Scotland's Ultimate Road Trip

Left-right: A group of motorcycle riders on the North Coast 500; Trash mars the scene at the Corrieshalloch Gorge, a popular stop along the route; Traffic jam on one-lane hairpin turns; Top: About 400 people live in the town of Durness in the Northern Highlands

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Ish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen. Povlsen owns the clothing company Bestseller, as well as significant stakes in the fashion retailer ASOS and the payment company Klarna. Wildland Ventures is a conservation and ecotourism company that includes luxury accommodations like Lundies House, a boutique hotel in the far north of Scotland, and is also responsible for rewilding projects across the Highlands.

Since the pandemic especially, international visitors have flocked to Scotland, with Americans making up the largest group, accounting for more than 20% of the country's total overseas visits. A sustainable tourism report from the Highland Council found that more than 8.4 million visitors headed to the Highlands in 2023 alone. "I'm not sure my business would have survived without the NC500," said the owner of a holiday rental cottage who lives in Wick, a stop on the eastern leg of the NC500, and who asked not to be named because she feared repercussions for her business. "As a resident, however, it's been a disaster."