being battered by a gale, but the northern shore, only a few metres away, was like a mill pond. My dad claimed to have seen two dolphins in the distance, which were too far away to photograph. Allegedly! I had a great run along the beach while we were there, but I stayed out of the sea just in case of hungry orcas.

My human was claiming to be peckish at this point. How that was possible after what he put away at breakfast is beyond me. He spotted a small cafe/bakery on the way into Fortrose called Bakhoos that looked like a promising stop. bakhoosbakery.com is well worth a visit according to my human. The sun was peeping through the clouds and temping us to sit in the small outside seating area. We hadn’t checked if it was dog friendly before we arrived, but they were more than happy for use to use the picnic benches. The big feller said that the sandwich that he chose was fantastic, so unusual and tasty. He said that he would definitely recommend it. Here’s a photo that he took of said sandwich, which didn’t take him long to demolish!

Once my human had finished his sandwich and coffee, it was time to head to Fairy Glen, where we visited another waterfall. We headed along a muddy path alongside the stream that runs along the floor of the glen. I had a dip in the stream on a couple of occasions before we reached the first of two falls. It was so quiet as we walked with only the sound of birds in the trees and the rushing water. Another WOW moment from my dad as we reached the falls. On this occasion we had the place to ourselves.

Fairy Glen is an RSPB reserve in a steep sided glen within a broad leaf woodland. The walk from the small free car park is along a 2.5 mile out and back undulating path. We would recommend a visit to this beautiful place.

The next place that we decided to visit wasn’t on our original itinerary but we are so glad that we went there. The small coastal town of Cromarty, with a population of around 650, is reputed to be the best preserved example of an 18th century Scottish town. It was incredibly windy during our visit, but I loved our mooch around the harbour and on Cromarty Beach. The ferry was not running due to the horrible weather, but we enjoyed our walk around the fisherman’s cottages and the narrow streets. The thing that my human was mesmerised by was the huge oil rig that dominated the Cromarty Firth. A number of disused oil rigs are parked in the Firth, which is becoming an oil rig graveyard.

We spent a couple of hours in Cromarty with hardly a soul to be seen. I even had a short dip in the sea and a roll around on the beach. I was just letting my human know that I still have a mischievous streak in me. Ha!

On our way back to the guest house, my human said that we were going to visit a Clootie Well. That meant nothing to me and probably to most of my readers. A clootie well is where a cloot, or piece of clothing, from an ill person is dipped in a well and then tied to a nearby tree. As the cloot disintegrates, so should the ailment fade and the person becomes well again. This clootie well at Munlochy sure is popular. It looks like I had been ripping up clothing as I did for a hobby when I was a pup. While my human took photographs, I took the opportunity to sprint up and down the footpaths around the well. You can’t beat a spell of zoomies on muddy paths before you jump into a nice clean car!

It had been a long and varied day of sightseeing, so the big feller was hungry, yet again. He discovered a dog friendly pub in Dingwall that was on our way back to Strathpeffer. The Mallard is a sporty type of pub, close to Ross County Football Club, is a no nonsense drinkers pub. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a criticism. It is definitely dog friendly as I was given a bowl of water and plenty of fuss while my dad tucked into a homemade steak and ale pie, washed down with a pint of Guinness. He said it was proper pub grub.

It was only a ten minute drive back to Strathpeffer, where we were staying again that night. We had a short walk around the village as the sun was setting, before the big feller watched rugby on TV, and I had my evening treat of baked ham in my Kong!

Day 2 – Strathpeffer to John O’Groats

After a peaceful nights’ sleep and another big breakfast for the big feller, it was time to say goodbye to Holly Lodge. The plan for the day was for us to drive up the east coast and to camp in John O’Groats. On the way, we had scheduled a few stops for sightseeing and leg stretching. The wind had really picked up speed overnight, making an overnight camp looking increasingly doubtful unless the campsite had some sheltered areas.

Our first stop on the days’ journey was at the small coastal town of Dornoch, which lies on the northern shore of Dornoch Firth.

My human had his heart set on sampling a hot chocolate from the famous Cocoa Mountain. So, after a wander around the town, that’s what we did. Although it wasn’t the cheapest hot chocolate, he said that it was by a country mile the best he had ever drank. I, on the other paw, just had to sit and watch him lick the melted white and milk chocolate from the side of the mug. It was a dog tolerant cafe. I was allowed in, but there was no bowl of water or treats for this good boy. www.cocoamountain.co.uk would be a thumbs up from my human and a thumb sideways, if I had a thumb, from me.

As we left Cocoa Mountain, with the big feller having a sugar rush, he started singing again. ‘It Started With a Kiss’ by, guess who? Yes, by Hot Chocolate. Please, give me a break!

We headed north along the A9 for the next couple of hours. My human kept waking me from my beauty sleep by harping on about when he cycled along this road in the olden days. I imagined him hurtling down the hills on his penny farthing. He claimed that it was a racing bike that cost almost £100. I had a little chuckle to myself over these thoughts.

It certainly is an undulating road with some 25% hills, both up and down. I slept as much as I could as he kept saying that it was unchanged in 40 years and the wild coastline was still awesome. Our next stop was the Whaligoe Steps. Just north of Lybster on the A9, there is a small unmarked parking area. Once there, a small sign points toward the steps, just past a few small houses. If you are able you must visit this amazing place.

My human is a bit of a wimp when it comes to heights or steep slopes, whereas I love them. There are 365 steep stone steps that zig-zag down to the natural harbour of Whaligoe Haven with sheer cliffs of 250 feet on three sides. Once used by local women to haul catches of herring, salmon, and other fish to the road level where they would be transported on foot the eight miles into Wick. I had to be kept on my lead, presumably to prevent me from diving into the sea! When I pulled on the lead, my human would scream,’Joe!’ and grab at the nearest rock. It’s safe enough as long as you take care and don’t rush. Well, that’s not in my nature, but I stayed by the big babies’ side. He took photographs and videos when we reached the old harbour before we headed back uphill. I led the way and sprinted ahead while my human made plenty of excuses about why we should keep stopping to take pictures. They were the same photos as the ones he took on the way down! I think that he had another reason to keep stopping.

We were a wee bit wind blown by the time we reached the car, so as usual, I snuggled down on the rear seat while my human drove to our next short stop. We called into Pets at Home in Wick while he bought some treats and a Yakker for me to munch on. We were going to visit The Castle of Old Wick and then onto Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, but the weather was horrendous. So in high winds and torrential rain, we decided to plod on to John O’Groats where we were to camp that night. When we arrived at the campsite, my human said that it was way too ferocious a gale to chance a night in a tent. After a few minutes scouring the internet, he found a camping pod about twenty miles away that looked like a better alternative. He said that we could visit John O’Groats the following morning when the weather forecast was looking more favourable.

Off we went again, heading to a small village called Watten where we would find the Caithness Camping Pods. The Cairn of Dunn Croft overlooks Loch Watten and was a welcome shelter from the high winds on the coast. We were met by Gabrielle, who gave us a lovely welcome. She fussed over me while she showed us to our pod. It was one of three basic, but oh so cosy pods, with a fantastic view over the loch and the surrounding countryside. The separate loo had a composting toilet and an outdoor urinal, which my human chose not to use in the strong wind for obvious reasons. There was also a small hut that can be used to cook in and to birdwatch from. We had all our own camping equipment with us so the accommodation was perfect for us. It is an off-grid site, and the work that Gabrielle and her family are doing is to be applauded. All we needed was a warm, dry shelter from the weather, so we didn’t fully appreciate what the purpose of their business was until my human researched it on our return home. The pods can be found on AirB&B or on their own website at caithnesscampingpods.com. The permaculture side of the enterprise posts videos on YouTube at Cairn of Dunn Croft Permaculture.

Before bedtime, we made a quick dash in the car to Thurso to buy some supplies. My human wanted to buy some nice bread for the next day and the only place that was still open, it being around seven o’clock, was the Lidl store. He had wanted to buy only from local businesses on the trip, but with us adding an extra 40 miles onto the next days driving by diverting off our original route, he made an exception to his rule. I got to share some biscuits with him, so I was happy to go along with him.

We had an early night and slept really well. The wind was howling all night, and it rained at times, according to my dad. The only sound I heard was the big feller snoring, and he has the nerve to say I snore. Never! The next morning was not as wild and windy as the previous night, and we woke up early. My human fed me, made himself a brew, and packed everything back into the car. Gabrielle brought the big feller a container of porridge with honey. He said that it was gorgeous and warmed his cockles! Whatever they may be! We said our goodbyes, and Gabrielle made a fuss of me again. We would highly recommend a stay in a pod here. My human checked that we had everything that we had brought with us, and then we set off for John O’Groats. When I say that he checked that we had everything, we later discovered that he had left the most important item of mine behind. He hadn’t realised that he had left it there until we returned home. He assumed that he had packed it away and just couldn’t find it. My beloved Kong was missing. I have had my Kong since I was a puppy. Every night, I have it stuffed with boiled ham. I look forward to it. Now it was gone. When we arrived home, Gabrielle left us a message to say that she had found it under a bed. She asked if I wanted it returning to me, but my human had bought a replacement. I think that he saw the tear in my eye when it didn’t appear every night when he simply gave me a few slices of ham and no Kong. Gabrielle gave the original Kong to another pooch who visited the pods, so I was pleased about that. I need to check that all my valuable stuff doesn’t get left behind in the future. He obviously can’t be trusted.

Day 3 – Watten to Bettyhill

Our first stop of the day was at John O’Groats, where my human had started his JOGLE some years ago. A JOGLE, apparently, is a journey from John O’Groats to Lands End, and basically between the two farthest points of mainland UK. It is approximately 900 miles, and the big feller cycled it in the dim and distant past. People who have completed the trip are called End to Enders, and my human spotted a sign where you could have your photograph taken in front of, that wasn’t there in the olden days, when he did it. He was gutted! Unfortunately, I had to listen to him as he took a trip down memory lane. ‘Bike’ by Pink Floyd was the days tortuous melody. He really can annoy!

There were only a few people up and about when we arrived, so we took the opportunity to take the obligatory signpost photograph. We had a good walk around before we headed for the cafe, which had just opened for the day. Stacks Deli, Bakery, and Coffee House is another dog tolerant cafe. I was allowed in, but I wasn’t fussed over or given water. That’s fine, but it wasn’t exactly dog ‘friendly’. My human bought an Americano, which he said was lovely. So he was happy as we sat in a window seat gazing across the sea to the Orkney Islands. He finished his coffee as we walked around the small harbour where the ferry was docked. It is up for sale for £1.4 million if anyone has a few quid to spare!

After my human had seen enough and reminisced enough about John O’Groats, it was time to move on to somewhere that he had always wanted to see. Just a few miles from John O’Groats is Duncansby Head with a short walk to the Duncansby Stacks.

We parked close to the old lighthouse facing across the sound to the Orkney Islands. After a few minutes of watching squalls sweep across the sea in the strong wind, we decided to head across the rolling grassy hillside towards the stacks. The big feller kept me on my lead because there were sheep roaming around the area. They act as if they own the place. My human said that they didn’t want to play with me. Their loss! It was at this point that my human said his first,’WOW, that is stunning!’ of the day. As we reached the huge cleft in the cliffs, the smell of fishy bird poo hit me. The seabirds were screeching as they landed on precarious ledges on the sheer cliff walls. If I could say WOW, I probably would as well.

Our first view of the stacks prompted another ‘WOW………!’ from my human. He was disappointed because he wanted to take some drone photos and video, but he said that in those blustery conditions, the drone would probably end up in the Orkneys. He had to be satisfied with a few phone photographs and handheld videos.

As we headed back, the sun made an appearance, providing some lovely views across the Pentland Firth to the Orkney Islands and along the coast to Dunnet Head, our next spot to visit on our tour. Just as we reached the trig point above the lighthouse, the rain hit us. It was a sprint, which I won, to the car before we got a soaking. I loved the short hike, and my human loved his visit to the stacks. It had been a successful morning. Well, up to this point it had!

We couldn’t visit this area of Scotland without going to the most northerly tip of the UK mainland, so that was our next stop. The road to the point is undulating, windy, and narrow with its fair share of potholes. The views are worth the drive as the road passes a few pretty lochans on the way. Dunnet Head is in Caithness and is the site of the Dunnet Head Lighthouse. I was given free reign here as there was no livestock around. The weather cleared up for us, and we had great views across the Pentland Firth to Hoy (with The Old Man of Hoy poking above the cliffs) and into Scapa Flow (of WW11 fame). Scapa Flow was used to intern 74 German ships, of which 52 were deliberately scuttled and lie under the waves still to this date.

From the lighthouse, it is a short walk to the derelict World War 2 buildings that were used to scour for enemy activity across the water. My human enjoyed his visit to this geographically and historically important spot. I, on the other paw, loved having a run around and a good sniff.

We drove for an hour or so as the weather changed from horrendous to glorious and back again within a few minutes, to the next place on our itinerary. Strathy Beach would be easy to miss as it is not visible from the road. We parked in the free car park next to the cemetery and walked along the obvious path to the beach. It was time for me to burn off some energy. After cresting the top of the hill, the beach opened up in front of us beyond the sand dunes. There wasn’t another human or pooch around, so I legged it through the sand. I love fine sand, and this sure was fine enough for me to zoom through. The human eventually appeared over the hill, which he definitely is, as it happens, and guess what he said. Yep! ‘WOW, etc. etc!’ I did agree with him, though. It is a beautiful place.

We finally had some calmer weather forecast for our resting point for the night. We hadn’t booked in advance so we thought that we would check the Caravan and Camp site at Craigdhu, Bettyhill at mid afternoon, If we liked it we would pitch the tent and then do some more exploring in the area. We loved the site. The pitch that we chose, as it was an empty site except for a few caravans, was in the corner of a field overlooking Farr Bay Beach. bettyhillcaravanandcampsite.com is open 365 days per year with a first come, first served policy. Just turn up, find an available pitch and electric point, and Bob’s yer uncle! The facilities are good, in my human opinion, with improvements to the toilet block ongoing.

After pitching the tent, we went for a bimble around Bettyhill. My human wanted to find The Store, which is a bar/cafe/shop with a great reputation and is dog friendly too. We found it up a steep road from the beach. My human wanted to sit outside to enjoy the view, so he ordered a coffee and a big slice of chocolate cake to scoff at the front of the building. It is a characterful place with remnants of its village shop history still in place. I had a bowl of water brought to me, which I drank most of just in case any other cheeky pooch wanted to share. I don’t do sharing! Bettyhill’s storecafe.com would have been our choice for a meal in the area if we hadn’t already planned to cook and eat at the campsite.

Bettyhill is a small, pretty village, and after we had walked around it, we headed back to the campsite to jump into the car. A short drive away is Torrisdale Beach. It is a beautiful, mile long expanse of sand with the rivers Borgie and Naver entering the sea at either end of the beach. I found a ball in the dunes and had a great time chasing it when the big feller threw it for me. Again, we had the beach to ourselves so I could show off my Usain Bolt style sprinting. My human says that he regrets not researching the bay prior to our visit as he missed seeing the remains of a shipwreck in the sands and the iron age broch or roundhouse nearby.

The weather was comparatively calm compared to the previous few days, so my human chose to cook sausages and burgers back at the tent. I managed to scrounge some of his meal by giving him the starving puppy eyes! He lit his small portable campfire/cooker as it was getting dark. He was so pleased with himself as he had bought it online from China for £1.52 with free postage. I must admit it was nice to sit outside with a nice fire to warm us up.

We sat outside for a while until the fire died down. I had a munch on my Yakker chew stick while he had a dram or three of his Laphroig 10 year old single malt. He said, ‘when in Rome’. I think that he was confused or a bit giddy because, tell me if I am wrong, but weren’t we a heck of a long way from Italy? I don’t think that geography is my dad’s strong point.

Day 4 – Bettyhill to Sango Sands

We slept like logs. Whatever that means! Anyway, we had an uninterrupted sleep and awoke to a chilly but calm morning. My human said that we had better get our skates on. I think that humans, or my dad in particular, say some very odd things. I’m not wearing skates for anybody. What he seemed to be trying to communicate was that HE better hurry up and put the tent down and pack everything into the car because rain was on its way. My breakfast had to wait, apparently. So, that’s what he did. He said it was in record time. I don’t know who set the previous record, but they obviously didn’t care about feeding their pooch either. Finally, he fed me. I could have starved to death.

The second that we got into the car, the heavens opened, and he gloated. ‘See!’ he said. ‘Told you!’ he said. If I could have spoken, I would have said ‘well you could have fed me and then put everything in the car before the rain came’. The RSPCA might want to hear about this little incident. Anyway, ’nuff said about his neglection of duty. As we set off, he started whining about his empty belly and that we needed to find a cafe ASAP. Unfortunately, The Store hadn’t opened up for the day, so he had to drive on to find somewhere. He could have feasted on the digestive biscuits that he had secretly stashed in the door pocket, but he would rather complain. He is only happy when he has something to moan about.

Our first stop of the day was at the small village of Tongue. My human was still looking for somewhere to eat, but sadly for him, he hadn’t found anywhere. Across a narrow stretch of the Kyle of Tongue, there is the remains of Castle Vorrich sitting on top of a hill. We parked the car in the centre of the village and readied ourselves for a short hike to the castle and back. A waymarked path led us over a footbridge, through woodland, and eventually up a steep climb to the castle. You guessed it. Another ‘WOW…….!’ moment. The view from the hilltop was stunning. Northwards up the Kyle of Tongue, southwards to the Ben Loyal range and both east and west over beautiful hillsides.

‘Food, Glorious Food’. Yes, you guessed it. Today’s song and today’s obsession!

When I saw the recently erected spiral staircase on the inside of the tower, I decided that a sit-down protest was in order. It is definitely not for pooches with small paws. My human told me to wait just like he does when he goes into Aldi. I had no problem with that. No way was I going to attempt to climb that death trap. It’s all fine and dandy for humans with size 10 paws but not for the likes of me. My dad said it was stunning from the top. No surprise there then.

We timed our little hike perfectly as the wind brought a huge downpour with it just as we returned to the car. As we drove away, my dad pulled into the unmanned petrol station on the edge of the village. We had plenty of diesel, but he said that we should try to keep at least half a tank full on this trip as petrol stations are few and far between. He was cursing as he quickly got back into the car as the card reader wasn’t working, so he couldn’t top up. He decided that we would fill to the brim when we got to Sango Sands, which was the next unmanned petrol station on route.

The next section of the route took us around Loch Eriboll. One of my human’s favourite sections of the NC500. It is a deep water sea loch of around ten miles in length. The A838 takes you on a spectacular coastal trip with awesome scenery. The sun shone for us as we rounded the loch, although when we got out of the car to take a few pics, my ears were stretched out and horizontal. My human said that I had a quarter to three ears. Funny guy!

We couldn’t resist another beach stop while the sun had got its hat on. It was still blowing a hooley, but our next stop was glorious. Ceannabeinne Beach is nothing short of beautiful with its fine white sand and turquoise waters. Apart from a handful of sightseers and a couple of paddle boarders, we had the place to ourselves. During the summer months, a zip wire runs across the bay from cliff to cliff. With it being October, it was closed. I don’t think that they would have a harness suitable for me anyway.

This day was getting better and better. With plenty of stops, I didn’t get bored, but I still managed a snooze in between locations. The next one was a new experience for me. I’ve never been inside a cave before. Smoo Cave is a really popular attraction, and it gets very busy in the summer months. There were only a few people there on our visit and no organised tours were running. This suited us down to the ground. Although we couldn’t go deep into the cave, we did see the main chamber with the waterfall gushing through the cave roof.

The steps to the base of the cliff are easily found leading from the car park. I was on my lead and excited to get to the bottom of the steps, so I almost dragged the big feller off his feet. He wasn’t happy with me and said that I was being naughty. I hate it when he says that I am naughty, so I walked by his side, waiting for him to say that I was a good boy. I loved being inside the cave. I couldn’t run around, but the sounds and the sights were amazing.

After visiting the cave, we headed along the path, traversing the hill on the right. The views from this path were well worth the effort. It also gave me the opportunity to race my human up to the car park. Easy peasy. I won as usual.

A few minutes’ drive from Smoo Cave is the campsite that my human had chosen to check out. We were unsure if we would be staying there due to the high wind and it being on a cliff top. Sango Sands Oasis campsite is a large site, and when we arrived in the mid afternoon, there were no other tent campers on site. He asked in the camp reception if they could recommend anywhere that would be sheltered enough for us. A corner of the site near some trees was suggested to us to try out. We found an ideal spot provided we used the car as a windbreak. It was a beautiful site with good facilities and plenty of space.

We spent a while wandering around the cliff tops before we walked to the local shop for supplies. As my human hadn’t eaten up to this juncture, he grabbed himself some pasties, cake, and a bottle of Old Pulteney 12 year old single malt whiskey that was on offer for £26. He described it as having a banana and sweet citrus nose with a faint whiff of brine!? I think that he read that on the label. It smelt disgusting to me, and I eat some disgusting stuff! He bought it to fight off the cold of the nights in the tent, or so he said. He is such a saddo! We headed back to the tent where he pigged out and made himself a coffee. I just had to watch and hope for some crumbs.

It was a sunny late afternoon, but that wind was still fierce. We headed down to the beach so that I could be off my lead, which I had to keep on while we were in the campsite. The sea was cold, but I couldn’t resist a paddle and a slurp. I was told off for drinking sea water because of an experience at a beach when I was a pup, when I drank lots of the salty stuff. For you readers of a delicate disposition, I won’t be too graphic in my description of what happened next. Needless to say, I turned into a high-pressure hosepipe!

We took advantage of the nice weather with a short drive to Balnakeil, where the second branch of Cocoa Mountain is located. My human said that the hot chocolate was just as amazing as the one in Dornoch, but it was served in a takeaway mug. It wasn’t quite the same experience as at the other branch. The staff were very friendly and chatted with my human, but they didn’t really bother with me. I would say that this branch was dog tolerant. We didn’t stay too long because my human wanted us to go to yet another beach.

Balnakeil Beach produced another ‘WOW!’ from the big feller. The beach was much-loved by John Lennon, Yoko, and his children, where they were photographed in 1969. The huge expanse of white sand, the turquoise water, and the backdrop of the dunes make this one of the most beautiful in Scotland. We parked by Balkaneil Church with its walled cemetery, which was built in 1619 but now in a ruined state. The nearby Loch Croispol drains into the bay below the church and leads you to the beach. Only a few people and one other pooch were on the beach, leaving me to be free to zoom. I found a ball that always amazes my dad how I often find other dogs’ abandoned balls. We walked the full length of the sands and back again. I had a blast.

It was time to head back to the campsite. We had a quick walk to the promontory viewpoint as the light was fading. Then we rushed back to the tent where my human made a coffee while I snuggled into my sleeping bag. I was asleep in an instant. What an epic day! I was exhausted. We were sheltered from the ferocious wind by a combination of a stone wall, the trees, and the car. It was a perfect pitch. http://sangosands.com is a fabulous campsite!

Day 5 – Sango Sands to Ardmair Point

It rained overnight, and the wind was wild. Fortunately, we only heard the wind, and we didn’t feel it batter the tent as we had definitely found the most sheltered pitch on the campsite. We awoke just as the sun was rising above the headland. It was a beautiful morning. My human made a coffee and fed me as we stayed in our sleeping bags until the day warmed up a wee bit. We went for a short walk along the cliff tops before my human hit the showers. He decided to cook breakfast rather than risk having an empty belly like the previous morning. Thankfully, I wouldn’t have to endure his constant complaining about how he was starving to death. We were on the road by 9 am. and heading for our next part of our adventure. This time, he managed to give the car a good drink of diesel before we headed into the narrow undulating roads ahead.

As soon as he saw the sun rise above the hills, he started singing ‘Good Morning Starshine’ that he remembered from some dippy hippy stage show. As usual, just a few lines of the chorus as he can’t remember the rest.

We stopped quite a few times as we were driving towards our first location on our itinerary of the day. I was in and out of the car like a yo-yo as my human stopped to take photographs. The scenery in this section is awe-inspiring. It is a combination of all the best that Scotland has to offer. Wild coastlines, rugged high mountains, stunning lochs and rivers, and incredible waterfalls. The latter was what we were heading towards. Wailing Widow Falls.

From a small layby, we headed up the gorge to the waterfall. There were only short sections of the path visible. Most of the twenty minute short hike was over rocks and boulders and planty of squelchy boggy ground. I loved it. Mud, streams, and rocks! My favourite. Fortunately, my human had brought his hiking poles to help him along this challenging route. We had experienced a lot harder terrain than this, but he claimed that his knee was giving him some jip! Even I was thinking,’WOW!’ this time before he managed to say it out loud. The rushing water grew louder as we neared the base of the falls. It was an awesome sight and well worth the struggle to hike along the valley floor.

I was made to stand in the stream to get most of the mud off me before I was allowed back into the car. He just changed his footwear. Seems a bit unfair to me. The next stop was planned to be a hike to the Old Man of Stoer from the lighthouse at Stoer Head. At the end of a tricky road, we found the lighthouse and parked in a small car park a few hundred yards away. The lighthouse is nowadays a self-catering holiday let. The walk to the Old Man, a 60-metre sandstone stack off the nearby coast, is only around four miles out and back. My human really wanted to visit it, but the weather had turned really nasty again with strong winds blowing accompanied by horizontal rain. The cliff top route is said to be boggy in places, so we decided to give it a miss. We plan to return to the area in the future and I’m sure that it will still be there.

The next stop was at a place that my human was looking forward to visiting. Feeding himself is a top priority, and he had read that there is a bakery in Lochinver that is famous for its pies. Lochinver Larder is dog friendly, but only outdoors in their covered shelter overlooking the loch. http://lochinverlarder.com make a fantastic range of pies, and a mooch around their website will make you salivate. My human chose a Pork, Chorizo and Manchego pie, which he said was amazing. I ended up with a small piece of crust. I think that he forgot about me! I had to be satisfied with a short walk along the lochside before we headed back to the car.

It took us around an hour to drive to our destination for the night at Ardmair, which is a few miles before Ullapool. The campsite is in a beautiful area on the banks of Loch Kinaird and in the lee of Ben Mhor Coigach. Our worry was that it would be too windy to pitch a tent. We were assured that there was a well sheltered spot just behind some trees. We checked it out and discovered that it was perfect. Although the rest of the campsite was being assaulted by the strong wind, we had a perfect wind free spot. http://ardmair.com is definitely dog friendly, and the facilities are good too. The showers are clean and hot, according to the big feller.

We pitched the tent and then went for a walk around the campsite and some of the local area. We loved this place. It is in a stunning area and really peaceful and tranquil. Well, except for the incessant high wind that had been present all through this trip. We went for a short drive into Ullapool so that we could have a wander around the town before my dad grabbed something to eat. Most of our time was spent in the harbour area watching a ferry head off to one of the Hebridean islands. Our search for a dog friendly pub or cafe was fruitless. A couple of places weren’t open and he couldn’t decide between the others. I think that he was tired from driving so we returned to the campsite where he cooked sausage and mash which seemed to liven him up. We had another wobble around the campsite before the rain came and forced us to escape to the comfort of the tent. My human watched a movie on his tablet before we snuggled into our sleeping bags for the night.

Day 6 – Ardmair Point to Applecross

The wind had been wild again overnight, but thanks to a fantastic recommendation from the campsite reception, we were completely sheltered from the battering that the motorhomes on the opposite side of the hedge must have had to endure. After our disappointing visit to Ullapool on the previous evening, my human was determined to find somewhere in the town that was dog friendly and served a cooked breakfast. He spent a few minutes online before he found somewhere only a few yards from where we had parked yesterday. With the tent packed away into the car, we had a stroll around the campsite before we set off to Ullapool in search of breakfast for the hungry one.

We found a place that was perfect for us, only a few yards from where we had given up our search the previous evening. The Ceilidh Place is a hotel, bunkhouse, cafe, bar, restaurant, bookshop, and music venue! We were made to feel incredibly welcome. Several members of staff came to me to fuss over me. I was brought water and treats too. I loved it there. My dad had a lovely, full Scottish breakfast. It’s such a shame that we hadn’t found the place the previous day when my dad ‘had one on him!’ http://theceilidhplace.com was established as a cafe bar and meeting place by Robert Urquhart, the famous Scottish actor, fifty years ago and has grown into a popular spot for visitors and locals alike.

My human said that we should walk off our breakfast with another stroll around the harbour before we moved on. We spent an hour or so in Ullapool while the weather was being kind to us before setting off to our first sightseeing spot of the day. Less than an hours drive from Ullapool is the dramatic Corrieshalloch Gorge. As we arrived, the weather took another turn. Heavy rain hit us as we walked along the recently laid footpath to the gorge. It was a great excuse for me to get down and dirty!

The first view of the gorge is nothing short of stunning. ‘WOW, etc. etc!’ It’s huge, a mile long canyon with a series of spectacular waterfalls below the Victorian suspension bridge. It is worthwhile taking the extra time to walk the Fern Walk to take in all the scenery of the area. I leapt at the opportunity to explore the undergrowth while my human looked over towards Loch Broom. The viewing platform was a great experience for my human, but there was no way that I was going to risk my paws falling through the metal grill floor.

Considering the fact that the weather was awful and we were unsure about stopping at this place initially, it turned out to be one of our highlights of the trip.

The drive to our next stop was another incredibly scenic route. The mountains were rugged and awesome, as were the coastal views. Well, according to the big feller. I was busy sleeping on the back seat and dreaming about sprinting along beaches and running along muddy woodland paths. He disturbed my slumber by stopping a few times to take in the views and to take a few snaps.

Gairloch is a small coastal village with a great cafe called The Mountain Coffee Company Cafe. We sat in a sun room at the rear of the building. It was lovely and warm. My dad asked for a bowl of water for me while he ate his carrot cake and drank his Americano. The cafe was adorned with Bob Marley photos, and his music was coming from the speakers dotted around. Needless to say, I had to suffer his rendition of ‘Could You Be Loved’ for the rest of the day. Mountaineering books were stacked on the shelves and Tibetan prayer flags, draped from the ceiling. My human loved the atmosphere with him being into mountaineering and being an ageing hippy!

The drive to our next stop was through heavy rain and strong winds again. We didn’t stop off this time for photo shoots. Instead, we splashed through the puddles and reached Victoria Falls after a short time, just as the rain eased off.

We were alone on the short hike from the car park up to the falls. I enjoyed the freedom of a sprint up and down the path while my human enjoyed the views. People had started to park up as we returned to the car, and the weather had been kind to us.

The next section of our trip was through the magnificent Beinn Eighe Nature Reserve. The road was challenging in the rain, but the views were awe-inspiring. So many waterfalls had formed on the steep mountain slopes, but stopping to take it all in was difficult due to it being a single track road. My dad spotted a small lay-by ahead where we could pull over. There were a few cars parked there but enough room for us. We had a nice surprise awaiting us. Callum, the famous stag, was in the car park! Me and him had a staring competition. I think that he won! Now I know what that stupid headgear that my dad put on me last Christmas was all about!

The views continued to be stunning as we drove onwards towards Applecross. On our way, we made a short detour into Torridon. It’s a pretty little lochside village on the shore of the loch with the same name. After we had stopped for a few minutes, we drove to the opposite side of the loch, where we could look back towards the village. This was another ‘WOW!’ moment. The height of the sheer walls of the mountain backdrop to the village is immense.

We had a camping pitch booked at the Applecross Campsite for the night. My human fancied a bit of comfort for the night. He said that he was worn out after all the driving and hiking of the past week. So, he enquired about upgrading the booking to a camping pod. The receptionist offered a discount due to the time of year and that only one other pod was booked for the night. So, that’s where we would stay for the night. The village pub was closed that evening, so my human cooked on the porch. The pod was fairly basic, but it suited our needs. Unfortunately for the big feller, the door to the pod was very low. Six times during our stay, he banged his head on it. He literally had cuts and lumps on the top of his head. OK, I can understand that he might bang it once. Maybe even twice. But six times. Don’t you humans learn more quickly than that normally? The people in the next pod found it as funny as I did. Well, that was until the next morning when our neighbour slipped on the rain-soaked slope next to his pod. His wife said that he was ‘gubbed’ and would have to go to the A&E department of the nearest hospital as he had hurt his back quite badly.

We both slept well that night. I was particularly comfortable, as you can see from my bedding layout. Well, that wasn’t where I actually slept, as you can see in the second photo. He had to budge up a bit, that’s all!

Day 7 – Applecross to the south

The final day of our NC500 trip started at daybreak. We had planned to complete the West Coast section and then head south towards Oban rather than drive across country to Inverness. We have travelled through that area on previous trips. We decided to play it by ear and to decide on a route home as we travelled. ‘Caledonia’ by Dougie MacLean was his song of the day. I think that he was preparing himself for going home!

After we had both eaten breakfast packed up and headed over the infamous Bealach Na Ba or Applecross Pass, as it is sometimes called. This very steep single lane pass with its hairpin bends is avoided by travellers with large motorhomes and trailers, especially in the summer months. My human was looking forward to driving over it as he had cycled over it in both directions on one day in the dim and distant past. The weather was horrible with high winds and driving rain, spoiling the view. It was still an awesome drive. I stayed in the car while my foolish and very wet dad stopped at the small parking areas to take photographs. Rather him than me.

My human loves driving on these types of roads. Me, I prefer motorways as I don’t get thrown from side to side when he drives on three lane wide and straight roads. On roads like the Bealach, I can’t sleep!

As we reached the bottom of the pass, we drove into the village of Lochcarron while my dad slurped on a cup of coffee from his flask. I had a quick walk along the waterfront, and then we said goodbye to our NC500 trip. This wouldn’t be the end of our trip, though. We had plenty more places to visit on our journey home. This section of our journey had been amazing. I agree with my human when he says ‘WOW, that’s stunning!’ about this trip. We will definitely return because there is so much more to see. The rest of our trip will be in a separate blog. So, thank you for reading, and we hope that you enjoyed it. Till next time!