NC500 (north coast road)
Discussion
I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has posted on this subject here. I used this thread for advice and have just returned from a brilliant few days. We only did parts of the full route but everything exceeded our expectations - weather, roads, people, etc. It was very memorable and may not have happened without the advice in this thread. Thank you! 
Tam_Mullen said:
maxwellwd said:
john_1983 said:
maxwellwd said:
Have a question for the knowledgeable here. Not strictly NC500 related though, I have a flat in Kirriemuir in Angus and wondered if folks of this fine thread knew of any good driving roads/scenic roads/routes etc.
I have driven around Glen Isla, Glen Dole & Glen Clova. Just wondered is there more to see around the Cairngorns.
Blairgowrie north on the A93 as suggested above, and Cairn o' Mount (B974) through Fettercairn are the two obvious onesI have driven around Glen Isla, Glen Dole & Glen Clova. Just wondered is there more to see around the Cairngorns.
JamieF78 said:
The loop around Loch Ness is Bonnie but be warned it’s very busy. The south side less so mind you. Roadwise, the A887 is one of my favourites especially the bit through Kintail, an area worth exploring if you like the outdoors.
Great to know, thank you! Will certainly check those out.
Thread update from an NC500 virgin...
My son and I did much of the route last week in my V8 Vantage. My lasting impressions are:
My son and I did much of the route last week in my V8 Vantage. My lasting impressions are:
- At certain times of the day and on certain stretches, the road can be genuinely deserted. On the A832 loop after Ullapool down to Kinlochewe, we had two excellent hoons, driving at 7/10 and making extremely good progress. On each of the two sessions, perhaps 30-40 minutes each, we didn't have to overtake one car, and we only saw two or three coming the other way.
- Having done some research, I reckon anticlockwise is better, as the scenery just gets better and better as you progress. If you go clockwise, the last stretch from JoG back to Inverness will be a bit of an anticlimax after the west coast scenery
- The Scots have a sense of humour with their road classifications. Many A roads have lengthy single track sections. Many B roads would be unclassified if they were south of the border. On the B road bits, I'd probably have been faster in my Fiat Panda 4x4
- September was fairly quiet, but there were still hundreds of motorhomes. The vast majority were courteous and pulled over when they spotted the Aston. A minority were ignorant or just plain obstructive. A couple (probably hire vans) were bordering on dangerous.
- I had hoped that September would be modestly warm. It wasn't. There was a biting northerly wind with daytime temps struggling to hit double figures.
- I had feared that September would still be a midge-fest. I was wrong - the cold weather must have killed them all off.
- Three days on the route was probably the minimum if you wanted to see stuff as well. We could easily have shortened the driving distance each day and spent five or six days, but we were on a limited budget and in any case, we were there for the driving as much as the visitor attractions.
- The road surface was massively varied. Much of the route was well-surfaced, smooth, undulating good quality tarmac. However, some sections were absolutely shocking to drive on, with poor repairs and badly broken surfaces. I have several new stonechips on the car as a result.
- Fuel prices were extremely good - I was expecting to be hit with opportunistic pricing along the route, especially on the more remote sections, but if anything, the prices were below average.
- Hotel prices were good. The trip was all about the driving, so we weren't looking for the last word in luxury. However, three out of the four nights were very pleasant and all were below £100pp per night.
- There were lots of foreign tourists, especially at the hotspots like John O'Groats and Eilean Donan castle. The Americans seemed genuinely awe-inspired at the scenery, despite probably having bigger and better scenery where they come from.
- Ah yes - the scenery.... My son has done a European road trip through Austria, Switzerland etc and commented that although the altitudes are clearly much greater in Europe, the Scottish scenery is somehow 'bigger' - many huge views through vast valleys to huge mountains in the distance. The scenery was also extremely varied. We'd be hammering across a huge valley and five minutes later, we'd be climbing a steep switchback hillside. Another few minutes and we'd be in the middle of a lush forest and then we'd pop out at the coast with amazing sea views.
- We didn't bother with the Applecross loop - the reviews I'd read suggested that the Aston wouldn't be suited to that kind of road. Instead, we made up for it by breaking off the NC500 route at Kinlochewe and heading for Fort William and Glencoe (and of course, Glen Etive, as we were in an Aston...)
- It's not cheap - across five days and four nights, the two of us spent just under £1,400 including £450 on fuel, £670 on hotels (separate rooms each night, as my son isn't keen on listening to his old man snoring all night..) and £200 on food
nebpor said:
You're welcome - it's a nice hotel and the area is my favourite part of Scotland (I don't live far as the crow files). It's the only Spa like it in Scotland as well!
The hotel was lovely, and I’d recommend it for people travelling in that area. Thanks for your suggestion. 
GetCarter said:
Been a while since I've been on this thread... so
Applecross coast road. BTW Nigel_O ... I live on the Applecross road, and had a Vantage, and it's not a problem. Next time you're up, give it a go! :0)
Steve, all your pictures are very good but that is magnificent and unless i've missed it, i'm surprised you have't posted that on Twitter! Applecross coast road. BTW Nigel_O ... I live on the Applecross road, and had a Vantage, and it's not a problem. Next time you're up, give it a go! :0)
GetCarter said:
StonedRollin said:
Steve, all your pictures are very good but that is magnificent and unless i've missed it, i'm surprised you have't posted that on Twitter!
Ta. Actually Twitter posted on 1st Sept.GetCarter said:
BTW Nigel_O ... I live on the Applecross road, and had a Vantage, and it's not a problem. Next time you're up, give it a go! :0)
I have no doubt the Vantage would cope, but we’d already spent 3 hours on the single-track Kylesku loop and our appetite for several hours more was rather diminished. I did consider sending you a message and meeting up for a coffee / beer in Torridon, but we were on a fairly tight schedule (Ullapool to Dumbarton in a day, with a couple of stops along the way) so a diversion to Torridon would have made us very late for the hotel.
Another time…
Edited by Nigel_O on Monday 21st October 13:32
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