NC500 (north coast road)

[Muska_]

Travelling up to Skye tomorrow after a few days at Loch Lomond. I was hoping once the bank holiday is out of the day, with an early start, that part of the West Coast is achievable in a day, returning to Skye?

Ullapool would be great but happy to settle for a shorter run if it’s biting off a bit much.

[s2kjock]

Depends on where you are on Skye, but you would spend quite a long time on the road before you start to get to the more interesting parts of the West Coast. 200 miles in a day is spending quite a bit of time driving, and the roads will likely still be fairly busy so progress won't be that rapid. Skye is not the best place to explore the North West from really. I would focus on visiting areas of Skye if you haven't already planned to, and perhaps "on the mainland" taking on a trip to Arnisdale via the Glenelg Ferry and back over the Ratagan pass might be a better option, or just day out to Applecross over the Bealach one way and back via Shieldaig. Ullapool is good bit further than it looks.

[GetCarter]

s2kjock said:

...or just day out to Applecross over the Bealach one way and back via Shieldaig.

Skye Bridge > Lochcarrion > Applecross > Shieldaig > Skye Bridge is a pleasant 3 and a bit hour drive with no stops or traffic. If when you get to Shieldaig you carry on to Torridon > Kinlochewe > Achnasheen > Locharron you take in Glen Torridon (Fab scenery) and then some very fast sweeping roads to take you back to Lochcarron. Round trip with no traffic +/- 5 hours.

Of course if you're in Portree or up north on Skye that'll add a heap of time.

[Muska_]

Thank you both for the detailed replies and advice.

After a bit of deliberating it seemed best to see as much of Skye as possible (which has been stunning so far) and visit Scotland again to explore the North coast.

[Janluke]

My brother runs a dive boat out of Kinlochbervie which means I can stay with him so been up and down varies bits of the NC500 on my bikes a lot this year.

I'm always impressed by the number of fine cars on the road and although I'm more a bike guy I do appreciate a nice motor.

My last visit to KLB turned out to be the best yet as far as car spotting is concerned







According to the transporter driver, he follows the route and the cars go back on the transporter each night while the drivers where staying on a ship that sails around the coast. Not a bad way to do the NC500 and great to see these cars being driven

[Blue 7]

That’s a seriously impressive lineup! What a way to do the NC500!

[GetCarter]

Snarled up in a 9 motorhome snafu on the NC500 today (600 yards from my house!)

Good old NC500.

[munroman]

We drove up to Durness from Moray, where single track roads abound, yesterday.

Up to Lairg then Laxford Bridge all smooth, making decent progress and traffic in opposite directions working together with use of passing places.

Once I got the NC500 the standard of driving was shocking, pr1cks parking in uphill passing places to take photos, someone overtook someone who had pulled into a passing place to allow me to continue uphill and nearly caused a head on.

Add in 7 cars travelling nose to tail so overflowing passing places and general feckwittery driving and the 6,300 miles to Durness took forever.....

Judging by the state of some of those pouring out of rented motorhomes upon arrival in Durness, a hell of amount of booze has been consumed, hopefully not by the drivers.

I have renewed sympathy for those on the route.....

Edited by munroman on Wednesday 15th September 20:03

Edited by munroman on Wednesday 15th September 20:04

[aparna]

Drove up to Syke couple of weeks ago, up through the Trossachs, back via cairngorms It was great, not too much traffic. Didn't really get into the single track, but saw enough to draw conclusions that this is probably specifically a NC500 issue.

So if driving that way it would seem like off peak hours are the way forward, as mentioned.

[s2kjock]

Up in Lochalsh recently, and have never seen so many motorhomes on roads between Lochcarron and Sneck.

I'll not be going near the NC 500 route for some time.

[munroman]

Talking to one of the site Staff at Sango Sands at Durness, they are seeing Midsummer levels of visitors.

Maybe, like us, they thought, wait till the schools go back?

[S2red]

Annoying thing is Wife and I quite fancy doing the NC500... by hiring a motorhome for a week

Hmm maybe not

[Deltic1961]

We did some of it the other week.

Never again. Massive sections of single track with cocks speeding past passing places and ramming you out of the way. My wife had a shouting match with a couple of people.

Motorhomes using the single track section despite being told not to.

Luckily we took the Citigo because if we had the FK8 Civic Type R the alloys would definitely have been damaged.

[Blown2CV]

i think car people are separated into those that love being around other car people, and those that don't. I like seeing a cool car, and I quite enjoy it on here... but car people and their cars en masse... bit unbearable. For me anyway. NC500 now seems to be like a race track for mcdonalds car park dheads, but then also motorhomes in huge numbers too. I wouldn't mind driving some of the roads, but will I be going on a dedicated NC500 trip? Not a chance. Fortunately there is a lot of Scotland which is amazing off the NC500 route, and 99% of the NC500 tools wouldn't even consider seeing it.

[GetCarter]

S2red said:

Annoying thing is Wife and I quite fancy doing the NC500... by hiring a motorhome for a week

Hmm maybe not

Almost every January we have a cold sunny spell lasting the best part of a week. Do it then. The roads are empty - and I mean you'll see just a few cars an hour. You'll have the Bealach na Ba to yourself (Okay, you might see me).

[aparna]

Only thing about jan is the day is about 3 hours long.

Is it just me, or are long term weather forecasts much better these days? We generally plan our autumn/winter trips based on weather forecast, at least a couple of weeks in advance of good weather forecasts, and are rarely disappointed.

I think partly because Scottish weather is kind in the sense, as long as you avoid weeks where solid cloud.rain is forecast, you will almost always get a decent chunk of each day, of fairly decent sun, but interspersed with the other 3 seasons. Which is the time you make progress or get your inhaled.

[21st Century Man]

The NC500 was considered for this summers campervan trip, but I knew it would be awful, full of people like me in campervans. We went to Ireland instead and it was deserted. Ireland makes rural France look like Tokyo.

[fsouthbeachtals]

I drove almost the full length of the NC500 a week ago (with a drive up through the Cairngorms, a stop-off in Orkney and then down from Skye to Glen Coe to Inveraray). Thought that the better driving was to be found in the bits en route / away from the NC500 itself - in particular the A93 Perth to Braemar, and then the A87/A82 Bun Loyne to Spean Bridge). October seemed like a decent trade-off for clear roads vs weather + daylight. (Although I couldn't see further than 20m on the Bealach Na Ba and the mountains around the Torridon stretch were completely obscured by clouds.) Only real stretch that I wished I was in something more softly sprung than the C63 AMG was from Kinlochewe to Torridon, and then around anti-clockwise on the coastal route to Applecross. Serious potholes to be avoided there. Overall, a stunning trip - and I'll have to go back to chance better weather on the West Coast segment.

Thanks to Get Carter for some great tips too.

[Polome]

Janluke said:

My brother runs a dive boat out of Kinlochbervie which means I can stay with him so been up and down varies bits of the NC500 on my bikes a lot this year.

I'm always impressed by the number of fine cars on the road and although I'm more a bike guy I do appreciate a nice motor.

My last visit to KLB turned out to be the best yet as far as car spotting is concerned







According to the transporter driver, he follows the route and the cars go back on the transporter each night while the drivers where staying on a ship that sails around the coast. Not a bad way to do the NC500 and great to see these cars being driven

That e type looks very like my old car…did you notice registration No.? mines was 1999SF. Great car.

[jet_noise]

Got your winter/all seasons on?
1st snow on the tops here