After a fantastic Day 5 on the NC500, Day 6 of the NC500 was action packed. Although we have included this post under the NC500, we actually took a trip off the NC500 on Day 6 and across to the Isle of Skye. Traditionally the NC500 route loops around the west coast of the Scottish mainlands before heading east from Torridon back towards Inverness, but we decided to take our Scottish Road Trip into our own heads as we headed for the Isle of Skye. Skye is one of the most beautiful areas in Scotland. We didn’t spend much time on Skye, but the landscapes were incredible. It is clear to see why many movies are filmed there, including Star Wars!
Skye Highland Adventures
We’ve had some amazing experiences so far on our NC500 trip, but this was certainly one of the top! We started Day 6 of our NC500 road trip by making a 90 minute drive from the hills of Torridon to the Isle of Skye for an adventure filled morning Canyoning with Skye Highland Adventures! Canyoning is a mixture of climbing over rocks, abseiling down waterfalls and the most thrilling part, jumping off cliffs. After meeting at the Broadford Hotel (the original home of the spirit Drambuie) we headed off to a canyon that really had it all, so if your looking for some fun, thrill seeking adventures whilst on your NC500 trip you MUST check out Canyoning.
As you can imagine the water is absolutely freezing; certainly not bikini weather. So the team at Skye Highland Adventures got us kitted up in some pretty warm wetsuits (with protective head gear of course). After a short hike in our wetsuits up to the waterfall in the Skye mountains, we made our descent down the waterfall/gorge! We highly recommend you booking an activity with Skye Highland Adventure, the guys are absolute legends who will go above and beyond to ensure that you have a great experience.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
A little tired from our thrilling morning adventure, we then made another long drive to Fort William, where we went to visit the Glenfinnan Viaduct. The viaduct features 21 semi-circular spans of 15 metres, and is the largest concrete railway bridge in Scotland. The Glenfinnan Viaduct become an unbelievably popular tourist destination due to the fact that the viaduct was used in the filming of Harry Potter, where the Hogwarts Express travelled over the now famous viaduct. Unfortunately we missed the steam train which passes twice a day, but the viaduct was still spectacular sight and no… there was no sign of Arthur Weasley’s car!
After this we checked in to our B&B and then headed out for some dinner. If you are visiting Fort William then make sure you book a restaurant in advance, as the town gets very busy! Tomorrow we are hiking Ben Nevis and then driving to Glasgow, so I suppose today marked the end of our NC500 road trip as we headed further south.
Although sadly the NC500 is over for us, our Scottish Road Trip still has a few days to go! We even bought a little mascot to keep us going, Hamish the Highland Cow. Click here for the ultimate guide as to how to complete the NC500 in a week!
Route Details
Torridon Estate (IV22 2HA) – Broadford Hotel (IV49 9AB) 1 hr 30 mins
Broadford Hotel (IV49 9AB) – Glenfinnan Viaduct (PH37 4LT) 2 hrs
Glenfinnan Viaduct (PH37 4LT) – 6 Caberfeidh (PH33 6BE) 25 mins
WHERE TO STAY
The hosts at 6 Caberfeidh were fantastic. The on-road parking outside of the B&B required a permit that the hosts gave to us, making parking very easy. The B&B is in very close proximity to the town of Fort William, and the breakfast was made to order.
