North Coast 500: A9 - Helmsdale to Dunbeath

The North Coast 500 is described as Scotland's answer to Route 66. It's a scenic route of just over 500 miles (800km) following the coast around the far north of mainland Scotland, starting and finishing at Inverness Castle. The A9 is the longest road entirely within Scotland, running for 279 miles (449km) from Edinburgh to the port of Scrabster near Thurso on the North Coast. It links to the cities of Stirling, Perth and Inverness and is the main route north from the Central Belt into the Highlands. Between the crossing of the Dornoch Firth and the A99 junction at Latheron, the A9 hugs the east coast of Scotland in the historic counties of Sutherland and Caithness, on a largely original line, except where some sections with twisty curves have been bypassed or straightened. This video shows a northbound journey along the A9 from the A897 junction in the village of Helmsdale, through the Berriedale Braes hairpins, to the village of Dunbeath. During this section of road, we enter the historic county of Caithness.