Our Highland Honeymoon

A trip around the Scotland North Coast 500.

We knew we wanted to have a little adventure after all the excitement of the wedding, and thanks to all of your contributions to our honeymoon fund we were able to make it a trip to remember. Following Atkinson family tradition, we decided to honeymoon in Scotland, and in Green family fashion, we decided to do it by campervan.

Tuesday morning after the wedding we packed everything we could fit into the car and began the journey up to Edinburgh.

After a stopover at a B&B in Shap for the night and a fly by visit to the castle, we collected the campervan from Big Sky Campers in Edinburgh on a cold and wet Wednesday morning.

With absolutely no plans made we set off towards the NC500 starting point in Inverness. For our first night in the van we stopped at Glenmore Campsite in Aviemore (recommended by the van hire guy).

It rained heavily the entire first day and night so we didn’t get any photos but in the morning we stopped at nearby Loch Morlich to plan our next moves.

We decided to take a diversion to see Loch Ness before heading to Inverness, because it seemed a shame not to visit while we were in the area.

After a stop at the tourist centre we found a good spot on Dores Beach at the north point where you can see all the way down the loch.

No sign of the monster but we did pick up a souvenir from lifelong Nessie Hunter Steve Feltham who lives in a shack looking out across the loch from Dores Inn car park.

Finally we reached the starting point at Inverness and we spent our first night roughing it at Torvean Car Park, one of the designated overnight car parks on the Highland Motorhome and Campervan Scheme.

We were rewarded in the morning when the sun came out and, after stocking up on supplies at Inverness Tesco, we set off early to our first destination on the route - the town of Dornoch.

We arrived early and headed straight for the coast where Bonnie was very pleased to find a beautiful sandy beach.

Most of the day was spent soaking up the charm of Dornoch. Highlights included a freshly made lobster roll, Cocoa Mountain hot chocolates and visit to a Thompson Bros Distillery.

After Dornoch, we headed straight north to the town of Wick.

There wasn’t much going on in the town itself but we stayed the night at Wick River Campsite which has the best facilities of any campsite we visited.

Scotch was consumed in the van that night.

The next morning we made a beeline for John o’ Groats. Got the photo with the sign and then watched some cyclists finishing their rides while we ate tattie scones in the cafe. Delicious!

Next, we stopped at Dunnet where we walked on the beach and saw some surfers, before heading to Dunnet Point, the most Northerly point of the mainland where we watched some seals on the rocks below.

We continued along to the town of Thurso, were we stopped for another beach walk. Bonnie was pleased.

We stopped next at Melvich beach for a third and final beach walk of the day, and one of our favourites beaches of the trip.

Our campsite for the night had one of the best views overlooking the beach.

After a morning walk on Strathy beach, we hit the road once more and covered a long stretch of the dramatic north coast. Our next stop was the famous Smoo Cave in Durness - a vast sea cave carved into the limestone cliffs.

Although we couldn’t take the dinghy tour to see the hidden waterfall with Bonnie, we still ventured inside and marvelled at the eerie beauty of the cavernous entrance.

Next, we doubled back slightly, having spotted Ceannabeinne Beach on the drive in. Often regarded one of the most beautiful beaches on the NC500, it didn’t disappoint—white sands, turquoise waves, and a backdrop of rugged hills made it feel almost tropical. It’s also a popular surfing spot.

Bonnie approved.

That evening, we parked up at Durness village car park, where we stayed overnight. We enjoyed fish and chips from The Highland Scullery washed down with a can of Leith Juice IPA from Campervan brewery, which seemed appropriate.

We awoke to glorious sunshine and enjoyed a walk on Durness beach while we waited patiently for Cheese n Toasted to open, for the best cheese toastie of our lives.

Just around the next bend in the coastline, we were completely stunned by the beauty of Balnakeil Beach. It was certainly our favourite beach of the trip—and one of the standout highlights overall.

The sun was beating down, the sea was crystal clear, and the soft white sands were framed by rolling dunes. Best of all, we had the entire beach to ourselves. Aside from the lack of palm trees (and the ice cold water), it felt like we’d stumbled into the Caribbean.

We’d now reached the westmost point accessible by road along the North Coast, and from there the route began to dip down into the mountainous West. The views just kept getting better and we had to keep pulling over to take it all in (the photos do not do it justice)

The rugged landscape of the West Coast means there are fewer towns and villages to pass through, and fewer campsites to choose from. With our typically laid-back approach to planning, we hadn’t booked ahead, so the well-reviewed campsites in Scourie and Clachtoll were both fully booked. It meant a longer drive South than we’d intended, but it worked out perfectly in the end— after a very brief walk around Lochinver, we found a spot at Port a Bhaigh campsite in Altandhu, perched right by the water, and it was absolutely stunning.

It turned out to be one of the nicest campsites we stayed at—peaceful, scenic, and with a brilliant little shop stocked with local produce (some of which was eagerly sampled) and its own range of merch (some of which may have made its way into our van). The whole place had a calm, laid-back atmosphere… which we later disrupted by accidentally setting off the van alarm at 11pm. Oops.

The next day, we headed inland to Knockan Crag Nature Reserve for a bit of hiking and to take in some of the incredible views across Assynt. We also learned a bit about the geological history of the landscape while we were there—which helped make sense of all the dramatic rock formations around us.

Next, we made our way down to the port village of Ullapool. Popular with tourists and full of restaurants, cafés, and shops, it felt a bit like re-entering civilisation.

We saved a bit of money by staying in one of the overnight car parks, but treated ourselves to a lovely meal at The Seaforth—where Jon tried his first ever langoustine (and managed to get some meat out of it).