🚐✨ Vanilla & the NC500: Miles, Myths & Magic

September 21 – October 3, 2025

🌈 Day 1 – Stafford ➝ Balintore

459.5 miles | Avg 29 mph | Top 81 mph

The adventure began before dawn, Stafford still heavy with sleep as Vanilla’s diesel heartbeat rolled into the cool air. The M6 was a steel river of lorries and cars, headlights glaring, but the horizon whispered Scotland with every mile. By Dalwhinnie, the sky staged a miracle: a rainbow arched across the road like Scotland’s own neon welcome.

After almost 460 miles, Inverness rolled past, and the NC500 truly began. Evening light painted Balintore in gold, where the Mermaid of the North stared eternally out to sea. A pint at the Balintore Inn sealed the first chapter.

🖼️ Photo: Vanilla parked under Dalwhinnie’s rainbow🖼️ Photo: Mermaid of the North sculpture against the waves🖼️ Photo: Balintore Inn pint, condensation running down the glass

🥃 Day 2 – Balintore ➝ Thurso

110 miles | Avg 19 mph | Top 68 mph

Morning light poured pink over the Moray Firth. With time on your side, the road unfolded into stops rich with heritage.

At Glenmorangie Distillery, copper stills glowed like suns, the air thick with the perfume of whisky in the making. Northward stood Dunrobin Castle, a fairy tale in stone, turrets cutting into a blue sky. By afternoon, the road pulled you to the edge of Britain at John o’ Groats, where the famous signpost hummed with stickers and the Atlantic thundered just beyond.

Thurso welcomed you with the wind howling through the pop-top. A curry and a pint of Tennents brought warmth and balance.

🖼️ Photo: Copper stills at Glenmorangie glowing golden🖼️ Photo: Drone wide shot of Dunrobin Castle and gardens🖼️ Photo: John o’ Groats signpost, stickers layered thick

🌅 Day 3 – Thurso ➝ Kyle of Tongue

58 miles | Avg 13 mph | Top 65 mph

The road curled west past Bettyhill Beach, dunes glowing gold, waves soft and white. Highland coos grazed roadside, camera-ready in their shaggy coats.

By evening, the Kyle of Tongue Causeway burned in copper sunset. Ben Loyal loomed above, wearing a crown of fire. Dinner at the Ben Loyal Hotel — Highland chicken swimming in whisky sauce — drew the day to a perfect close.

🖼️ Photo: Drone view of Bettyhill Beach, dunes spilling into sea🖼️ Photo: Close-up of Highland coo, tongue out mid-chew🖼️ Photo: Sunset over Kyle of Tongue, water glowing like molten glass

🌊 Day 4 – Kyle of Tongue ➝ Durness

29 miles | Avg 14 mph | Top 68 mph

Loch Eriboll stretched pewter-dark and endless, its silence broken only by history. German U-boats once surrendered here, and the stillness felt heavy with memory.

But joy returned in turquoise at Ceannabeinne, where the zipline swung thrill-seekers out over crashing surf. Then Durness roared to life. The Sango Sands Campsite perched above thunderous waves, gulls wheeling above. Lunch was a pastrami-packed “New Yorker” toastie, messy and magnificent. Evening fell at the Oasis Bar, surf hammering applause below the cliffs.

🖼️ Photo: Loch Eriboll panorama, dark and moody🖼️ Photo: Zipline rider crossing Ceannabeinne Beach, spray flying🖼️ Photo: Campervan at Sango Sands pitch with ocean backdrop

🎣 Day 5 – Durness ➝ Scourie

29 miles | Avg 9 mph | Top 56 mph

The Cape Wrath ferry sat idle, but the road west carried peace instead of disappointment.

Smoo Cave thundered with hidden waterfalls in its belly. Scourie welcomed you with turquoise calm: a Spar for supplies, a pub for a pint, and fish & chips steaming vinegar into cool evening air. At Scourie Campsite, the drone rose at dusk, catching fishing boats like scattered toys on a teal canvas.

🖼️ Photo: Inside Smoo Cave, waterfall roaring into darkness🖼️ Photo: Fish & chips in paper, vinegar soaking through🖼️ Photo: Drone shot of Scourie Bay at dusk, turquoise glow

🏝️ Day 6 – Scourie ➝ Achmelvich

39 miles | Avg 15 mph | Top 59 mph

This was Scotland in cinematic mode.

The Kylesku Bridge arched across silver water, elegant as sculpture. At Drumbeg Viewpoint, lochs and islets spread like jewels. Then the beaches stole the stage.

Clachtoll Beach was white sand and turquoise clarity. But Achmelvich Bay won the crown. Fish & chips eaten by the water, gulls circling boldly, drone shots that could be mistaken for the Caribbean until the Highland wind reminded you otherwise.

🖼️ Photo: Drone arc over Kylesku Bridge🖼️ Photo: Panoramic from Drumbeg, scattered lochs glinting🖼️ Photo: Achmelvich Beach, sand glowing, campervans lined up

🌧️ Day 7 – Achmelvich ➝ Ullapool

38 miles | Avg 14 mph | Top 63 mph

Rain set the tone, streaking across the windscreen as Ardvreck Castle loomed on Loch Assynt. The ruin looked ready to crumble further under centuries of drizzle, haunted in story and in sight.

By Ullapool, the harbour rattled with life: ferries docking, gulls shrieking, ropes groaning. The Seafood Shack delivered a haddock wrap so good it should be patented. Roast beef at The Arch Inn rounded off the storm with warmth. Vanilla rested at Broomfield Holiday Park, practically dipping her tyres into Loch Broom.

🖼️ Photo: Ardvreck Castle in rain, drone mist above loch🖼️ Photo: Seafood Shack haddock wrap mid-bite🖼️ Photo: Evening lights on Ullapool harbour

🚢 Day 8 – Ullapool Rest Day

0 miles | Avg 0 | All atmosphere

Vanilla stayed put, but Ullapool staged a show. Ferries sliced silver wakes across Loch Broom, gulls hovered and screamed, and by sunset the water turned to poured gold. The MV Loch Seaforth traced a luminous line into the dusk, drone footage worthy of cinema.

🖼️ Photo: MV Loch Seaforth ferry glowing in sunset🖼️ Photo: Drone panorama over Loch Broom at golden hour

🏞️ Day 9 – Ullapool ➝ Gairloch

56 miles | Avg 19 mph | Top 70 mph

Gruinard Bay gleamed outrageously blue, but offshore Anthrax Island lurked with its dark Cold War past. The contrast was stark — paradise and shadow side by side.

On the road, you met a fellow VW driver, a survivor of the Kegworth crash. His story added a human layer to the day, reminding you that roads hold people’s histories as much as landscapes. Evening in Gairloch Holiday Park was all calm: mountains beyond, pint in hand, water lapping quietly.

🖼️ Photo: Gruinard Bay turquoise waters from above🖼️ Photo: Portrait of VW driver met on roadside🖼️ Photo: Sunset over Gairloch Bay, campervans in silhouette

🌌 Day 10 – Gairloch ➝ Loch Maree (wild camp)

66 miles | Avg 17 mph | Top 55 mph

Loch Maree is legend and stillness woven together. Its wooded islands, holy to ancient monks, rise dark and mysterious from silver water. The Torridon peaks stand jagged and unblinking on the horizon.

The drone barely needed to move — stillness was the subject. By nightfall, stars punched holes in the sky. Wild camping by the loch, Vanilla ticked softly, the heater keeping rhythm.

🖼️ Photo: Drone panorama over Loch Maree, Slioch in distance🖼️ Photo: Night sky shot with campervan silhouette by loch

🛣️ Day 11 – Loch Maree ➝ Fort Augustus

156 miles | Avg 20 mph | Top 68 mph

This was the kind of day that strings highlights like beads.

First, Eilean Donan Castle rose from its promontory like a film set. Then the Ballachulish Bridge arched over mist, steel against slate water.

By evening, Fort Augustus unfolded its canal locks step by step to Loch Ness. A pint at The Lock Inn, warm and buzzing, bookended the day perfectly. Nessie didn’t appear, but the myth hung in the air anyway.

🖼️ Photo: Eilean Donan Castle in golden light🖼️ Photo: Drone shot of Ballachulish Bridge across water🖼️ Photo: Evening pint at The Lock Inn, canal lights glowing

🏎️ Day 12 – Fort Augustus ➝ Lancaster

291 miles | Avg 24 mph | Top 78 mph

The Highlands staged their farewell in Glencoe — peaks looming, mist curling, valleys opening wide. Rannoch Moorstretched a russet quilt, stark and endless. The Ballachulish Bridge whispered its goodbye a second time.

Southbound miles blurred, but the finish sparkled: the Eagles Head (Brit Stops) in Over Kellet. Anne’s welcome was warm, the top-car-park pitch quiet, and the chicken & leek pie a masterpiece. Vanilla sighed in relief as much as you did.

📍 The Eagles Head

🖼️ Photo: Drone shot of Glencoe valley, mist rolling down🖼️ Photo: Pie and pint at Eagles Head table🖼️ Photo: Campervan parked under pub lights, top car park

🎉 Day 13 – Lancaster ➝ Stafford

147 miles | Avg 38 mph | Top 77 mph

The motorway stretched smooth and familiar, a final coffee keeping eyelids open. Fields turned from foreign to home, hedgerows recognisable, and at last the driveway appeared. Vanilla purred to a halt like a champion at the finish line.

The NC500 wasn’t just complete — it was lived. A loop closed, a legend absorbed, and a thousand moments banked in memory.

🖼️ Photo: Final odometer reading, 1,480 miles logged🖼️ Photo: Vanilla back in Stafford driveway, bug-splattered but proud

📊 Totals

• 1,480 miles driven

• 12 driving days + 1 rest day

• 🏁 Top speed: 81.4 mph

• 🐢 Slowest day: Scourie, 9 mph average

• 🌍 Longest haul: Day 1, 459.5 miles

🔥 Now you’ve got your full illustrated blog scaffold: story, stats, stops with what3words, and photo slots marked with captions.

Do you want me to also make you a matching interactive map file (KML/Google Maps) with all these stops pinned, so readers can follow the whole loop visually?