The NC500: Our Blog

The NC500: Our Blog

Author
Discussion

Kesler

Original Poster:

154 posts

144 months

Thursday 20th July 2017
quotequote all
At the start of 2017 we sat down and thought about the next adventure we could plan, last year we completed the rally from Land's End to Lowestoft and the buzz was so infectious we just had to do something else, make something happen. Hardeep's idea of the NC500 fitted the bill perfectly; we did the most southern part of Britain, let's do the most northern part of Britain - especially when there is the actually NC500 to be driving through.

The NC500 - The North Coast 500: Scotland's answer to Route 66. Let's do this!


Photo: The Wee Agency

Our planning began with the cars and the drivers/co-drivers. 5 cars, 500 miles, superb smiles per gallon. Geographically, Callum based in Dundee was our answer to anything Scottish, clearly this was the most logical way of thinking... We didn't realise Callum has never done the NC500 until we completed it, but more on that later... He was tasked with the accommodation, the girls were tasked with any specific areas of interest, and everyone chipped in with the route (even though the NC500 is kind of laid out for us already). Our duration? 3 days to do the whole NC500 - st. I was thinking that we wouldn't have any time to stop for photos, drone shots, etc.

Fast forward some time and we were around 2 weeks until the drive up to Scotland, where we were hit with news that Callum and Matt had to pull out of the road trip. We were down to 3 cars and felt more determined to complete the trip!

And so the time finally came to make the drive up to Inverness, Scotland. Our checkpoints would be for myself to meet Jonny at Toddington Services on the M1, then over to Stoke to meet Hardeep. Jonny parks up next to us at Toddington in his Audi A6 Estate, a 3.0 litre turbo diesel power house, with the S-Line and Black Edition trim making his car super subtle - until you hear the custom EMP exhaust!. He brings his custom decals ready apply to each car.





Wolfed down some breakfast and we were on our way to Stoke. Why Stoke, you ask? Hardeep discovered the Staffordshire Oatcake, or 'Stokey Oatcake' as he prefers saying. And why not - it's a road trip, so we set our cars' sat navs and cruised there. Hardeep had bought a car just for this trip, a Honda Integra Type R DC2, with the B18C VTEC engine, a fantastic engine even to this day.

Hardeep phones in saying he is running 10-20 minutes behind, and as we arrived in Stoke and were seconds from the destination, we decided to go to an ASDA supermarket, in fear that this will be the last bit of normal civilisation we will see before we make our way up in to the Highlands. After stocking up on energy drinks and snacks, we we informed Hardeep has parked up so we drove over. The pitstop - JJ's Oatcakes.





We left Toddington in the lovely Home Counties sunshine and Stoke was rainy. However: Buffet Breakfast: £4.50 - yes please! unbelievable value. That is, until Jonny bashed up the last hash brown in the buffet tray for me. Evil.





Suitably refuelled/overfulled from the breakfast (1st breakfast for Hardeep and Kiran, 2nd breakfast for Jonny and Emily and myself) we planned find a Shell petrol station as again, we feared we may not have access to luxurious fuel once we are up there - and this prompted us to begin our first Top Gear-esqe challenge: Who can go the furthest. Clearly this was a contest aimed at the Integra and the GT86, as Jonny's A6 certainly wouldn't have an issue with range. Before we left, the lovely people at JJ's Oatcakes gave us some freshly made oatcakes with a target for us to get a photo of the oatcakes up in the Highlands. Thank you!

With our cars refuelled, we set up the comms in each car and tested the radios. Once it was all working, this was it - the drive to Inverness.



Would my GT86 make it to Inverness in one tank? A car full of gear - and I mean FULL; Emily packed the car like we were going away for the Summer. Will Hardeep's DC2 make it there in one tank? He packed nothing. Literally nothing. Here goes nothing!


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

Crossing the border!


Photo: @deepyjo

We pulled in to a service station in Glasgow to stretch our legs and for a toilet/coffee break.



http://i.imgur.com/PMfi9Ma.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JrN6d1I.jpg

The final stint to Inverness began, and we were welcomed by the most gorgeous scenery we have ever encountered. If this was already so beautiful, boy were we in for a treat when we're up and in the scenic route of the NC500!


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @jonny5whn

And after an excruciatingly long drive, we made it to our hotel, the pentahotel in Inverness. We found that the hotel had no parking spaces so we had to park in a multi storey which was a minute away which was £7 for 24 hours. At the time of arrival, we calculated we would leave the car park within 12 hours, which meant we would have saved £1 as up to 12 hours was £6. #bargain

It was also worth mentioning that Hardeep had to top up with fuel (and oil for that matter, thirsty VTEC) and the GT86 made it from Stoke to Inverness in one tank! Integra loses! Granted, the fuel light did light up as I parked the car, but I won't let that take it away from the fact that the car had surprised me so much. Back at home the GT86 would do around 250 miles in one tank. Long live the cruise control!



Once parked, we headed over to the hotel to check in and check out the place. A nice bar on the ground floor, free-to-use Playstation 4 and free-to-use pool table. We then decided we should have some dinner, and that we should play it safe after such a long drive. Thankfully down the road was a Pizza Express which was perfect as there was a 2 course offer on. As we walked over we noticed a Filling Station, a restaurant serving American food with an interesting menu - including a breakfast menu. We decided in the morning we would go here before we started the NC500 as breakfast at the pentahotel was £15 each! Now, I'm still not sure if it was out of pure exhaustion, but we felt that the standard of the food in this particular Pizza Express was excellent!



After dinner we returned to the hotel to get a few rounds of pool and drinks in before the first true NC500 stint the very next day. A nice easy to play pool table if you exclude the random bookshelf which meant we couldn't cue from that corner well. The PS4 received some attention too.




Photo: @hardeepatwal

So the next morning we did go to the Filling Station. What a load of st that was. Lackadaisical staff with no manners, cups/glasses with dust and the odd hair, food was bland and something one could have done at home. Nothing felt American about it, unless American diners were supposed to be this st. The only thing that made it feel American was the pancakes with the breakfast, instead of toast - and I would of preferred toast! Safe to say - if you're in the area, stay clear!



Back to the car park where we made some last minute checks over the cars before we headed out. Straight to the Shell we passed on the way in to brim the cars up and AWAY WE GO!





The sights improved, the scenery became even more stunning. Jaw dropping views which were 360 degrees - it was unbelievable, unreal. The first point of interest on our list was Rogie Falls and this did not disappoint!


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

We were beginning to experience the NC500 weather everyone had mentioned. Some witnessed all the seasons within a day of the Highlands! Moving back to the roads, we headed onward to the next destination. The roads where a culture shock but we soon got used to it - so many single track roads and not many people driving. The roads were SO QUIET!


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

We approached the turning on the A896 towards Tornapress, with the left turn going up a mountain. This is the historic Bealach na Bà - as Wikipedia puts it: Bealach na Bà is a historic pass through the mountains of the Applecross peninsula, in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands—and the name of a famous twisting, single-track mountain road through the pass and mountains. This looked to be an absolutely amazing road, and this road sign guaranteed it:


Photo: lotuselan.net

And as soon as you pass this you are in for this road:


Photo: Alan

After a few hundred metres we pulled over to get the first lot of photos underway.






Photo: @jonny5whn


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

We headed off again, to some more single track roads!! We even found a cyclist enemy even out here! A hand cyclist, who simply did not give a st about Passing Places and decided to do her own thing. Evasive action required!


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @jonny5whn

We finally made our way to the Bealach na Bà viewpoint, or quite simply, the coldest place in the world! Trying to sight-see in what makes no difference to a tornado really wasn't great.


Photo: @emshau

We got out to take some photos and to sample one of JJ's oatcakes out in the Highlands, but the weather almost froze my fking face off. Oddly enough the team found that hilarious...


Photo: @emshau

Anyway, we carried on driving until we got to Applecross, which was such a pretty place to be. I grabbed one of the GoPros to take a few shots and videos and we explored the area and went in to the Applecross Inn where we were greeted with incredibly hospitable staff and a great menu. After a lovely fish and chips we proceeded with our drive to our final stop for the day - the Loch Maree hotel in Gairloch, Ross-shire. This made for a shorter trip on day 1 to get used to the NC500, but it meant that day 2 would be a brutal 260 miles to the next hotel. While that doesn't sound too much, 260 miles through the mountain passes with all the twisty sections it can take hours to achieve that distance!


Photo: @emshau

On the way to the Loch Maree Hotel we came across some stunning roads with some beautifully breath-taking wildlife we made friends with!


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

I was still recovering from being so cold at the Bealach na Bà viewpoint that I decided to take photos from the car, a wise choice.


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

That was enough cowing around, back on to the drive to the Loch Maree. We continued driving and stopped at another stunning viewpoint to get some more photos. I'll let the photos do the talking.


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

http://i.imgur.com/sBJ7nhO.jpg[/pic]
Photo: @emshau

http://i.imgur.com/6snzd86.jpg[/pic]

http://i.imgur.com/ZWauh0W.jpg[/pic]

We were all surprised that our cars were still pretty clean!



We finally made it to the Loch Maree Hotel, it really was in the middle of nowhere! Had we have continued at our pace we would have easily passed it. The initial impression of the hotel was that it was more of a big house, and that we didn't expect much. To an extent, we were correct to do so. The reception seemed to have doubled up as a bar, the staff were super quiet. Once checked in we grabbed our bags and checked our rooms out. As we thought, it wasn't great. Superbly old fashioned, but what could we have expected from a place high up in the Highlands and in the middle of nowhere? You know if the place is old fashioned if they greet you with Werther's Originals! The water from the taps were brown too, though after reading the note on the board in our room that the water comes direct from the waterfall and the water is tanned, but the peats. No idea what it means, but it's basically not st water. Apparently.


Photo: My Muse's Musings

Were we in for a st night's sleep? The double bed seemed a little small, the WiFi was non-existent, the TV had 4 channels, and one of them was stuck/frozen, so we were down to 3. The bathroom was old fashioned, but functioned as it should. We all met up downstairs to discuss what we could have for dinner - and as it turns out we would have to trek far out just to get some food, so we settled on booking a table at the hotel for some dinner, hoping it was passable. We decided to book a table for later on, and we went out to get some photos done and explore the waterfall which was nearby.

Just one more oil check though...


Photo: @jonny5whn


Photo: @jonny5whn


Photo: @emshau



An extraordinary yet beautiful place, so calming and also lovely to see and understand the source of the water. We then headed back to the hotel for dinner - and it was at this point when our perception of the place changed. The food was actually very nice! I opted for roast lamb with a poached pear - and it certainly didn't disappoint. It was there where we realised it's not so bad out here, yes half the things we expected was st - but that was only because of what we had taken for granted back at home. We shouldn't be moaning about the lack of Internet or TV channels, we are out in the Highlands after all! However, a nice clean comfy bed should be mandatory. Dinner, nothing else but dinner with friends - made everything better.



After dinner we went to the back of the hotel to check out the view and it was a jaw dropping moment. How the building hid this from us I seriously did not know! What an unbelievable sight.



We ended the night with some drinks and a natter down in the lobby before we all went up to sleep. The next morning we had a nice breakfast and loaded up the cars for what would be the longest amount of driving within our NC500 road trip. The drive kicked off with some amazing scenery to get us in the mood to prepare for a long drive, but we planned our stoppages with various points of interests so with enough breaks in the driving we should be fine. Our destination at the end of the day was a little town called Thurso, the furthest town up north the historical area of Caithness in Scotland. Cue more photos of us driving and seeing cool things!


Photo: @emshau




Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

Discovering all the hidden places in the Highlands, like the extraordinary Achmelvich Beach.


Photo: Welcome to Scotland

We then stopped off at a cute little food shop called Flossie's Beach Store in Lochinver where we go out to stretch our legs and get some hot food. Here they had sandwiches, cakes, hot and cold drinks, pasties and also the ability to make some hot food such as a bacon roll, sausage rolls, haggis and black pudding... rolls, come to think of it, lots of rolls. It was a tiny little shack, a shed would've been better described, but boy it was great to have - and they were busy! With cars pulling over to queue up and people walking over from God knows where to get their food. You can see us having an amazing time waiting for our food in the freezing cold winds as I munch on a packet of crisps.






Photo: @emshau

Suitably refuelled, we headed back on the road while we were greeted with more wildlife. Seeing all these animals out in the wild makes the adventure even more spectacular! And these road, WOW. THESE ROADS.


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

Staying on the A894 passing through Ullapool to get some much needed fuel, we came to the iconic Kylesku Bridge where the curved bridge provided a magnificent view of the Sutherland scenery. The bridge crosses Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin and the view was just so breathtaking we pulled over to a large empty lay-by just to take it all in.


Photo: Kylesku Hotel


Photo: Simon Stock


Photo: Dronestagram


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

I figured it may have been the right time to leave our mark here at the Kylesku Bridge for the NC500 trip... literally.


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau

"I dunno how they got there."


Photo: @hardeepatwal

We then left quite promptly. And going further north we fell in love with more of these mountain roads, despite the ever changing weather.


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @hardeepatwal

We did come across some scary situations. A road blockage on a single track as campervans and caravans were trying to get past each other. On closer inspection it appeared that a kayaker had drowned and ambulances and the RNLI were there to rescue him/her. This added ~1 hour to our trip but it gave us time to chill, regroup, take some more photos and then finally be on our way.


Photo: @hardeepatwal






Photo: @hardeepatwal

[pic]http://i.imgur.com/m8AQJUK.jpg

Passing through a little remote village called Drumbeg, we pulled over for a toilet break before we commenced our last stint towards Thurso.




Photo: @emshau

During this last stint towards Thurso it became apparent that there was an issue with the GT86's traction, or lack of. The front tyres were down to 2mm and has most likely 'cliffed' as the feedback in to the steering deteriorated, my approach speed become dramatically lower than Hardeep's DC2 and Jonny's A6. Confidence was dwindling, and I ended up drifting quite far behind as the others raced ahead to fully enjoy these fantastic North Coast roads. My traction control light was kicking in (with all driving aids left on) with an approach speed of 45mph or more. I said to myself 'as soon as I'm back home I'm buying new tyres'!

And so, we made it to Thurso. Civilisation, finally. And what looked to be a busy place, so we initially thought this could be a decent area for some food and drink, so we headed to the hotel, which is the Royal Hotel, a hotel from the Bespoke Hotels group. HOWEVER, our initial thoughts could not be more incorrect. We parked up at the 'car park'. This was the car park, and this is how we had to park to avoid the bins/litter/broken glass/the 3 other cars which were in this car park.



What an uninviting st hole.

We entered the Royal Hotel and once again, it was like we entered a parallel universe. The hotel was dirty, yet busy like it was the best thing around. We didn't get it. Once we checked in we found our rooms and discovered just how st it was. It was so bad we didn't even take any photos to show you. The bed was dusty, pillows stank, there were stains on the duvet and mattress covers. The shower was incredibly bi-polar, carpet was horrifically dirty. The windows had little/no curtains and the windows were paper thin. In fact, the walls and everything else was paper thin, so we could hear absolutely everything outside. We could also hear next door, and upstairs, and downstairs...

It was horrific, an absolute nightmare. None of us could deal with it, so we decided to dump our stuff and just leave. Find a place to have dinner, go somewhere else, anywhere else. Go and get drunk. Get so stfaced that all we can do is go back to our rooms and sleep. Get up the next morning and check out as fast as we can. So while walking around Thurso we came across the Y-Not Bar & Grill. After quickly checking them out on TripAdvisor, this is rated the #1 restaurant in Thurso, and the name was rather ironic so why not.

We were greeted by friendly staff however the positive feedback ended there. While they had tables free, because we didn't book we had a 45 minute wait. But noone walked in for the past half an hour! They screwed up the message of 'yes we will wait for the table' and made it out like it was our fault. We finally got seated and we placed our order - another 40 minutes went by and it seemed like everyone else's food but ours were served. When complaining they didn't apologise and felt that 40 minutes was a fair waiting time. I really didn't know what to think. We were tired, we were at an obscene level of hangry, and fearful of what will happen that evening. Will we even make it out of this place?

Our food FINALLY arrived, and it was below mediocre. 40 minutes for this? My university meals were of better quality and took less time. Probably costed less as too. Oh well, we resorted to getting drunk here before leaving.



We left Thurso's best restaurant and decided to find a place, any place but our hotel, to drink some more. We found another hotel and decided to go there for some more alcoholic beverages to try and soften up our view on the Royal Hotel. On our walk over we discovered that Thurso must run a Ford Fiesta owners club of some sort, as everywhere we went there were at least 7 of the bds there. Later on in the night we found a blue Vauxhall Astra with orange wheels driving up and down the high street, being a dhead revving his car for no reason.

We finally decided enough was enough and went back to the hotel to sleep but our paper thin walls and shoddy windows allowed everything outside to be on loudspeaker in our rooms, hearing everything from arguments, fights and traffic lights to that fkface of an Astra driving up and down the road. Around 3am he discovered he had speakers. Coupled with his exhaust, he performed a chavvy duet with his speakers and decided to parade the only high street in Thurso until 5am like an absolute fknugget. I must of passed out in angst as I woke up at 8am and it was time to #GTFO.

'Breakfast for 9am' Jonny said.

'Hit the road for 10am' Hardeep said.

This plan was woeful. It was like we know this hotel is st, but our booking included breakfast so we would bravely try it. Of course, this was a mistake. Every table was dirty, had dirty cutlery, dirty cups and plates. And these were the tables ready for serving! We couldn't distinguish who worked there, so we weren't sure what to do. Thankfully a waiter walked by so I asked him 'could I possibly grab an extra seat to make this table of 4 seat 5 please?' I didn't think it was that much of an ask. The guy responded with 'YOU CAN HOWEVER IF YOU GET HIT THEN IT'S NOT MY FAULT'. Alright, dhead.

Another 10 minutes went by, we still didn't know what to do. The table was outrageously filthy, had dead flies, it was just all kinds of wrong. I've had street food in Hong Kong and I thought that was dirty, but this was next level st. Then suddenly, a waiter walks over. His shirt is oversized and his waistcoat not done up. His shirt had a blood stain by the collar and he looked like a guy who's been by the bar all night who then walked outside to shout at pigeons. 'Youse here for breakfast?', he asked.

OMG. No we're not here for your breakfast it's only 9:00am we just wanted to walk in to your dining hall, sit down and just discuss how fking foul this place is before we set off(!) Yes we want breakfast you fking moron, although perhaps even that was a mistake. 5 cooked breakfasts came out, they were a mixture of microwaved products, along with overcooked eggs, haggis and some other st. I walked over to get some juice, as surely they couldn't of fked that up too, right? I sat back at the table and wondered where the toast was. I asked the waiter for toast. He came back with some toast, but didn't allow us to make space on the table for him to put it down, so he threw it on to the table. Yes, you read correctly, HE JUST fkING THREW IT.

That's it. We're out of here.

We checked out and within 5 minutes we engaged launch control and headed the fk out of Thurso. On our way our we spotted a Lidl, immediately parked there and went to their bakery.




Photo: @hardeepatwal

So this is day #3 of our epic NC500 road trip, and we've left the awful Thurso and we were on our final drive back to Inverness and thankfully, the pentahotel.

While we were on our way to the famous John O'Groats post, we stopped off at some more breathtaking scenery. Last year we did our rally beginning at Land's End, so it felt amazing to think that last year we were at the most southern point of Great Britain, and now we were heading to the most northern point.




Photo: @jonny5whn



And then we finally made it to John O'Groats and the famous signpost!





We made sure our cars made it to the signpost too, which meant waiting for the tourists to leave, then carefully navigating the cars up the slope to park there. I'm not entirely sure if we were allowed to do that, but fk it we were there. #YOLO


Photo: @jonny5whn


Photo: @deepyjo

With half of John O'Groats looking at us, we decided to leave. Quickly.


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @hardeepatwal

And finally - we made it back to the pentahotel in Inverness! Arriving back at Inverness means that we have completed the 500 miles of the North Coast in 3 days. An amazing personal achievement as I've never driven that much in the GT86, yet alone with worn fronts.

We check in at the pentahotel, unpack our bags in our rooms and met up downstairs in the lobby where we were greeted by a familiar face. Callum, who was originally going to do this epic road trip with us unfortunately couldn't go, drove from Dundee to Inverness to meet up with us - amazing! We had a few drinks in the hotel to catch up, then went out for some dinner. After experiencing the palava back at Thurso we were so glad to have come back to Inverness and know that anything here would be better (anything but the Filling Station). We arrived at The White House on Union Street, a short walk from the hotel. It looked like a very modern and stylish restaurant/bar, the service was great and the food was superb! Seared tuna on a bed of risotto and a gammon roast as an example here:





The girls 'had' to have dessert. We're told they were impressed.


Photo: @deepyjo

As boys do, we didn't think to digest before going for a drive - so we walked back to the cars and decided to head over to Loch Ness - we can't say we've been to Inverness without going to see Loch Ness right? Driving over, we kept a look out for a good area to park up and get some drone footage. In fact, what we discovered wasn't just a fantastic drone area - but pretty much the race track of Loch Ness! The roads were absolutely superb, we couldn't of expected such a pleasant surprise after all the amazing roads we had driven through on the NC500.


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau


Photo: @emshau





At the top of the mountain the roads were freshly laid tarmac, which made for the exceptional driving. We finally parked up after behaving like utter hoonigans and the views rendered us speechless.




Photo: @deepyjo


Photo: @hardeepatwal


Photo: @hardeepatwal


Photo: @hardeepatwal


Photo: @hardeepatwal


Photo: @jonny5whn


Photo: @jonny5whn


Photo: @jonny5whn


Photo: @jonny5whn

Finally with the drone we opted to do a chase shot with both the GT86s. Duly obliged!


Photo: @hardeepatwal

And with that, we called it a day and went back to the hotel. Callum went back to Dundee that evening - what a trooper! It would be funny to mention earlier in the drive around Loch Ness we all had to do an emergency stop as Hardeep saw a duck in the road, and couldn't avoid it. RIP ducky! The next morning we had breakfast at a nearby Wetherspoons (The Kings Highway, Church Street) before we packed our bags, checked out and began our journey home.

We finally stopped off at the first Shell petrol station we went to when we arrived in Inverness to refuel and also to briefly clean the cars. In Hardeep's case, to clear the evidence.



The journey home was extremely difficult, we were all tired and couldn't concentrate. We took regular breaks and even played games via our comms to ensure our brains were still active and to pass the time.





It's easy to forget just how long the drive back down from Scotland actually was, but took all day and well into the night before Jonny and I managed to get home. The final shot of our cars together at a service station draws the NC500 adventure to a conclusion.



So what have we learnt about the trip?

We took a FWD, RWD and 4WD and conquered the Scottish mountains up in the Highlands. The North Coast is glorious and our cars felt supreme out there. Without a shadow of a doubt, Jonny's A6 ticked every single box on this trip; Economy, comfort, performance, practicality.

Hardeep's DC2, the oldest car of the group performed amazingly - that aggressive B18C engine along with the HKS Super Power Flow air filter made such a ferocious sound, and the Integra proves to us why it still wears the crown when it comes to FWD handling - it really is astounding.

The GT86? Well, it was one of the loudest, most attention grabbing/seeking, playful cars out there to do the NC500 in. In hindsight I should have checked and replaced my tyres before going, but that didn't stop us from having such an amazing time out there. With the breathtaking views, stunning scenery and challenging roads this road trip really was a dream come true.

Nae bother.


Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Thursday 20th July 2017
quotequote all
Great write up.

For those who don't know, Flossie's is not in Lochinver.
It's over 5 miles away on the B869 in Clachtoll
https://goo.gl/maps/AbuuFoYGNDJ2

https://goo.gl/maps/4crYA8yGonN2
The tatty old shed you can see in Street View looks a bit smarter now. smile

The signpost in JoG is somewhat underwhelming.
This one is rather more impressive imo.
https://goo.gl/maps/XXke4oxP4SF2



Kesler

Original Poster:

154 posts

144 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Strela said:
Super write up, old chap, and excellent photos. I did the same route last month and was pleasantly surprised at how empty and quiet the roads were. Documented here if you wish to compare notes https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
This was the same place as the first photo in your thread

Plenty of interesting motors up there, from a three wheeled Morgan to a convoy of classic Alfas and Porsches on European plates, and heaps of Dutch registered gypsy wagons. Reading your post, I realise I seriously overlooked the cattle. All I came away with was a photo of two sheep at dusk, and one of what I thought was a unicorn moose, but which turned out to be the local postmaster. I also thought what a difference the car makes. Had a 300ZX about a thousand years ago, which would have been quite a contrast to the old Merc I did this trip in. It was on its doorhandles cornering over 45mph and has the stopping distance of a supertanker.

Would you do it again, or choose somewhere different? For me, definitely worth repeating.
Thank you very much! It was absolutely jaw dropping to be surrounded by such beautiful scenery and with barely any cars on the road! I'm absolutely digging your trip, I think we need to go back and explore some more!

I noticed you saw a lot more motors up there than I did, amazing to see those variants out doing the NC500, that's awesome.

I'd like to do it again, but perhaps we would give ourselves a week rather than 3 days to do it all, and I'd like to use the drone a bit more too. We've got our next road trip to Monte Carlo but I don't think I'll take the 86 and rather share the driving in Jonny's Audi and get some photos out the window of the others. There are talks of 2018 in Wales though, and also the possibility of the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. Decisions decisions...

Kesler

Original Poster:

154 posts

144 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Red Devil said:
Great write up.

For those who don't know, Flossie's is not in Lochinver.
It's over 5 miles away on the B869 in Clachtoll
https://goo.gl/maps/AbuuFoYGNDJ2

https://goo.gl/maps/4crYA8yGonN2
The tatty old shed you can see in Street View looks a bit smarter now. smile

The signpost in JoG is somewhat underwhelming.
This one is rather more impressive imo.
https://goo.gl/maps/XXke4oxP4SF2

Thank you Red Devil! Ah oopsy sorry for the address typo - damnit TripAdvisor!!

Wow that really is an impressive signpost - and I think we actually drove past that!! laugh

Yipper

5,964 posts

89 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Good report. Good to see crowded Britain still has some semi-wilderness left, where sheeps can roam free, multi-channel TV or fast Web is rare, and old-world hotels with limited facilities still exist.

On a sour note -- not sure why you found killing a duck "funny". Comes across as moronic, tbh.

Kesler

Original Poster:

154 posts

144 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Yipper said:
Good report. Good to see crowded Britain still has some semi-wilderness left, where sheeps can roam free, multi-channel TV or fast Web is rare, and old-world hotels with limited facilities still exist.

On a sour note -- not sure why you found killing a duck "funny". Comes across as moronic, tbh.
Thanks Yipper! It was quite the culture shock but with the little time we had up there we embraced it and it made for such an excellent adventure.

Sour note taken, apologies for the wrong use of words. It was definitely a shock and horror moment, but killing the duck wasn't funny in the slightest. Making digs at Hardeep for the past 10 days has been mildly amusing though smile

leggly

1,780 posts

210 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Three days is too quick and a week just isn't long enough.

Kesler

Original Poster:

154 posts

144 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
leggly said:
Three days is too quick and a week just isn't long enough.
Three days was too quick! Great as a mental target but it would've been lovely to have had the time to turn back round and take our time to explore some more!

What would be the ideal time to do the North Coast?

Tickle

4,879 posts

203 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
clapclap

Fantastic write up and photos, looks like a great trip.

I'm lucky to have North Wales on my door step but a road trip to the highlands is on the cards soon, probably for 4 days. I have started a route that uses some of the NC500, will probably post it up on here soon for critiquing.

As an ex-DC2 owner I concur that they are fantastic cars!

Kesler

Original Poster:

154 posts

144 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Tickle said:
clapclap

Fantastic write up and photos, looks like a great trip.

I'm lucky to have North Wales on my door step but a road trip to the highlands is on the cards soon, probably for 4 days. I have started a route that uses some of the NC500, will probably post it up on here soon for critiquing.

As an ex-DC2 owner I concur that they are fantastic cars!
Thank you Tickle smile To be honest, I've never driven more than 200 miles in the same car in one day so initially it felt daunting, and as the date got closer I did feel apprehensive but I'm really glad I did it, it was so rewarding and I love it. The best way to have my first ever visit to Scotland - and it won't be my last!

Hardeep mentioned that Wales has many beautiful driving roads too, I'd love to try it one day.

The DC2 performed supremely, it was great to see our cars driving through the picturesque mountains so I'm really glad we took a lot of photos to always look back on smile Did you do much to your DC2?

davidexige

481 posts

205 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
What a great write up, thanks for sharing.

JM

3,170 posts

205 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Good write up. But the photos (and text in places) being out of sequence is annoying!
furious



tongue out


Kesler

Original Poster:

154 posts

144 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
davidexige said:
What a great write up, thanks for sharing.
Thank you David!

Kesler

Original Poster:

154 posts

144 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
JM said:
Good write up. But the photos (and text in places) being out of sequence is annoying!
furious



tongue out
Thank you JM! Haha when I first posted it I didn't realise I lost all my photos (thanks to Photobucket), then I lost the photos entirely so I forgot where the photos should have gone, but hopefully you got the gist of it eeeek!

Text out of sequence is probably my appalling grammar, my bad! Still not sure what my mother tongue is, Chinese/English/Chinglish...

Tickle

4,879 posts

203 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Kesler said:
Thank you Tickle smile To be honest, I've never driven more than 200 miles in the same car in one day so initially it felt daunting, and as the date got closer I did feel apprehensive but I'm really glad I did it, it was so rewarding and I love it. The best way to have my first ever visit to Scotland - and it won't be my last!

Hardeep mentioned that Wales has many beautiful driving roads too, I'd love to try it one day.

The DC2 performed supremely, it was great to see our cars driving through the picturesque mountains so I'm really glad we took a lot of photos to always look back on smile Did you do much to your DC2?
Nope, did nothing to the DC2 apart from keep it in good condition, felt fantastic as standard, sold it a couple of years later for a couple of hundred more than I bought it for.

The journey up to Scotland is not to bad for myself, probably only 4hrs to the first nights stop. It's just the thought of 4hrs of predominantly motorway in a S1 111s Elise, no radio, loud, hot, with a close ratio gearbox.... However; it's for them aforementioned points why I want to get to Scotland for a few days in it driving

Oh, luckily the Royal was not on my list of stop overs!


giveitfish

4,030 posts

213 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Have had 5 trips around the north highlands now but still enjoyed reading that, made me remember what it was like driving there for the first time.

My first trip back in 2000 was an endurance test, Bradford -> Kyle of Lochalsh -> Thurso -> Bradford in an Impreza. 1200 miles in 3 long days of driving, in October at that.

In 2000 I also stayed at the Royal in Thurso. It was grim then and it sounds like it's only got worse. Such a shame as there are so many lovely places to stay up there.

IanA2

2,762 posts

161 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Thanks very much. Most enjoyable.

sjabrown

1,910 posts

159 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Glad you enjoyed the roads up our neck of the woods. Hotels are variable: there are a number that seem stuck in the 1970s/80s with regards to room decor, food and service. But there's also a number of stunning places to stay out there (GetCarter knows of several in his patch). I forget how good the roads are; until I hit the M74/M6 heading south!!

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
quotequote all
Kesler said:
Three days was too quick! Great as a mental target but it would've been lovely to have had the time to turn back round and take our time to explore some more!

What would be the ideal time to do the North Coast?
Mid to late April/early to mid May: before all the campervans/mobile homes arrive en masse
Another reason to go early in the year - https://stv.tv/news/features/1388044-midge-explosi...
Or late September/early October after most of the tourists (and the midges) have bcensoredd off.

3 days is far too short. Aim for 5 or 6. ~250 miles is the max I would attempt in a day.
More than that means you don't have time to explore or appreciate the scenery.

Tickle said:
The journey up to Scotland is not to bad for myself, probably only 4hrs to the first nights stop. It's just the thought of 4hrs of predominantly motorway in a S1 111s Elise, no radio, loud, hot, with a close ratio gearbox....
You're doing it wrong. wink

A friend of mine has an Elise and we always go via the Dales and North Pennines. Settle, Hawes, Brough, Alston, Brampton.
Then Longtown, Gretna Green, and the old (downgraded) A74 to J10 of the M74. Sure it takes longer but so much more fun. biggrin

Tickle

4,879 posts

203 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
quotequote all
Red Devil said:
You're doing it wrong. wink

A friend of mine has an Elise and we always go via the Dales and North Pennines. Settle, Hawes, Brough, Alston, Brampton.
Then Longtown, Gretna Green, and the old (downgraded) A74 to J10 of the M74. Sure it takes longer but so much more fun. biggrin
I know what you mean, I'm limited for time though for a Highlands trip. Buttertubs is only an hour or so away for me so I can do that area when ever, I still however default to Snowdonia though as its a bit closer.