I can tell you now that you need to do this trip.
Day 1 - We flew from Bristol to Inverness with Easyjet. Unfortunately our flight was delayed several hours but once we had arrived in Inverness and had picked up our hire car we headed straight to Chanonry Point. Chanonry Point lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle and is only a few miles from Inverness. Chanonry Point is considered to be the best place to dolphin watch. You will need to check the tide times for this as when the tide is coming in, it brings in the salmon and therefore resulting in feeding time for the dolphins! Sadly, we didn't see any dolphins this time around - but there's my excuse to come back! We headed back into Inverness and checked into our hotel (The Glen Mhor Hotel). I had booked the 'winter deal' which included 2 nights bed and breakfast with dinner on the first night as well - all for £109!! The 3 course dinner was served in the hotel's restaurant Nicky Tams.
Day 2 - We enjoyed our Scottish breakfast before we headed off on a 'pre-road trip, road trip!. I was really keen to drive all the way around Loch Ness and this was the only chance to do it! First, we drove to Robertson's Larder in Beauly to see their two highland coos! From here we made our way to Dog Falls for a short walk (we did the Dog Falls Trail which took around an hour) and enjoyed a hot chocolate over looking the falls. Next we went to Urquhart Castle, we didn't go in but it seemed very popular! Following the shore of Loch Ness we ended up in Fort Augustus early afternoon so we stopped here for a bite to eat and to take (a million) photographs. Fort Augustus is where the well-known Loch Ness sign is, as well as where lots of the boats depart for tours of the Loch. Finally we drove round to opposite side of the lake back into Inverness, but not with out stopping for a drink and to enjoy the incredible views at The Dores Inn. Lucky for us, the sun was shining.
Day 3 - Today was the day we were to begin our North Coast 500 trip. We set off early as we were heading to Applecross via Bealach Na Bah, the famous winding road where Skyfall was filmed. First we stopped at Rogie Falls, which is easily missed if your not looking! We didn't stay here long but had 15mins to stretch our legs. We kept on driving until we reached Bealach Na Bah. Unfortunately by this time, the weather hadn't held up and the entire mountain which Bealach Na Bah climbs was covered by fog! Still, we made our way up. It is a single track road with lots and lots of passing places. The locals drive this road with absolute ease, but be warned! It is not an easy drive especially in poor weather. The winding road led us down into Applecross where it continued to rain ALL afternoon. We stopped for fish and chips in The Applecross Inn, which is the only pub in the village. The food was great and we hid from the rain a little longer before we made our way to the Applecross Walled Garden for a delicious hot chocolate! We were staying in Hartfield House Hostel (would recommend for affordable accommodation!) that evening and decided to cook ourselves dinner. Let me tell you that there are no grocery shops here! We drove a few miles down the road to the local 'shop' where a guy was selling items 5x the selling price out of his garage!!
Day 4 - Dodging the highland coos who were laying in the road, we made our way in the directions of Lochinver. It was also my 25th birthday! Today was the longest drive of our trip, following winding single track roads lined by stunning mountains. Not one for those who suffer from travel sickness! Torridon was a nice place for a quick stroll and you cannot miss snapping a few photos of the beautiful Beinn Eighe. After a while we stopped at the Gairloch Tourist Centre for a panini and continued our drive north. We stopped at Ullapool to fill up with petrol (there is a Tesco store here and a couple of petrol stations, not many on this drive so make a note of it). We sat on the beach in Ullapool and enjoyed watching the world go by. We continued on until we made it to Davar B&B in Lochinver. A short stroll down into the village for dinner at Peet's resturaunt and a first Scottish whisky at The Caberfeidh on the walk back.
Day 5 - After a scrumptious breakfast served by the owners of Davar B&B, we continued driving and stumbled across a little slice of heaven. Achmelvic bay. We were early, but the beach was completely empty. The white sands and turquoise waters were tempting us in for a swim! The next stop, Durness, offered us THE best hot chocolate I have ever had. Cocoa Mountain, is a absolute must! Just 5 minutes on is also Smoo Cave. It is free to wander and enjoy for yourselves but you can also book a caving tour if you fancy it. Our B&B was a good 45 mins before Thurso, called Armadale House. When we arrived we walked up to Strathy Point to check out the views and the lighthouse. Note - perhaps because we were out of season but found it hard to find dinner around here.
Day 6 - Continued our drive to Thurso and stopped off for a milkshake at The Blue Door Coffee Shop. I have to admit I was a little disappointed with Thurso, not a lot there! Next stop was Dunnet Head (the ACTUAL most northerly point), it was heavily raining so we quickly nipped out for a photo and then drove on to John O'Groats where we also had lunch (macaroni cheese toasties in Stacks Coffee House. Of course, don't forget the obligatory shot with the famous signpost. Walk off the food by parking at Duncansby Head lighthouse and walking across the fields to see the Duncansby stacks. Also keep an eye out for wildlife here, dolphins and whales are often spotted playing in the water below. A Castle View B&B in Keiss was our stay for the night, although again not a lot around so we drove into Wick for a delicious pizza at Devita's.
Day 7 - We checked out Girnigoe Castle and then made our way to Dornoch. On the way to Dornoch, you must look out for Whaligoe Steps (reeeeeeeally hard to spot) in Ulbster. It is the most dramatic harbour you will ever see. Surrounded by close cliffs, 365 steep steps descend down to what would have been the harbour back in the 1800s. The men would bring in the fishing boats and the women would carry the catch back up the 365 steps. This is a place not to miss! At the top, perched on the very edge of the cliff is a fantastic cafe serving all sorts of food and drinks from around the world. Once we had made our way to Dornoch, we enjoyed walks on the beach and browsing in a few of the local shops (not forgetting, enjoying another cocoa mountain hot chocolate as they have another store here). We stayed at Beech Tree Lodge just outside of Dornoch, another I would highly recommend.
Day 8 - Our flight out of Inverness was early afternoon but there was one more stop that I couldn't miss. The Mermaid of the North. Make your way to Balintore to catch this sculpture sitting on the rocks!
We didn't expect to enjoy this adventure as much as we did but are already itching to do it again!
Note - we booked all our b&bs around 5 months before our trip. We also booked a hire car through Avis (recommend!). I would suggest getting a reasonable sized car due to some of the terrain but not too big because the roads can be a bit of a squeeze! We had a Vauxhall Mokka which was perfect. It is also worth thinking about the time of year due to mosquito season which hits Scotland from May through the summer months. Our trip was during the last week of March - it was cold but we got lucky with the weather as we had sunshine every day bar one. It was also lovely and quiet as the locals schools hadn't broken up for the holidays!
Final note - the drive down the east coast is much easier and therefore faster so you could probably cut some time out here if need be - or add some time onto the west coast to enjoy it more!