North Coast 500

About the route

The North Coast 500 is a signposted loop of roughly 500 miles around the northern Highlands, launched in 2015. From Inverness it crosses to the west coast and climbs the Bealach na Bà, one of the steepest roads in Britain, to Applecross. It then runs north past Torridon and Ullapool through empty mountain country, along the north coast by Durness and Thurso, and down the east coast past John o' Groats and Wick.

This template loops from Inverness and back, with the line snapped to the real roads. Many stretches are single-track, so it suits an unhurried line: give it 20 seconds or more. The Nordic style is preselected; Topographic with 3D mountains switched on shows off the glens and sea lochs.

Tips for your video

• Turn on 3D mountains and tilt the camera to 50° for the climb to Applecross.
• Use a passport stamp at John o' Groats, the north-eastern tip of mainland Britain.
• The loop returns to its start, so an Overview camera with a slow drift makes a clean intro shot.