NC500 (north coast road)

[GetCarter]

mellowman said:

Thinking of a short trip here on New Year's Eve - how are the roads at the moment and does the weather forecast favour PistonHeadery?

Roads are empty. Some potholes. Tuesday looks dry / some sun.

[mellowman]

GetCarter said:

Roads are empty. Some potholes. Tuesday looks dry / some sun.

Thanks GC, looking promising and a good first trip in my 911 :-)

[CABC]

GetCarter said:

NC500 has gone to sleep again.

Below: Rush hour. (I had to wait a while for a car).

all the photos on here (especially yours Steve) really pull at the heart to return. often.
for balance i should put up some of my sodden pics from September

Steve, have you got any specific tips for out of season?
i see Kylesku hotel closes late Nov - early Feb. i guess Torridon is about the same. that's fine as it's likely to be cold and dark then (for those of us who don't have it on our doorstep and need to get to N.Scotland in the first place).
So, i'm thinking of monitoring the weather in March/April/Oct/Nov, picking a good window at short notice, book hotels and head up there. Simple, but worth asking for advice on the unexpected.

must be a glorious drive when clear this time of year. jealous.

[GetCarter]

CABC said:

all the photos on here (especially yours Steve) really pull at the heart to return. often.
for balance i should put up some of my sodden pics from September

Steve, have you got any specific tips for out of season?
i see Kylesku hotel closes late Nov - early Feb. i guess Torridon is about the same. that's fine as it's likely to be cold and dark then (for those of us who don't have it on our doorstep and need to get to N.Scotland in the first place).
So, i'm thinking of monitoring the weather in March/April/Oct/Nov, picking a good window at short notice, book hotels and head up there. Simple, but worth asking for advice on the unexpected.

must be a glorious drive when clear this time of year. jealous.

You are absolutely right when you say "I'm thinking of monitoring the weather in March/April/Oct/Nov, picking a good window at short notice, book hotels and head up there". It's the best way to do it by far. Weather makes/breaks.

Short days are a big problem at this time of year (6 hours proper light), and as you say most hotels are shut. However if we do get a spell of good weather - we do every year in winter, but never know when - be aware that there are some B&Bs open all year - link to ones around here: http://www.stevecarter.com/ansh/ansh7.htm

[CABC]

GetCarter said:

link to ones around here: http://www.stevecarter.com/ansh/ansh7.htm

i'll still avoid the winter season though. besides, i know there serve great ale in Kylesku and Torridon!

[mellowman]

Just back from the impromptu NC500 trip and couldn't believe how good the weather was - perfect timing.

The 911 was great fun and surprisingly comfortable, even on the rougher roads - I think the PASM did an excellent job of balancing grip and ride quality.

The roads were virtually empty going northwards and that made all the difference to the overall enjoyment.

I'm already looking forward to the next time!

[carparkno1]

What's the view on early June? I did the NC500 early May last year, was v quiet and weather was manageable but would like a bit more dry roads/sunlight.

is it v busy? Have the campervans arrived by 5th June?

[GetCarter]

carparkno1 said:

What's the view on early June? I did the NC500 early May last year, was v quiet and weather was manageable but would like a bit more dry roads/sunlight.

is it v busy? Have the campervans arrived by 5th June?

It'll be busier than May, but nowhere near as busy as July/August. You can be lucky or unlucky with rain anytime here. We had a drought last year in June, but the year before was pretty wet. The best thing about June are the long days (19 hours of drivable light - you can do a couple of hundred miles before the first camper wakes up).

[carparkno1]

GetCarter said:

carparkno1 said:

What's the view on early June? I did the NC500 early May last year, was v quiet and weather was manageable but would like a bit more dry roads/sunlight.

is it v busy? Have the campervans arrived by 5th June?

It'll be busier than May, but nowhere near as busy as July/August. You can be lucky or unlucky with rain anytime here. We had a drought last year in June, but the year before was pretty wet. The best thing about June are the long days (19 hours of drivable light - you can do a couple of hundred miles before the first camper wakes up).

That's the plan!

Thanks for the info, we're going to do Edinburgh to Bettyhill in one afternoon/evening using the light, and then crack on from there for a couple of days. Revisit some roads we know and try some new ones as well.

[slipstream 1985]

I quite like the planning and execution of overtaking stuff.

[GetCarter]

slipstream 1985 said:

I quite like the planning and execution of overtaking stuff.

On single track roads, that just isn't an option!

[Riley Blue]

We're driving the NC250 this year, we're calling it the NC250 as we drove the eastern part from Betty Hill last year whilst on our LeJoG via B-roads drive.

This year it'll be the western part, clockwise: Glasgow > two nights on Skye via the Malliag / Armadale ferry then back over the bridge for two nights in Torridon followed by stopovers in Ullapool, Lochinver and Tongue (two nights) then south via Fort Augustus. En route accommodation is all booked.

We'll be in our '63 Riley One-Point-Five hence no hurry and low daily mileages to give us time to explore, something we didn't have last year so we're looking for some good beaches, interesting back roads, stunning vistas, good food - suggestions welcome.

[GetCarter]

Riley Blue said:

We're driving the NC250 this year, we're calling it the NC250 as we drove the eastern part from Betty Hill last year whilst on our LeJoG via B-roads drive.

This year it'll be the western part, clockwise: Glasgow > two nights on Skye via the Malliag / Armadale ferry then back over the bridge for two nights in Torridon followed by stopovers in Ullapool, Lochinver and Tongue (two nights) then south via Fort Augustus. En route accommodation is all booked.

We'll be in our '63 Riley One-Point-Five hence no hurry and low daily mileages to give us time to explore, something we didn't have last year so we're looking for some good beaches, interesting back roads, stunning vistas, good food - suggestions welcome.

As for backroads.. the best and least visited is south of Lochinver:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Inverkirkaig,+La...

..and the Cansp road from Lochinver - dead end - but stunning scenery at the end...

[anonymous-user]

I stayed in lochinver last trip. Very nice.

Has anyone tried any of the new routes being touted, eg the one in the south west of Scotland? Thinking of heading that way next week.

[Riley Blue]

GetCarter said:

As for backroads.. the best and least visited is south of Lochinver:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Inverkirkaig,+La...

..and the Cansp road from Lochinver - dead end - but stunning scenery at the end...

The Inverkirkaig road is already on our route and we'll take in the Cansp road time and weather permitting - that view is too good to miss.

[Jambo85]

Sambucket said:

Has anyone tried any of the new routes being touted, eg the one in the south west of Scotland? Thinking of heading that way next week.

I grew up there so know the roads very well - the area is well worth a visit but the choice of roads for the route is not a driver’s one. The A75 is a hellish road as is the A77.

The Dalveen Pass starting on the A702 from Elvanfoot, through Thornhill, New Galloway and on to Newton Stewart would be much better!

[GetCarter]

We have enough motorhomes driving on the wrong side of the road here, without the Scottish Caravan & Motorhome Show encouraging it!

[cat220]

GetCarter said:

We have enough motorhomes driving on the wrong side of the road here, without the Scottish Caravan & Motorhome Show encouraging it!

That’s poor on their part! Hope you tweeted that to them!

[R.Sole]

GetCarter said:

We have enough motorhomes driving on the wrong side of the road here, without the Scottish Caravan & Motorhome Show encouraging it!

Positioning correctly to clip the apex!

[GetCarter]

R.Sole said:

Positioning correctly to clip the apex!

Clip it about 25 mph mind.