Gairloch is one of the first villages on the route after Beauly with human life. As you journey around Route 500 West to East, you’ll find everything gets more remote by the day. And by remote, I mean remote. Other than the odd car or camper van, you won’t see much else when it comes to civilisation. It’s just miles of pure beauty. As we pull into the Gairloch Hotel, we are greeted by staff at the front desk upon our entry into the hotel. Our room is all ready for us with dinner in their restaurant starting to commence. The room’s spacious, with two twin beds decorated in tartan throws – when in Scotland. We set our bags down before exploring the rest of the hotel, from the large sitting rooms to the restaurant where breakfast will be served the next morning. It’s a charming building overlooking a small beach down below. With a lack of snacks for our road trip, we drive to the local spa and grab the necessities. From Gairloch onwards, Spa will become your best and only friend when it comes to the bare necessities. As we return to the hotel, we decide to have an early night having been up since the crack of dawn. Our room overlooks the beach with the sun setting shortly after we settle down for the night. The next morning, we wake up slowly, have a shower, and head down to breakfast. The mattress is a solid eight out of ten, which, for someone who doesn’t sleep well at home, let alone anywhere else, is a standing ovation. The breakfast choice consists of a buffet, as well as the option for a personal order. We’re able to graze over the next 45 minutes on coffee and a good range of food, before taking a quick gander down to the beach. The weather's temperamental, grey, and feeling like rain is due any moment, so after around 20 minutes, we head back up the beach stairs to the hotel to check out.

We clamber into the car and start what will be a long day of driving. Days two and three are certainly the longest of the drives, with little else other than the surrounding beautiful highlands. From the lakes and peaks in Dundonnell to the winding streams and forestry, it feels like a new song in Taylor Swift's Folklore Album. We drive towards and through Ulla pool only to stumble on an old, abandoned castle in Lairg. We pull up the car and walk to take a closer look at the ruins. Ardvreck Castle dates back to 1672, when generations of Mackenzies fought over the castle with bloodshed, disputing who rightfully owned it. Said to be haunted, parts of the castle remain in good enough condition to see the different levels, with the cellar grates still in place. Surrounded by lakes, it’s incredibly picturesque, making me think how incredible it must have been to wake up to views like that. Afterwards, we take a moment to read about the castle's history before we continue our journey.

For the rest of the afternoon, I’ve planned to stop at either of several beaches, including Ceannabeinne Beach, which is said to boast white sands and crystal-clear waters. We will also visit Kyle of Lochalsh Bridge, famous for its architecture and views before stopping for the night at a little cabin in the heart of Scourie. Outside of Scourie, we pull up in a local fishing town and stop for lunch of soups and coffee at a local café. We befriend a group of fellow Route 500 travellers and for the next hour, we sit together talking about our journeys, life, and everything in between. We set out on our expedition to weave through local roads to go beach hopping, before arriving at Ceannabeinne Beach. We park in the campsite car park and climb the sand dunes. True to the recommendations, the sea is crystal clear as we are treated to more blue skies overhead. With a strong tide pulling in, we have a short while to scour the little rock pools that line the right-hand side of the beach. It’s a lovely location; I imagine perfect for camping in the summer. A short drive from Ceannabeinne is Kylesku bridge. Known for its distinctive curved design, intended to blend in with the natural landscape, the bridge is hard to miss, spanning above the river and built in 1984. As we get closer to our final stop of the day in Scourie, we stumble across what I’ve been searching for, the humble highland cow. With shaggy hair, a group of about 15 huddled together in the hills as the rain starts to pour. Having found a highland cow, my attention shifts towards the sheep, somehow clinging on for their dear lives on every cliff in sight. We take the winding cliffside roads, albeit rather daunting, down towards two wooden cabins strategically placed on the edge of the hill. We disembark and hurry into the cabin as it threatens to start to rain again. Out of all the weather we have on the trip, tonight will be its worst with torrential rain overnight, leading to a still rather grey and miserable sky the next day. Before we settle in for the night, we decide to nip to the local, you guessed it, Spa for dinner to cook. The local Spas might be small, but they are mighty, offering a pretty good range of food. We settle on steak, amongst other snacks, before driving back to the cabin. The cabins are well-equipped with a stove, table, TV, sofa, bathroom, and bed. After dinner, we catch up on a little bit of TV with our plans to sit out roasting marshmallows scuppered by the storm outside, as we welcome sleep after another busy day.

We wake after a night's sleep, a little tired. The cabin is great, although a little small in terms of bed space, but that can’t be helped, especially since the cabin is otherwise spacious. We sit down for breakfast before packing up and preparing for our journey towards Smoo Cave and John O’Groats, the northmost point of mainland Scotland.

Smoo Cave is relatively close to Scourie, an enchanting cave with a ferocious waterfall. We climb down to the cave, although I will say it’s not the most accessible. So, if you struggle with steps and climbing, you may want to sit this one out. The cave is beautiful and surprisingly peaceful considering the waterfall. We walk along the walkway towards the waterfall, which takes your breath away with its power and loudness. We walk around the beach a little longer before making our way back up the steps, admiring a herd of goats somehow living to tell the tale of their movement around the cliff. It’s another morning of secluded driving, only seeing a handful of other cars on the way. As we participate in another day of driving, it’s all about the scenery. We make a local stopover for lunch at The Store Café. It’s a quaint-looking little café from the outside, traditionally decorated with trinkets on the inside. Having completed a couple of days, I’ve learned that little gems lie all over Route 500, sometimes when you’re least expecting it. The food was outstanding, making it one of our favourite lunch spots yet. We make several stops along the way, including a brief rest every 40 minutes or so. We are due at Thurso for our 3 nights of the trip, staying with Northern Sands. The hotel is a modern aesthetic on the side of Route 500’s main road. The downstairs space incorporates a restaurant, bar, and outside area, being spacious yet still feeling cosy. The bedrooms don’t disappoint, featuring a large double room with built-in wardrobes and a modern bathroom that includes a rain shower. I have to say that the bed is one of the best of the trip, making sleeping feel easy, which is usually not the case when I’m away. However, I must say that the hospitality is impeccable. Nothing is too much when it comes to you feeling comfortable. And in my opinion, this is what makes a trip all the better.