One of the questions riders often ask before the trip is what the accommodation will actually be like each night. This guide gives an overview of where the team will be staying on our 2026 North Coast 500 ride, along with the facilities we currently know about and a few useful notes for each stop.
As with any group trip, a few arrangements are still being finalised. If anything important changes, we’ll share updates directly with the team. For now, this should give you a good sense of what to expect and help you prepare for the ride.
Day 0 – Saturday 11 July – Inverness
Location: To be confirmed
Stay type: Ideally indoor
What to expect:
We’re still finalising our overnight host in Inverness for the first night of the trip. In previous years we have stayed at Bught Caravan and Campsite, but this year we are hoping to secure an indoor host instead. We are currently in discussion with a few churches and community centres and hope to have this confirmed soon.
Facilities:
Toilets: To be confirmed
Showers: To be confirmed
Kitchen access: To be confirmed
Charging points: To be confirmed
Nearby:
Once the location is confirmed, we’ll share more specific details on food options, shops and anything else useful nearby.
Notes:
This will also allow us to confirm the location for orientation, which we’ll share with the team as soon as it is locked in.
Day 1 – Sunday 12 July – Brora
Location: Dudgeon Park, Brora Rangers Football Club
Stay type: Camping
What to expect:
We’ll be camping at the Brora Rangers football ground, Dudgeon Park. It’s a straightforward first night on the route and the club kindly lets us use their shower and changing facilities, which makes it a really practical stop after the opening day.
Facilities:
Toilets: Available on site
Showers: Available via the club changing facilities
Kitchen access: None
Charging points: Likely limited
Nearby:
Brora has a Co-op a short walk away for any essentials, and there are several easy dinner options in town, mostly takeaway style, including fish and chips, Chinese and Indian.
Notes:
This is a simple and useful first overnight stop rather than a luxury one, so expect to get cleaned up, grab food in town and settle in for the night.
Day 2 – Monday 13 July – John O’Groats
Location: John O’Groats Caravan and Camping Site
Stay type: Camping
What to expect:
We’ll be camping at John O’Groats Caravan and Camping Site, a quiet site right by the coast. It has good grass for pitching tents, beach access, and a shower and toilet block on site, making it a lovely place to stay. With the sea so close, it can sometimes be quite windy, so it’s worth making sure your tent is well secured.
Facilities:
Toilets: Available on site
Showers: Available on site
Kitchen access: Limited
Charging points: Limited – restaurants and cafés nearby, plus the team Jackery unit as backup
Nearby:
In previous years, some of the team have walked up to the Seaview Hotel for dinner, which has worked well. If you need to buy food, there is a Lidl on the way into town.
Notes:
Breakfast options nearby are limited, as local cafés tend not to open before our departure time. It’s a good idea to have something ready to eat at camp before setting off.
Day 3 – Tuesday 14 July – Tongue
Location: Tongue Village Hub
Stay type: Indoor
What to expect:
Day 3 we’ll be staying at Tongue Village Hub, a new host for us this year. There should be plenty of floor space, toilets and access to a kitchen, which will make it a welcome indoor stop after a long day on the road. We’re especially grateful here, as the treasurer has kindly offered to personally cover the cost of our stay because they have a loved one with MS.
Facilities:
Toilets: Available on site
Showers: Not available on site
Kitchen access: Available
Charging points: Likely available, but limited
Nearby:
Food options in Tongue are fairly limited, so it is worth keeping things simple. The Tongue Hotel is likely to be the main nearby option for dinner or takeaway.
Notes:
We are looking into possible shower options elsewhere, but there are limited alternatives in the area, so this may be the night to be prepared for no shower. If the weather is kind, it may be one of those rare evenings where a cold ocean dip sounds surprisingly appealing.
Day 4 – Wednesday 15 July – Scourie
Location: Scourie Caravan Park
Stay type: Camping
What to expect:
We’ll be camping at Scourie Caravan Park, a beautiful west coast stop and one of the more scenic camping nights of the trip. It’s a well-equipped site and a good base for the evening.
Facilities:
Toilets: Available on site
Showers: Available on site
Kitchen access: Kitchen and laundry room with kettle, microwave, fridge, freezer and sinks
Charging points: Likely limited
Nearby:
There is a Spar shop with a bar on the campsite, which is very handy after a day in the saddle.
Notes:
This should be one of the nicer camping stops on the route, so if the weather plays ball it is a good one to enjoy the surroundings.
Day 5 – Thursday 16 July – Ullapool
Location: Broomfield Holiday Park
Stay type: Camping
What to expect:
Tonight we’ll be staying at Broomfield Holiday Park in Ullapool. In previous years they have often offered the team a significant discount, and sometimes even let the team camp for free, which has always been greatly appreciated. It’s a practical campsite with the bonus of being very close to town.
Facilities:
Toilets: Available on site
Showers: Available on site
Kitchen access: Limited
Charging points: Likely limited
Other useful facilities: Laundry
Nearby:
Ullapool is one of the easier stops on the route for food and supplies. There is a Tesco supermarket nearby, and dinner options in town include The Frigate, The Seaforth, Indian takeaway and more. The Waterfront Bar is also an option.
Notes:
The midges can be quite bad here, as they often are at a few west coast stops on the NC500. If there’s a breeze it is usually fine, but a still evening can be a little uncomfortable. Having town nearby is useful if you want to escape them for a while.
Day 6 – Friday 17 July – Gairloch
Location: Gairloch Holiday Park
Stay type: Camping
What to expect:
Tonight we’ll be camping at Gairloch Holiday Park, another scenic west coast stop with good basic facilities. It should be a relaxed place to pitch up for the evening and recover before the final days of the ride.
Facilities:
Toilets: Available on site
Showers: Available on site
Kitchen access: Limited
Charging points: Likely limited
Nearby:
The Black Pearl is a lovely nearby restaurant option for dinner and is well worth knowing about.
Notes:
Like a few of the campsites on this trip, this is a good one for making the most of the scenery once the riding is done.
Day 7 – Saturday 18 July – Lochcarron
Location: Lochcarron Shinty Club
Stay type: Camping
What to expect:
For the final riding night, we’ll be camping at Lochcarron Shinty Club. The club kindly lets the team camp on site, which gives us a simple base for the night, but this is one of the more basic stops of the trip.
Facilities:
Toilets: Available on site
Showers: Available via the club, though only a few and some are currently being replaced
Kitchen access: Possibly, but not confirmed
Charging points: Very limited
Nearby:
This is a good night to head into town for dinner with your teammates. Options include Rockvilla Hotel & Restaurant, The Bistro, Lochcarron Hotel and the SPAR shop.
Notes:
Noise needs to be kept to an absolute minimum here. The pitch is between two streets of elderly residents, so there should be no loud chatting back at camp. Breakfast options are limited, so it may be worth asking about this when you go out for dinner.
Day 8 – Sunday 19 July – Inverness
Location: To be confirmed
Stay type: To be confirmed
What to expect:
We’ll be back in Inverness for the final night of the trip, but the exact host is still being finalised. Ideally we are looking for somewhere relatively close to Inverness Castle, and we’ll keep everyone updated once this is confirmed.
Notes:
Some riders may choose to travel home on this day, which they are very welcome to do. For those staying, we hope to arrange a team dinner so everyone can celebrate finishing the ride together.
