North Coast 500

The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile loop from Inverness around the northern Highlands. The west coast is the reason to go: the Bealach na Bà to Applecross, the road around Torridon, the run north from Ullapool through Assynt, and the Kylesku bridge. The north and east coasts are faster and emptier but less dramatic.

The drive

Go anticlockwise if you want the best saved for last, clockwise if you want it first. The Bealach na Bà is the headline: a single-track climb to 626 m with gradients of 20 per cent and three tight hairpins at the top, more alpine than British.

Further north, the A894 and A838 through Kylesku to Durness are wide, smooth and nearly empty, with long sight lines across the moor. Many drivers rate this stretch above the Bealach.

In your Lotus

Much of the west coast is single-track with passing places, and a small Lotus fits where larger cars have to stop. Fuel is the planning problem: stations are far apart and some close early, so fill up whenever you see a pump. Midges are a fact of life with the roof off from June to August; May and September are better on every count.