I fancy doing this in the summer, however….

Discovery and caravan, or RS5 and hotels?

Caravan pro’s – self contained, probably cheaper, can take bike/s, more of an adventure, can go exploring in the Disco

Caravan cons – I’m guessing there are some tight roads (it’s 8ft wide and as long as an oil tanker), Mrs doesn’t ride bikes, 20mpg towing, probably less on Scottish country roads

RS5 pro’s – lots of fun to drive, ease of using hotels

RS5 cons – no bike/s, cost of hotels, 17mpg, Mrs will shit her pants if I drive it like I want to.

Who’s done it and (albeit tell me about what you used) which would you take from my options?

🙄 had read about people doing it with caravans – maybe not using the full route??

Don’t expect any “spirited” driving  either. You’ll be following the masses at 30-40 mph.

Don’t expect any “spritited” driving in either. You’ll be following the masses at 30-40 mph.

Has it become/always been super popular? Would it be better done spring/autumn?

Yes, it’s super popular. So much so it has become a genuine problem. The roads are very busy but haven’t been upgraded – in fact they’re taking a real beating. The edges in many places are very broken up. Of your choices, I’d take the Disco and no caravan. Low profile tyres will take a beating. I don’t know where you think you’ll “go exploring” in it though. There are no public off-road tracks.

I’d also take the Disco only without the caravan.

I wouldn’t bother with a road bike if you’re considering that as an option. I’d be doing everything I could to make any riding well off the route, too many very close calls when I was on part of that route earlier this year.

Assuming you can find anywhere to stay that is.

Hmmm

Only an idea at the moment, hence hasn’t been fully researched.

Ideally I guess, it would be Disco, MTB and a tent.

Suggestions how to get the Mrs to stay at home please 🙄 😂

Don’t take a caravan around the NC500 – tow it to a nice site somewhere in the Highlands, and take your time to explore. Don’t take your RS5 and drive it like you want to. We’re getting really fed up he’s with drivers of over powered cars treating the roads as a race track. It might be fun for you, but it makes life hellish for other people on the road, including cyclists.

piemonster

I’d be doing everything I could to make any riding well off the route, too many very close calls when I was on part of that route earlier this year.

The NC500 has ruined a good bike ride IMO.

The cut up road edges means that on a bike there’s lots of times there’s no deviation possible from an almost  central position in the single lane road.

Your alternative is often a dive into the ditch or stick to your line until there’s a passing place at which point many drivers will try to do a punishment pass on you because you have interfered with their spirited driving. If you get off the road to let cars past every time, you’d be as well leaving the bike behind and walking the verges.

And then there’s the convoys of nose to tail idiots and the chaos when one meets another at a passing place.

You’d think that by the time they’d been through a couple of passing places they’d have worked out it’s better to leave a few big gaps between vehicles and that it’s hard to fit 10 cars into a passing place barely big enough for 3.

And a mention for the folk who park their cars in the passing places and go for a wander in the hills. That does wonders for the traffic flow…

Ooh, do I sound a wee bit jaundiced. 🙂

From a driving point of view, it’s a great trip, but expect your average speed to be very low. On single lane roads if you see a bunch of cars ahead, it’s pointless catching them, stay at least one passing place distance back.

Will said epicyclo

Based on all the above, I might just go for a holiday in Scotland and visit some nice places

Good move, there’s some great riding up here!

Oh my, the Bealach na Ba (and most of the single track roads here) are a no no for a caravan!! Too much reversing into passing places which you WILL have to do, and the Bealach is no place for that!! Base your self at a nice campsite (or leave the van behind and use B&B) – I would go for somewhere like the Loch Naver site – small, informal right on the shores of beautiful Loch Naver, get your wife a kindle and an e-bike for christmas to do the 3-4 miles to the lovely Altnahara Inn for an evening meal and beer or 2 (sat outside under the trees by the burn in spring before the midges come out!) …and she may be inspired to do more cycling and do the 10 miles down to the Crask or up to Tongue for coffee and cake. and take the ROAD bike – loads of lovely quiet single track (as long as the caravans and motorhomes stick to the NC500!) bit rough tarmac so wide tyres. But please do not just drive around the NC500 following the rest of the sheep…and not at speed in some fancy sports car putting us all at risk – I am likely to be at risk of injury or worse if I meet you when out on my bike if you are frightening you wife.

if I drive it like I want to

please stay at home

too many idiots causing problems as it is

Maybe try the Wild Atlantic Way instead

https://www.wildatlanticway.com/home

, nc500 sounds a bit crap and dangerous.

Ooft.

That map of the wild Atlantic way absolute screams out shit loads of time in a car. 🙈

kilo

nc500 sounds a bit crap and dangerous

It’s definitely not crap, and it’s not dangerous in itself.

It’s driver behaviours* that are crap and dangerous, and that’s usually because of an emphasis on speed. Treat it as a very slow road, be patient and you’ll enjoy it.

.

*Some drivers, most are very courteous.

Its ruined the area for locals and the majority of well behaved tourists.

Its grid locked in summer with hired motorhomes being badly driven and knob heads “wild” parking or camping.

Look at some of the local area face book pages. I don’t know anyone on the route that thinks it’s a benefit.

The high concentration of people have overloaded the environment and the facilities.

And I’ll agree dont know where youd go off reading its majority private land.

Saying all that it its fantastic but dont be a dick if you go.

You’ll be driving nearby knockhill on the way to and from.

That would be a good place to drive like a dick and frighten passengers without being dangerous to other uninvolved parties using the road

Youll also be passing a few places on the way that will let you take your disco on a guided safari off-road. In exchange for £££

Our land access rules do not permit doing as you please.

As per my usual response to a NC500….

Look at the route.

Write down all the places that are now off limits if your idea of a highlands adventure involves peace and a stress free experience.

Devise a new route that has as little to do the NC500 as possible. It will give you a better trip and also spread the tourist love (or destruction/hassle depending if you are a glass half full or empty kind of local).

Make sure you spend a bit of your cash locally rather than taking all your food/drink in with you so your presence is not just a drain on resources.

Not all tourists are knobs but I guess because the NC500 promises a thought/initiative free handheld experience it does seem to a attract more bellends than you would not voluntarily spend your hard earned holiday time around than I personally can stomach.

I cycled bits and pieces of the NC500 up around the Ullapool area a couple of years ago in early September.

The riding I did on the 500 roads were noticeably busier than everything off it. Not “bad” but I can see how it could get very congested in the height of tourist season.

NC500, the Venice of Scottish tourism. Those roads used to be so much nicer.

Some of my road cycling friends are looking to Ride the NC500 next summer and this thread reinforces my decision to not go on the trip. Lovely part of the world but much better off the NC500 than on!

Excellent advice to take the RS5 to a track if you want to enjoy its performance.

TBH, I reckon that cycling is *still* the best way to travel those roads. Everything happens at a human pace and you can interact more with your surroundings. Cyclists also stop more often at cafes etc so put more back into the local economy than drivers and have less impact on the roads. We’ve pointed this out repeatedly to the folk that market the NC500 but it falls on deaf ears.

I have recently done the route like you want to in the car driving alone and it was exillarating to say the least.
The advantage I had was following 7 motorbikes so little slowing down on blind corners or passing places as relying on the bikes as pathfinders. Massivly better than dawdling along like a part time Gypsy.

There are a lot of single track roads with passing places and absolutely no alternative. The far north literally has 3 roads heading north and one across the north coast, and that’s pretty much it.

Caravan wouldn’t be ideal, and to be perfectly honest, whilst the scenery is stunning, most of them are not really what you might call driving roads. It’s the place that’s amazing, not the drive – I’d suggest taking what is most suited and taking the time to experience the surroundings.

Some of my road cycling friends are looking to Ride the NC500 next summer and this thread reinforces my decision to not go on the trip. Lovely part of the world but much better off the NC500 than on!

I’ve done both and much preferred cycling! The vast majority of the tourists were incredibly respectful in my experience, especially on the single track roads, with only a couple of exceptions from what looked to be locals, and the odd moto. Even got a couple of friendly toots in support. It’s one of the best rides I’ve done.

I did cut out the east coast and came back inland – I’ve no desired to cycle down the A9.

little slowing down on blind corners or passing places as relying on the bikes as pathfinders

Sadly, another reason why I wouldn’t want to cycle the route.

Massivly better than dawdling along like a part time Gypsy.

in what way was it better ?

The advantage I had was following 7 motorbikes so little slowing down on blind corners or passing places as relying on the bikes as pathfinders.

I’m not blaming you, because I remember making the same mistake once and thinking I was safe to rally it round a few corners. Almost killed a cyclist coming the other way. Stopped to let him vent at me and we eventually parted ways with a handshake, but it scared the hell out of me. Don’t assume that just because the person in front hasn’t slowed down, it’s safe for you not to!