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Looking at doing the NC 500 next year , had planned to just drive it and book B&B's etc, Dont know why but quite fancy renting a camper van and doing it over a week , nice and steady stopping at a few beach side campsites as they look stunning
Anyone done similar ?,looking around April, May time
cheers
I thought everyone with a campervan did it this year, hence the beachside campsites..and most laybys..being booked up.
April/May is still partially winter on the north coast.
1000s have its ruined the place.
Was up for a few days last week and 80% of the traffic is motor homes with the vast majority hired and badly driven.
I felt so sorry for the folk living up there.
Christ no.
Why the need to follow the crowds around a set route? Far better to explore for yourself.
felltop
Full Member
Why the need to follow the crowds around a set route? Far better to explore for yourself.
we will be as well , have some friends in skye so will head over that way as well
we will be as well , have some friends in skye so will head over that way as well
🙂 Nothing like adding the only place more popular than the NC500 into the mix for an added jun es se quoi!
Where to find info on the nc500........well instagram!
Seriously - whilst there is no doubt the NC500 'brand' has naused up the area a bit and attracted folk who most would rather they had stayed at home, it's not all bad. I've been on the route with work a good few times this season and it has not been so bad. Just don't expect splendid isolation. May would be my favoured month too.
On a recent walking holiday I drove past a house near Drumbeg with a sign in the window.
“Go Home! Ban the NC500”
I felt terrible and wasn’t even doing it. I can sympathise living in a seaside town which has been hell since May.
Maybe if a few of us stayed away it would help?
I can sympathise living in a seaside town which has been hell since May.
Not having a dig, just curious - what did you think living in a seaside town was going to be like in the summer?
Not having a dig, just curious – what did you think living in a seaside town was going to be like in the summer?
Like all the previous summers…… But This one has been extraordinary. I can’t put my finger on it but litter so much worse, larger crowds and more antisocial behaviour. We normally get it in school holidays but it is near constant. My neighbour has just died and I’m sure his house will become yet another holiday let moving our street into minority resident owned.
I live in a seaside town, theres been nothing approaching the numbers we had this year for over 40 years
No one expected the numbers we had prior to CV19.
Some businesses did well, but quite a few didn't, the evolution of the town means that most high street shops cater for residents, many of whom stopped going, leading to shops closing up peak season.
This one has been extraordinary. I can’t put my finger on it but litter so much worse, larger crowds and more antisocial behaviour
Well, yeah - not that it's excusable, but to be expected this year I suppose. Maybe back to normal next year, but probably 2023 in reality
When I was in torridon and applecross I don't think I saw a single motorhome with happy occupants in it 😂
I don't really get the nc500, we stayed 5 days between two tiny wee villages in the middle of nowhere and there was plenty we didn't do driving around a spectacular area just seems like a quick way to miss out so much stuff.
April/May is still partially winter on the north coast.
April and May aren't really winter months weather wise up there, in fact it's often the best weather of the year. Some stuff might not be open though if that's what you meant.
Maybe if a few of us stayed away it would help?
Who gets to choose?
Asking people to stay away is a nasty thing to say or suggest. Antisocial behaviour is completely unacceptable and should be challenged but education is the way to combat such behaviour. Nowhere in this country of ours should folk be told to stay away.
To the OP - Do it, the scenery is wonderful and there are many beautiful and remote places just off the publicised route worth spending time at but just be mindful of the stresses increased tourism places upon small remote communities.
I don’t really get the nc500, we stayed 5 days between two tiny wee villages in the middle of nowhere and there was plenty we didn’t do driving around a spectacular area just seems like a quick way to miss out so much stuff.
Agreed, but its the way now isn't it, American-style tourism, drive somewhere - take a picture - insta - move on.
Bizarre.
Who gets to choose?
The people considering going. I live in Inverness and I've consciously avoided the NC500 area over the summer. Partly because I hate crowds but also because I don't want to add to the problem. And there is a problem, not just with the antisocial behaviour you mention but with the sheer number of visitors.
It's not a case of telling people to stay away, it's asking people to be responsible and considerate in their choices.
Did it 5 years ago in early May - 2 week earlier and there was snow. Not sure I’d do it again anyway - anything to the east of the Kyle of Tongue is a bit of a drag and JO’G is a $hithole - even the campsite was rubbish. If you do go, cut across through Lairg instead rather than the A9.
However, taking a camper up the west coast and to the islands is a great trip, particularly in May where you can get settled weather and the midges haven’t come out. There are lots of great places if you avoid the honeypot areas, NC500 and the Isle of Skye. Island hopping up the west coast and then across from Stornaway to Ullapool, up to Durness and turn around back down the west coast.
Busy is relative - we had a busy summer here on Mull but it’s a fraction of what they get in places like Cornwall. There are lots of good campsites, but book ahead as there aren’t many and they get full.
First thing to consider is what size of van; anything significantly bigger (longer/wider) than something like a VW van or similar is going to be a nightmare on some of the route. There are many parts that are single track with passing places, hairpins and steeps, especially the pass to Applecross where anything large will probably get stuck or at least block the road at some point. If you are not used to driving a vehicle of that size you will suffer.
Why not stick with your original plan of using B&Bs? You support local economy, get to meet the locals (or incomers), get local tips and advice, have a relaxing time. There's some great B&Bs and small family run hotels. I can strongly recommend The Melvich Hotel as a place to stay, superb views and food. I'd also take a day out to do a trip to Orkney; you can travel as a foot passenger on the ferry to meetup with the tour bus and get a tour of the islands. Incredible views and history. There was another nice hotel on Loch Shin worth detouring off the NC500 for.
Dont know why but quite fancy renting a camper van and doing it over a week , nice and steady
Returning to this again this morning and realised I missed the obvious.......no!
This statement is what baffles me most about nc500 types (there is a type). Why would you possibly think that 500 miles of beautiful coastline, small bays, mountains and communities, and the smallest of singletrack roads in a big box in a week is 'nice and steady'? It's not - it's crass and ignorant travel of the most vulgar kind. It's park, preening selfie, move on type tourism. Most locals (and by that I mean people who live in the top half of Scotland and have regular access to the area) into that style of tourism might well take a dozen years to explore the whole route.
Find a bit of the area that appeals. Camp, b&b, holiday cottage as per your tastes and budget. One, two or three locations max. Give yourself time to explore. To do the 12hr walks, to bag a Munro (other peaks are also available). To do that unimaginably beautiful MTB. To swim off an isolated beach you have all to yourself on a far flung peninsula. To take a trip out to sea to spot a whale or pod of dolphins. Bring your kayak or board and consider an overnight trip, falling asleep to the howls of the local seal colony. You know, the good stuff. Then sit back and scoff at the nc500 muppets that drive past barely making it past the car park or layby as they keep to their 'nice and steady' 80 miles of singletrack road in a day itinerary. After a fabulous relaxing week return home itching to plan your next trip to another wonderful bit of the Highlands you are yet to explore.
And relax....
There's a lot of nimbyism and snobbishness around the NC500. We are in exceptional times and due to the staycation stuff numbers have risen considerably so a lot of nice spots that are famous such as Snowdon / Mam Tor / Lakes / Cornwall / NC500 are all way busier than before. But this will all die away once everyone can get away to summer beaches in Spain again. People just need to share the nice stuff in the UK for a little while and be very considerate of each other whilst doing so.
We're just back from 4 nights at Big Sands over at Gairloch, we were last over there in early June. It was lovely and quiet, the odd camper was obviously doing the "500" but it was surprising how quiet the roads were, maybe they all got it out of their system earlier in the year...
I couldn't be bothered with all that driving about, I just like parking up with the camper, awning up, feet up, beer open and let the kids go catch some fresh air, bliss!
Edit - Yeah, what convert said
Exactly what Convert said. We rented a cottage up by Durness (Keoldale, by the Cape Wrath ferry) in June this year & I kept saying to myself that there’s no way I’d even consider doing the NC500 nowadays. Very busy with campers & motorhomes but also noticeable was the amount of sports cars with drivers seemingly intent on getting round in record time.
I did the route back in 1979 in a 1600E Cortina over 10 days & used b&b’s without the need to book ahead & it was fantastic. Alas the roads aren’t a lot better but the traffic’s multiplied by a massive amount.
Most locals (and by that I mean people who live in the top half of Scotland and have regular access to the area) into that style of tourism might well take a dozen years to explore the whole route.
You could say the same about New York or Nottingham. Your sentiment about exploration is preaching to the converted on an MTB forum though. We’re probably not really the mass tourism types.
Most people take breaks of 1-2 weeks because they have a job with limited annual leave.
As a result, destinations and tourist boards have responded to allow people to make the most of that time and get some curated highlights. Obvs it’s worse in the US where total annual leave is typically 2 weeks.
The approach is not really any different from people queing up to see the Eifel Tower, Louvre and Sacre Couer in Paris. That’s been a ‘thing’ for hundreds of years, basically designed to attract visitors.
Visit Scotland have marketed the NC500 as a ‘destination’ and people have responded.
Good on you if you want to go to Berlin and not see the Brandenberg Gate, or Edinburgh and not go up Arthur’s Seat, but many people want to use their breaks to experience the highlights as defined by some nebulous concern.
Insta is an extension of this, but just builds on a trend that’s been around as long as tourism.
The marketing of the NC500 is a victim of its own success, and unhappily coincided with foreign travel restrictions.
All that said, if it’s as busy as eveyone says, I’d not want the hassle of trying to manouvre a big wagon down busy or narrow lanes with potentially nowhere to park and sleep each night. And that’s as a regular motorhomer who loves Scotland (but not done the NC500).
NC500 is not a Visit Scotland instigated initiative and was not a planned thing. That's part of the issue.
Apologies was instigated by the Tourism Project Board of the North Highland Initiative (NHI).
So 'tourism' was at its heart, which is the point I was trying to make.
And this...
Sorry, not sure how reliable Wikipedia is, but it claims Visit Scotland supported the project, whatever that might mean...
The North Coast 500 was launched in March 2015 by the Tourism Project Board of the North Highland Initiative (NHI), in an attempt to work with all aspects of the tourism sector to bring unified benefits to businesses across the route.[3] It was identified that a gap existed in the market within the North Highlands for a tourism offering that included each county of the area (Caithness, Sutherland & Ross-shire) and that the North Coast 500 would address that. The initiative was supported by Visit Scotland and Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE).
I live in Inverness and I’ve consciously avoided the NC500 area over the summer. Partly because I hate crowds but also because I don’t want to add to the problem. And there is a problem, not just with the antisocial behaviour you mention but with the sheer number of visitors.
Substitute Aviemore for Inverness and I could have written this.
Absolutely Bang on Convert.
If you do go and do it, I’d recommend avoiding the bealach na baa and any other sections of single track road. You need to be able to reverse your vehicle back to a passing place. An unpleasant experience in a camper with a cliff on one side. Most rental companies in Scotland make you sign a form saying you won’t drive up the bealach.
I did the route back in 1979 in a 1600E Cortina over 10 days & used b&b’s without the need to book ahead & it was fantastic. Alas the roads aren’t a lot better but the traffic’s multiplied by a massive amount.
The coast road north of Applecross is a lot better than back in the 60's / 70's 😃
Thanks for the feedback 🙂 ... interesting reading and made me smile a few times .. still only a maybe at the minute ... size of camper or reversing wont be an issue as drive wagons for a living so this is a tiny box which ever I rent .
I’d recommend avoiding the bealach na baa and any other sections of single track road. You need to be able to reverse your vehicle back to a passing place. An unpleasant experience in a camper with a cliff on one side. Most rental companies in Scotland make you sign a form saying you won’t drive up the bealach.
Think folks are confusing ‘campervan’ with ‘motorhome’? My 1974 VW camper made it up the Bealach no problem, although I did have to slow for a cyclist on the hairpins, so had to thrash my way up those in first gear.
A modern VW/Transit size vehicle should be no problem. There are a few bits on the Inverpolly Road (not on the NC500) and north of Lochinver where it gets narrow - I did have someone in a sports car try and bully me to reverse uphill around a blind corner. I stopped, got out walked slowly back up the road and shook my head - I think he got the message.
I don’t find the narrow roads on the west highlands as bad as the tiny lanes in Devon and Cornwall - where you often have high hedges and walls either side.
For the OP, here are some of the best beach campsites on the West Coast - not just on the NC500:
Fidden Farm, Mull
Arisaig - not a big fan, but others love it
Horgabost & Luskentyre, Harris
Uig, Lewis
Big Sand, Gairloch
Achnahaird
Achmelvich
Clachtoll
Durness (too busy for my liking)
Others may have their own suggestions….
Not having a dig, just curious – what did you think living in a seaside town was going to be like in the summer?
Yes Drumbeg is just like Blackpool really isn't it?
It would be nice if people could just use a bit more imagination, I'm sure it's comforting to arrive and meet loads of fellow rented vw transit people to hang out with all in the same places, but there must be more to the freedom of campervanning than the NC500.
I'm not rushing back. I felt it had driven the good tourists out who stop spend money and interact.
Instead as mentioned its selfie central.
The thought of going somewhere remote and then queuing is an anathema to me
Perhaps I'm a miserable prick yes but....
We are in exceptional times and due to the staycation
If people choose a staycation then there's no impact on the NC500.
My dads just done it in his motorhome. Came back a couple of weeks ago. Was staying at proper campsites on the way around rather than lay-bys. Off the back of threads like this I told him to expect it to be hell...bumper to bumper traffic, convoys of motorhomes, piles of faeces in every lay by and bush etc. The reality was he had a great time...the picture of a road to hell I was painting never materialised and he loved every minute of it. Don't think he had the place to himself, but he seemed to think it wasn't that busy. Maybe he was lucky.
Similarly a mate did it on his motorbike with a group of mates and had a similarly wonderful time and didn't seem to moan about the traffic...and he's a proper moaner so would have done if it were that bad.
Tricky one these people who live in these idyllic places. I can understand they want to keep it for themselves, but unfortunately most of us don't live in idyllic locations and it's not hard to understand the desire for people to want to be in idyllic locations. It's a paradox. People will be getting back to their normal routine soon enough.
but there must be more to the freedom of campervanning than the NC500.
To be fair there are not that many roads in the highlands of Scotland.
Exactly what Convert said.
For the mostpart, couldn't disagree more... If you've got months/years spare to explore a place, then hats off to you. The rest of the working world haven't! Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have had more than the 5 days I did it in with the GF back in 2019 round there, but we both have full time jobs, teenage children, a big mortgage etc... I've seen far more of it that most ever will in my 5 days round the area, and it has given me a taste to go back and explore more at some point for sure. But stuffy NIMBY types like yourself who look down their nose at anyone else wishing to explore their surroundings and expand their horizons despite their limited time and resources are as big a part of the problem, if not more so, than the clueless types heading up there and clogging up the roads in totally inappropriate motorhomes that are twice the size of anything they've ever driven before and on roads half the size!
GET OVER YOURSELF!!!
Why the need to follow the crowds around a set route? Far better to explore for yourself
It is merely the "coastal road" as the locals know it. Makes sense to want to see the coast no...? Who's saying that you can't deviate and explore somewhat anyhow? We did! Not as much as I'd have liked but then I've got the taste to go back at some point too as a result...
On a recent walking holiday I drove past a house near Drumbeg with a sign in the window.
“Go Home! Ban the NC500”
I felt terrible and wasn’t even doing it. I can sympathise living in a seaside town which has been hell since May.
There's always going to be people who don't adapt and move with the times sadly... I grew up on the edge of the Cotswolds, a popular walking path having right of way through our back garden. Never had any issues, always gave anybody I saw a wave. Had somebody taken it upon themselves to drop their troos and defacate on our back lawn I might have had something to say about it, but that never happened so... And you know what...? All these tourists brought money into the local economy! Funny that. My parents didn't have a business that would have benefitted from local tourism, but many families in our village did, and the local economy was better for the tourism (albeit it probably never received the peak boost that COVID has caused for the NC500 so I hear).
Who gets to choose?
Asking people to stay away is a nasty thing to say or suggest. Antisocial behaviour is completely unacceptable and should be challenged but education is the way to combat such behaviour. Nowhere in this country of ours should folk be told to stay away.
To the OP – Do it, the scenery is wonderful and there are many beautiful and remote places just off the publicised route worth spending time at but just be mindful of the stresses increased tourism places upon small remote communities.
BINGO
All those decrying stay away, and looking down their noses at people for wanting to go up to the Highlands and see the sights... You are literally the epitome of the attitude that has caused Brexit, a surge in right wing nationalism and the normalising of hatred of people because they are different (be it skin colour, because they are from a different place, from a different class etc.)... Reading some of these responses is literally boiling my blood! I can't believe I'm reading them in some cases! WHO THE **** has made you the arbiter of taste? How are you more entitled to go to certain places than the next person...? Yes... The infrastructure on the NC500 can't cope with the popularity it has received in the last 15 months or so, but we are in exceptional times. Tourism in Cornwall and Devon is the highest it has ever been, same in Wales. The car trade can't cope with demand, used car prices are sky high and new cars have a huge waiting list! The Cycle trade is crazy, bikes and parts are on back order, prices have skyrocketed and yet demand hasn't abated! Do yourself a favour and pluck your overly entitled heads out of your cavernous arseholes and remind yourselves that we are (by hook or by crook) all in this together. None of us are any more entitled than anyone else. Having experienced the North Coast of Scotland myself and loved it, I would encourage anyone else to go and do it at some point in their life, it was an incredible experience! The key here is education so that everybody doesn't all try and do it at the same time, causing horrendous problems to the local environment etc... Education education education... 👍🏻
Agreed, but its the way now isn’t it, American-style tourism, drive somewhere – take a picture – insta – move on.
Bizarre.
For those that are time poor, this style of tourism has long been common. What's the issue? Photographs provoke fond memories! I got to take my Girlfriend to Rome 3 years ago, we could only manage 2 1/2 days there. We probably walked 30 miles in all, I took well over 200 snaps on my camera. I'd have loved to have more time everywhere, and got to explore more places. But I'm very glad we went at all (she had just been diagnosed with cervical cancer, was having a radical hysterectomy 3 weeks later, and I wanted to do something memorable for her that we could hopefully build on in the future). We certainly have plenty of ideas should we get to go back again!
There’s a lot of nimbyism and snobbishness around the NC500. We are in exceptional times and due to the staycation stuff numbers have risen considerably so a lot of nice spots that are famous such as Snowdon / Mam Tor / Lakes / Cornwall / NC500 are all way busier than before. But this will all die away once everyone can get away to summer beaches in Spain again. People just need to share the nice stuff in the UK for a little while and be very considerate of each other whilst doing so.
Well said 👍🏻
First thing to consider is what size of van; anything significantly bigger (longer/wider) than something like a VW van or similar is going to be a nightmare on some of the route.
So this is where I will get on my high horse slightly I'm afraid (I didn't say I was a saint! 😂)... Please... Unless you absolutely have to for whatever reason... Do it in a car (or on a motorbike, or cycle it, or walk it etc), don't do it in a vehicle that might cause problems for the local traffic. Also I see and hear a lot about "NC500ers" doing the route in a motorhome, they pay their campsite fees for a couple of nights but otherwise wild camp, they take their own food with them etc... Basically, they contribute sweet FA to the local economies! As much as the scenery is epic regardless, doing the NC500 route in a motorhome and eating noodles or ready meals every night might be the typical English thing to do when on holiday, but it's my worst nightmare and it also doesn't do anything ti dispell the myth of selfish English tourists... So, do yourself a favour, go in a vehicle that won't cause traffic, stay in wonderful B&B's and hotels (bloody hell, there's some belters out there for sure!), eat in the wonderful restaurants (seriously, some of the best restaurants I've ever eaten in are in coastal towns and villages on the North Coast of Scotland!), stop for coffee in the excellent local coffee shops, buy your overpriced petrol from the small independent petrol stations on route rather than just filling up with whatever was cheapest in Inverness (and buy an overpriced snack and drink in the shop too whilst you're at it!), and be happy to pay the "tourist taxes" to the locals in exchange that they are happier to share their rich environment and even hopefully some of the secrets of where they live, with you... I'd be pissed off too as a local if tourists didn't contribute to the local economy, but be very grateful to anyone who did and be happy to share the riches of my knowledge and experience with them.
The marketing of the NC500 is a victim of its own success, and unhappily coincided with foreign travel restrictions.
Having just read your post, seems I could have just saved myself quite a lot of time by typing "what he said"... 😂 Anyway... Your point still stands. I've typed it all now too (and had half a bottle of red) so my mild rant is staying!
Anyway... My GF loved it...
We did it in October (so just out of season) to celebrate her 40th and also a year in remission from Cancer combined. I can imagine at the height of summer it would be quite frustrating, but perversely I quite enjoy travelling in colder conditions anyway... Besides, it was unseasonably warm in October 2019 up there, was 12-15 degrees most of the time and barely any rain at all!
As it happens, she's 42 next week... Off up to Dumfries and Galloway tomorrow evening for the next few days... Yes, the "SW300" is pure marketing bollocks, but it's an area of the UK that I've never explored before, and we're staying in some lovely hotels and B&B's (from what I can ascertain), and we will be straying off the beaten path to explore a bit more than just the black top for sure... I can't wait! 👍🏻
To be fair there are not that many roads in the highlands of Scotland.
Perhaps someone should make an instagram announcement informing English people that Scotland has more than one road.
Yes, the “SW300” is pure marketing bollocks
Very effective marketing bollocks it seems, they just need to name it and your adventure begins.
Very effective marketing bollocks it seems, they just need to name it and your adventure begins.
Will let you know. Dumfries & Galloway is somewhere I've wanted to explore for a while, but not had the chance to. Closest I've got was a night in a hotel just outside of Dumfries en route to a weekend working in Glasgow back in Feb 2020 just before we locked down... I have a very loose itinerary (hotels and B&B's are booked for the night, nothing else) and know a few places I want to explore should I get the chance. Also, I have a real hankering to go up to Faslane for some perverse reason (I'm a real anti-nuke guy, but by the same token, the Cold War and Nuclear warfare holds a real fascination for me for some strange reason!). Can't get over to Arran sadly as all ferries are booked up til Monday, and we only have 4 days, have to be back on Tuesday for yet another one of my Cycling mates' funerals sadly so having to cut the holiday short against my will...
Oh god, please don’t ruin Dumfries and Galloway as well!
Cycling acquaintance did the NC500 in September in his midlife crisis penis extension F Type, and loved it. Apart from getting stuck when camper van drivers struggled with driving camper vans on small rural roads.
I’m glad I took Mrs FD up that way before the NC500 was invented
Sounds awful now from what your hear.
As to the original post, I can’t see the fun in driving a camper van on those type of roads
I’m sure if OP waits a few years though it will have. Erm changed in to a nice big dual carriageway with McDonalds etc