North Coast 500
We live on the nc500 and have a couple of businesses, one on the west coast and one on the east coast of the nc500 if anyone is looking for advice, accommodation or a camping spot let me know
Just saw on your profile you live in the scourie area , I did stop there at the beach car park to do a small trail that heads out to the coast line , lovely veiws from the coast . wasa going to stop at whale tail but was unfortunately short for time
Don't forget all you peeps coming all this way north to do the NC500 - take a few extra days and add in a wee trip across to Orkney so much to do and see, only 45 mins on the ferry from Gills Bay (few miles from John O Groats) to St Margaret's Hope and regular sailings everyday, its not expensive either. Orkney is a fantastic place and very friendly folks, good beer and good food.
Definitely on my to do list but just didn't have the time but I will one day
We did the NC500 last September, over 2 and a half weeks, fantastic trip, this photo is of the old naval base base for the arctic convoys at loch Eriboll, do not miss Bealach na Bà the "pass of the cattle' which is the highest drivable road in Scotland, and very very scary, then stop off at the Kishorn seafood bar, the best seafood anywhere!!!
Richard Hewitson
Member
Hi, we are just north of Dundee and getting ready to start the NC500. Just need to go through Speyside (for obvious reasons) Planned to go anti-clockwise to get a build up of the scenery and get a few distilleries under the belt first. Han no sites booked so hope there is some camping space.
Enjoy the Rock Rose Distillery ar Dunnet Head. Very nice gin!!
It's all very scenic and you'll find some extraordinary views
Have fun
No wild camping: coming to a Scottish beauty spot near you
As I have said in previous posts, it's not good.
B&bs now not happy with one night stays as well as police concern over usage of roads.
We now no longer go up to those areas during spring summer months.
As I have said in previous posts, it's not good.
B&bs now not happy with one night stays as well as police concern over usage of roads.
We now no longer go up to those areas during spring summer months.
Agreed, it's a real problem in parts of Scotland. At one visit to Loch Lomond; the west shore was covered in human excrement and used toilet paper with no attempt at all to cover/bury/dispose of it and beer bottles/cans everywhere. Anywhere near to a road with good accessibility and it gets abused. I visited a bothy a good 2 miles from the nearest road and it was full of teenagers who had just gone there to get pi$$ed and party.
To be fair, the Loch Lomond pi$$ups were a thing 35-40 yrs ago when I was a lad, but I've found human waste and dirty bog roll in some of the most beautiful places in the Highlands. From a purely selfish point of view I've always hated the concept of the NC500 from when it came in, I knew it would ruin the highlands, but am aware that there are people depending on it. To my mind, plenty of the people travelling there wouldn't even pay for a campsite if it was 50p, so my policy would be - Yes, ban all MOTORISED free camping on the route, provide FREE campsites at regular intervals with toilets, showers and disposal points, maybe even small shop/cafe in each one. But permit all tent camping away from the road, they musn't tke away the right of people to walk the hills and camp part way to allow them to carry on the next day. To force people to only walk as far as they can get there and back in one day would deny them access to some wonderful places, as well as putting them at risk of exhaustion for walking too long and making mistakes resulting in injury. Maybe even ban motorhomes a certain size too, I'm sick of Youtube videos of people driving 7.5-8m motorhomes boasting how they were able to transit Applecross without problem - yes and how much did you ruin it for all the other road users, or parking sideways on a space which would hold 3-4 small vans and then staying there the week.
To use a phrase one of my colleagues quite often utters, this makes my piss boil, bloody highland council can waste hundreds of thousands refurbishing the councillors budoire and chambers and yet they cant afford to maintain decent public toilets and have bins in laybys, no wonder problems like this arise.
Recent trip to norway really highlighted just how crap tourist infrastructure is in scotland.
Recent trip to norway really highlighted just how crap tourist infrastructure is in scotland.
Agree with everything said. All the big bodies like Highland Council, Visit Scotland, SNH, Cairngorm National Park continue to encourage tourism into the Highlands but not one of them spend a penny to help the tourists once they are here. Highland Council are shutting toilets everywhere but want to put a tourist tax in place.
It would be a great idea to put extra dedicated camping areas for mobile homes but people like to rough camp to try and be away from everyone else. Skye appears to be ruined for locals and now the Highlands are following.
It would be a great idea to put extra dedicated camping areas for mobile homes but people like to rough camp to try and be away from everyone else. Skye appears to be ruined for locals and now the Highlands are following.
Shame.
My mother used to live at Lochcarron, not far from Applecross, and I've done several trips up there by motorbike. I've always looked at the odd camper parked up in remote spots and thought how great it must be to stop there overnight. Now that I have a suitable van, I was looking forward to doing just that. But if it's looking increasingly awkward to do so, then we might as well head to Norway instead. I've heard great things about Norway, and the missus would prefer that anyway.
So maybe an own goal for Scottish tourism then.
My mother used to live at Lochcarron, not far from Applecross, and I've done several trips up there by motorbike. I've always looked at the odd camper parked up in remote spots and thought how great it must be to stop there overnight. Now that I have a suitable van, I was looking forward to doing just that. But if it's looking increasingly awkward to do so, then we might as well head to Norway instead. I've heard great things about Norway, and the missus would prefer that anyway.
So maybe an own goal for Scottish tourism then.
Toilets are a great idea, but who will pay for them and to maintain them? I live within the South Downs National Park and the residents (me!) pay a charge for the upkeep of the park's facilities but people visiting do not. Very keen for residents not to get stitched up with funding it. An answer would be to have the local authority "police" it like a French Aires, but it will never happen. People just need to stop being knobbers first though.
NC500? Travelled the route in 1971 with my dear mum and dad. Cycled most of it in the mid ‘80s with my wife. Now just sounds like a bad theme park, unfortunately. But I hope people can still enjoy it as much as I have done.
Then Skye; the residents wanted a bridge, then they wanted a free bridge. Now they are inundated.
Always be careful what you wish for.
Then Skye; the residents wanted a bridge, then they wanted a free bridge. Now they are inundated.
Always be careful what you wish for.
Agreed, I've been to Norway twice and it's great, but I return to the highlands in my van (though rarely to anywhere on the NC500 route) 7-8 times a year for anything from 2 days to 7 - I couldn't afford to do Norway more than once a year and it would have to be my main holiday. You can't turn back time I suppose but campervanning in Scotland was much better before it became popular with people who don't give a toss about their surroundings as long as they get a "free" holiday.
