The northernmost part of Scotland doesn’t have any of the usual attractions – imposing palaces and castles, grand museums and art galleries, operas and theaters, or verdant greenery and rose gardens.

Instead, you will find a stark, raw kind of beauty – remote ruins, waves lashing on rocks, craggy cliffs – and hardly any people.

Perfect for us!

Our base for exploring this area was a picturesque village called Bettyhill, located at the northernmost tip of the Scotland. It is on the A836 road (also known as NC500 today) almost equidistant between John-O-Groats on the east end and Durness on the west. We drove into this village after exploring the east coast of the NC500 route.

Bettyhill is a typical Scottish village (population of about 500) with no gas station or ATM! It has one post office cum grocery which sells petrol and serves as an ATM (you will get a cashback if you buy something small from the shop at the post office). And yes, the lady in charge is quite friendly.

We stayed in a very nice Airbnb overlooking the Farre beach, with sheep grazing on our backyard. We stocked food and groceries from a large supermarket chain located about an hour’s drive away and stayed here for 4 days.

This part of Scotland gets some rain almost every day, despite which we did several interesting day trips during our stay.

Here’s the route map of our day trips.

DAY TRIP 1 – FORSINARD FLOWS

About an hour’s drive from Bettyhill, a bit off the NC500 route, is the Forsinard Flows reserve – part of a vast expanse of blanket bog, sheltered straths and mountains known as the Flow Country.

This nature reserve has a viewing tower, visitor centre, several trails and some special guided walks.

It was raining slightly when we went here, hence we spent a bit of time at the visitor centre browsing through the informative exhibits and watching a short film on the background of this place. We received a lesson on climate change and carbon stores.

The deep layers of peat lying below the surface of the locks away carbon which would otherwise have been released as carbon dioxide. This type of bog covers just three percent of the earth’s surface but holds nearly 30% of all its carbon.

Scientists are trying to understand and conserve the Flow Country as an important global carbon sink as well as a wildlife habitat.

We followed the Dubh Lochan trail – a short but truly unique walk – to get an introduction to the Forsinard Flows National Nature Reserve.  The walk was interesting, and also educative because there are informative signboards along the way.

The trail crosses the blanket bog on a wooden walkway leading to the Lookout tower which overlooks this remarkable landscape of bogs and habitat. The boardwalk continues to the Dubh Lochan pools. This is a great walk for bird watchers as well as those interested in plant and insect life. The walk took about an hour including stops here and there.

Serious bird watchers visit this reserve looking for rare birds.

Breaking news : UNESCO has awarded World Heritage Site status to the Flow Country, the first time that a “mere” peat bog has received this recognition. Grand Canyon and Great Barrier Reef – move over, and make room for the Forsinard Flows.

DAY TRIP 2

CASTLE VARRICH

This is an enjoyable one hour round trip hike with spectacular views.

As you drive westward from Bettyhill, you will come across Castle Varrich – a ruined castle. It is in a picturesque area on the north coast of Scotland, just a 30-minute drive from Bettyhill.

Visiting the castle involves a 2-mile walk which starts and finishes in the beautiful coastal village of Tongue, located on the east shore of the picturesque Kyle of Tongue.

The castle’s precise origins, age and history are unknown. However, many believe the castle was built in the 1400s and was once occupied by the Mackay clan.

There isn’t a lot of parking in the village of Tongue. When we visited in late spring, it wasn’t the busy season, and we managed to find a parking spot in the small car park on Main Street, opposite Ben Loyal Hotel.

This was probably one of the easiest trailheads to locate, and the path was well marked and a pleasure to follow.  The path winds back and forth for a fairly easy ascent, and gets a bit steep when you are near the castle, the overall climb being about 87 metres (286 ft).

It took us around an hour to walk to the castle and back. It is a lovely walk, and worth doing because you get to see some stunning scenery from the top of the castle, which makes the uphill effort worthwhile.

ARD NEACKIE VIEWPOINT – HEILAM – LOCH ERIBOLL

We got some truly amazing and unique views at this viewpoint.

This stretch of driving towards and around Tongue is very picturesque. It is a winding road, almost totally single-track.

The north coast of Scotland is deeply indented by a series of sea lochs and river estuaries. As we drove towards Tongue, we crossed the Kyle of Tongue – an estuary fed by the Kinloch River to the south. We then crossed the Loch Hope and came to Loch Eriboll.

Here, we saw this unique view of a craggy peninsula jutting out into Loch Eriboll, connected to the mainland by a thin isthmus of sand which links it to the east shore. It is like a sandy beach sticking out into the Loch! This is truly the most intriguing and attractive feature of Loch Eriboll

This is the ARD NEAKIE VIEWPOINT – a bit of a tongue twister.

Ard Neackie has an interesting history of lime quarrying and lime kilns. Also, it was home to Heilam ferry across Loch Eriboll.

Unfortunately, there is no parking here, and there is no suitable place to stop on the roadside. The best one can do is to take some quick pictures from the car.

DAY 3

SMOO CAVE

Getting to the Smoo Cave, and further into Durness, requires a longish drive from Bettyhill. It is 40 miles and just over an hour on paper but takes much longer due to the twisty, single-track road. Also, in keeping with being tourists, we tend to stop here and there for pictures.

The local vehicles, especially the delivery vans, drive fast because they know the roads and are always in a rush. We have seen this in most countries, and consequently learnt to move out of the way soonest possible.

Smoo Cave is a unique large cave (freshwater and seawater) with a spectacular waterfall inside the cave.

It is a geological wonder and totally worth visiting. The cave has three inner chambers featuring a massive waterfall.  You can enjoy a guided boat ride in the peak season.

There are other interesting facts about this cave. Archeologists have discovered Neolithic, Norse and Iron age artifacts inside the cave. Legends talk about the cave being a gateway to the fairy world, guarded by spirits. A more mundane belief is that the cave was used by smugglers as a natural hiding place.

A detailed description of what to see and do here is in our blog post: Magical cave and waterfall.

DURNESS, BALNAKEIL AND FARAID HEAD

Driving further for about 5 miles from Smoo Cave on a mediocre road brings you to these remote gems, well worth a visit. This is literally the farthest you can drive a normal car on the western tip of northern Scotland. Beyond this, you will need a proper 4WD as the roads are rather rough.

The views in this part of Scotland are amazing – lots of sheep, greenery, beautiful beaches and dramatic landscape!

There is a bay and beach at Durness – the most north-westerly village in Scottish mainland. Durness is popular with hillwalkers and mountain climbers as it offers towering cliffs, rugged mountains and expansive moorlands, all of which provide fantastic and challenging walking trails.

The ruined Balnakeil chapel dates to 1619, as you will be informed by the numerous and informative signboards. We enjoyed walking through the chapel ruins while feasting our eyes on the deep blue waters of the Balnakeil beach that was just next to it.

Finally the Faraid Head – it juts out into the sea at the northernmost end.

A combination of deep blue ocean, sand dunes and tall grass where birds make their nests – this is a great place for long walks.

DAY 4

STRATHY POINT & LIGHTHOUSE

This is one of our favorite day trips.

Strathy Point is the location where the land projects sharply outwards from the central section of Scotland’s northern coastline.

Visiting its lighthouse makes for a straightforward walk with some excellent coastal views, including a dramatic arch.

It is also a great place to watch for cetaceans. Whales and dolphins are frequently seen in the summer months.

Reaching Strathy Point itself is an adventure. Drive eastwards on the NC500 route for about 10 miles. Then there is a turnoff to a narrow (private) road leading to a dead end – about a 5-minute drive. You cannot drive beyond this point. There are huge signboards saying ‘End of public road’, and ‘No vehicles, but public access welcome’!!

So, you need to park here, in a small parking space for about 5 cars, which also houses stacks of crab pots. Then cross the wooden barrier and gate and start walking on the 1.5 mile long private road towards the Strathy Lighthouse.

You will pass a few local houses first, and then it is an open road with green landscape on both sides. You will find alpacas and sheep grazing around you, and little streams winding through the grass. You can see the deep blue sea on both ends beyond the landscape.

We enjoyed this beautiful walk!

The lighthouse (built in 1958 – 46 feet high) is in full view now. Climb up a few steps at the lighthouse and the views from here are totally breathtaking. It was very windy when we visited. Walk further up a small path towards the craggy rocks. There is a bench provided to take a break and admire the scenery. You can still go further near the end of the rocks and view the waves crashing below you. Absolutely spectacular experience!

If you are lucky, you might spot cetaceans and seabirds, especially Gannets.

BRIMS CASTLE

A bit further from Strathy’s point driving eastwards is this derelict and roofless castle ruins.

History says it was a property of the Sinclairs – James Sinclair of Brims Ness in 1643. Then it was passed to different branches of the Sinclair family. Until around the 1970s, it looks like the castle was occupied.

When we visited this place, it looked totally deserted! There seemed to be no houses or even sheep for miles!

Some Tips for travelers to the northern highlands of Scotland

Accommodation in the Northwestern part of Scotland – around Tongue and Durness – is very difficult and scarce. You need to book months in advance.

However, there is a good supply of bed and breakfasts, small hotels and Airbnbs in the eastern and southern part of NC500 route.

It is best to avoid traveling in these parts in June, July and August due to the prevalence of dreaded Scottish midges! These are tiny two-winged flies that move in swarms especially near marshy areas.  Their bites can be nasty, and you may need protective clothing and face mesh.

Luckily, we ended our trip by mid-May and did not come across any midge.

Bettyhill turned out to be a great base for us to explore around this northernmost part of Scottish highlands.

We are planning a return visit soon to check out the Western part of this picturesque route!

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