Amazing Road Trip We…read morewere travelling England, Scotland and Ireland for a few weeks by car with our doggy. Northern Scotland of course was high on our to-do list. We weren't able to do the whole way, only about 2/3 of it (Inverness - whole East Coast - John O'Groats - Thurso - and a bit further than Durness). But the part we did was amazing - beyong any words. I've done some good Road Trips before. The Route 66. The US / Mexican Border. Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). Australia (Uluru - South Coast - East Coast) and more. And this here belongs to the very top Road Trips I know. The landscape is simply amazing. Every few minutes you feel the urge to stop, get out of the car and take in the wonderful views. You could do that - if you have a bunch of weeks time. We took about 5-6 days for our part of the NC 500 and we still felt it flew by so fast. After Thurso the main road becomes a one-lane. That's for both directions! There are enough spaces though to let other cars pass....about every 100-200 meters. Most drivers are very respectful too. Sometimes some Caravan Drivers acted like they own the road though. Besides that it's a fantastic ride - almost a rollercoaster somtimes :) So many lovely towns, views, vista points and landmarks. Some that we think you shouldn't miss: Inverness: lovely town, good shopping Wick: a good lunch stop Duncansby Head: one of the most amazing landscapes we've ever seen, great walks - way better than Dunnet Head Thurso: nice town, also a good base for exploring the area The Road to Dunnet Head: great views, nice small lakes, Dunnet head itself is a bit disappointing Dunnet Bay: huge (and empty) beach, pet-friendly, great views Kyle Of Tongue: amazing views, backed by many mountains Durness and Sango Bay: good stop for lunch, lovely Beach The stretch between Thurso and Durness were for us the most impressive. Fantastic all the way. The landscape along Loch Eriboll is also magical. It's a wonder this Road Trip is not more popular. There is some traffic, yes. But still not much. But that's a good thing! Better keep it secret....oh, I shouldn't have written this review then :)

I like cryptids and one of the most famous ones is the Loch Ness Monster. You won't be able to see…read morethe Monster but you are guaranteed to see a long 23 mile lake, black water, and a cute town with Loch Ness Monster souvenirs and theming. We were here 10 years ago and enjoyed it enough to come back. If you go on a cruise the windows of the cruise ship have a tiny Loch Ness Monster sticker so every picture you take will have the cryptid! Unfortunately, they were sold out this time and we were not able to get onto the ships. Caledonian Canal: Connects this Loch with others. We got really lucky this trip and were able to see the Canal in action, with waters lowering and doorways opening for 2 boats going to Loch Ness. This is located in the town area of Loch Ness. Loch Ness: From the canals walk straight down on the left side. There are no public bathroom at the end but there is a sign you can take pictures at that says "Loch Ness". If you are not on a boat ride the walk is short and the area at the end is small but its worth it to take a picture at the sign and get a close up view of the lake. The spring is gorgeous with vibrant yellow Gorse flowers blooming, it brightens up the gloom a bit and gives the landscape some special of color.

The Scottish lake, Loch Ness, is a large, freshwater loch and the second largest loch in Scotland,…read moreafter Loch Lomond, based on surface area, covering an impressive 56 Km. At its longest point, its waters stretch 36km (about 23 miles), and it has a maximum width of 2.7km (about 1.7 miles wide). We had 2 hours in our hands to explore Fort August. first we explored the Lock (a series of bridges and a loch that let you pass the canal to lochness), then we roamed around the city, and finally we spent some quiet time here. no public, no one, it was a very serene feeling to sit here and stare at this big lake and question your life's mistake ... hahaha But jokes apart, the views of the legendary Loch Ness are stunning and serene. It's a perfect spot for taking photos and enjoying the natural beauty. The atmosphere is peaceful And yes, we did not see Nessie (that famous Loch Ness monster), of course i did not even expect it ;)

Very nice, economical B&B in a family's large, old home, on a hilltop wooded lot and off street…read moreparking. Quiet location yet easy walk from town center and beach. Breakfast was excellent and plentiful, room was large. Woodlands also has some self-catering rooms with a shared kitchen. The owners also run a convivial pub in the main square. If you can't reach them by phone, try the pub number, 01862 810376

Completely and exactly what I needed…read more I spent last week on a last minute jaunt- I decided I was finally going to do the NC500, but I didn't just want to spend my time riding around taking pictures, I wanted to eat, and explore and do things that I love- and that was when I stumbled across the guys at "Kayak Summer Isles". I sent a query across on their site's contact form and the lovely Tim was quickly back in touch (They take a 40% deposit, completely fairly, as I wouldn't want to be lugging those big Canadian canoes around for no shows). We met at Stac Pollaidh car park with the others (and the chap who was taking drone footage of the antics to advertise holidaying in the highlands), and dragged the boats down to the beach in our old trainers. Tim provided dry bags for any extra layers or snacks too- but there was no need for either as it was a bloody lovely day and there was a lemon drizzle cake for landing on the sand at the end of the Loch. Tim was a perfect canoe companion- the nerd that I am (and travelling solo) landed me in the boat with the instructor- but we had lovely chats, and he had a lot of interesting things to say, along with making great hot chocolate using a camping kettle, and introducing us all to- and thrashing us all at- mölkky, a scandi throwing game which I am definitely a fan of now. Tim, and the other instructor, Will (who I didn't have the pleasure of meeting) are both totally qualified instructors- and I'm entirely jealous of them adventuring and living up in the highlands. I will most certainly be going back to the highlands, and I'll be planning to head out with these guys again- it was genuinely lovely, and in such a beautiful setting. You can rock climb with them too...

Lovely stay at this beautifully equipped cottage. We had a peaceful week enjoying fine weather and…read morethe sea views just out the conservatory windows. The ambitious of our family (Himself and the sons) went out walking on the cliffs and around the nearby loch down to the next village. We girls stayed home while they did that, but we all piled into the car to see the glorious beaches and mountains in Harris, as well as the museums on the west coast. Don't miss the lighthouse at the far north of the island. Everything was just so, every comfort thought of, and we will return. It was as good as it gets!

Well located, tidy holiday Park. Possibly the nicest caravan we have ever stayed in with en-suite…read morefor the master bedroom and a main bathroom. Washer dryer not the best but kept all the swimming clothing clean and dry daily. Camp facilities very good and all contained within a smart purpose built building having a restaurant, function room, swimming pool and arcade. Access to beautiful beaches was a very short walk as was the local town of Nairn which has good quality shops and restaurants as well as a sainsbury on edge of the town. Fully recommend this park as a great base to explore this part of Scotland.

We booked a caravan via 'The Sun Readers Holidays' for 4 days at the beginning of July this year…read more It is just situated off the main road through Nairn. We arrived after 3pm and check in was very quick, we pre-paid for entertainment passes, which we didnt get the full benefit out of as we were always out doing touristy things!! So would probable not buy them in future unless we were staying on site most of the time. We also paid for a linen pack, but in future we will bring our own sleeping bags as think this is more economical and cleaner too. The duvets in the caravan weren't exactly immaculate. When we unpacked, we noticed that the caravan hadn't been mega cleaned, dirty glasses crumbs in drawers etc, so I cleaned it again. We both thought the caravan was ok and acceptable, however in comparison to another caravan holiday I was on later this year at a different site with a much nicer caravan at a cheaper price. This caravan was old and tired looking. There is a outdoor play area that my kids went to all the time and we took turns to supervise them, although there was plenty of young kids there who had to supervise themselves i.e no parent or guardian keeping an eye on them. We were able to walk into Nairn town centre in around 10 minutes, it is not large and some of the shops shut mid afternoon on a Saturday. We had already been to Inverness that day so werent too bothered. The big selling point for the site is that it is right next to one of the nicest beaches in the area. The kids had a ball on it especially in the rain.

I stayed at the camp site for 1 night with my daughter and was impressed with the facilities and…read morefriendliness of the proprietor who directed me to an available pitch. The site is very close to the dunes of Dornoch beach and there are lots of play parks for the youngsters. I will be definitely going there again soon with the rest of the family.