# NC500 Review & Pictures



## AndreiV93 (Mar 29, 2017)

Hi all!

Had the pleasure to drive and enjoy the North Coast 500 over 9 days in September 2017, so I thought I'd share my thoughts of it with you all.

I drove my 2010 TT 2.0T FSI and my mate drove his Renault Clio 182 Trophy.

We decided to camp for the 9 days, as B&Bs across the route tend to be quite pricey (£80-£100), so we could spend some of the money saved from accommodation on enjoying the lovely food and drink Scotland has to offer! 
All campsites were very well maintained, with electric hook-ups and all the usual facilities, so it was a pretty good camping experience.

Route:

Oxford to Inverness via Glasgow and then A82, through Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Fort William.

Inverness - Applecross - Gairloch - Ullapool - Lochinver - Achmelvich - Durness - Tongue - Thurso - Dunnet - John o'Groats - Wick - Dornoch - Evanton - Fortrose - Inverness.

Inverness to Oxford via the Old Military Road in the Cairngorms National Park, past the Lecht Ski School, Braemar, Glenshee Ski Centre, Blairgowrie, Perth.

Door to door, the whole trip was 1,728 miles.

I signed up to http://www.northcoast500.com and took full advantage of the itineraries they have available. With lots of planning and merging different itineraries present on the website, I managed to come up with a plan to suit our preferences. There is plenty to do and see (nature & wildlife is fascinating, numerous waterfalls, gorges, breath-taking views, distilleries, restaurants, cafés, beaches and so on), so choosing activities for the days to come is recommended.

The west and north west coast is definitely the best driving experience of the NC500. Although there are numerous sections of single track road, passing places are plenty so we were never really stuck.
Plenty of climbs, descends, sweeping bends and amazing views. And having 2 cars made it really fun!
Don't get me wrong, the rest of the route is also amazing, but the roads can be a bit too straight in places. 
Coming back home, the Old Military Road in the Cairngorms has to be the best driving road I've ever experienced so far and the TT made it so much more fun! Seems that the folks at Evo tend to agree: 




Now, I guess choosing when to go is crucial. Going in September, we found it to be very quiet! Even on the famous Bealach na Ba pass, we only encountered 2 cars going the other way; and the rest of the roads were pretty quiet, so we managed to take full advantage. 
However, from speaking to the locals across the route, summers are a different story! Quite a few people have said that their business (restaurants, petrol stations) has quadrupled in the last 2 years as the NC500 has attracted more and more people.

I had an awesome time and looking forward to maybe doing it again someday! Would definitely recommend to anyone thinking about it.

I could write a lot more about it, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask 

Will leave you with some pictures! Cheers, Andrei


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## AndreiV93 (Mar 29, 2017)




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## Roller Skate (May 18, 2015)

Great write up and photos chap.

Stelvio next. 8)


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## Shug750S (Feb 6, 2012)

I drove the same (second) part of the route, early last spring National Park, past the Lecht Ski School, Braemar, Glenshee Ski Centre. Was a rare sunny day in the middle of some nasty weather.

Hardly saw another car, and despite being in a Land Rover Disco (hire car) on a business trip from Inverness to Edinburgh stopping at various distilleries, really enjoyed some or the roads.


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## BW57 (Jun 26, 2017)

Shug750S said:


> I drove the same (second) part of the route, early last spring National Park, past the Lecht Ski School, Braemar, Glenshee Ski Centre.


Part of the Snow Roads scenic route.......

http://cairngorms.co.uk/discover-explor ... ic-routes/


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## AndreiV93 (Mar 29, 2017)

Roller Skate said:


> Great write up and photos chap.
> 
> Stelvio next. 8)


Thanks RS. Ha was actually looking at Stelvio yesterday.. going to suggest it to my mate for next year 



BW57 said:


> Part of the Snow Roads scenic route.......
> 
> http://cairngorms.co.uk/discover-explor ... ic-routes/


"Steep hills, 'blind' summits and tight bends on the roads mean you'll need to drive with care and courtesy. "

Honestly, the 'blind' summits are unlike anything I've seen before :lol: when you go over the top, it feels like an eternity before the front end of the car touches the road again :lol: scary as sh*t as you can't see what's on the other side at all!


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

Great write up and pictures. 

My first venture to Scotland was for my first ascent of Ben Nevis and I've made many trips for both summer and winter climbing since. Nowadays though I'm downgraded to walking and a bit of scrambling. Before the bridge to Skye was built the ferry charged for the car and per passenger - we always hid one person under a pile of rucksacks in the back seat.

I've driven all of the west coast over many years, and over several trips to various parts of Scotland mostly before anyone thought of NC500. The Pass of the Cattle is indeed best tackled out of season; in the summer it now attracts a lot of cyclists who must all be masochists.

The Old Military Road through the Cairngorms is simply awesome.

If you like blind summits, try the road that branches of the A87 on Skye, not far from the bridge, and leads to the Glenelg to Kylerhea ferry.

I've also done the Stelvio and whilst it's on many of our 'must do' lists, there are better passes in the area for driving, scenery and less traffic. The old San Bernadino and Flüelapass are just two.


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## miTTzee (Dec 8, 2015)

Hideo and thanks for a great right up on your trip to Scotland.

This is going to be a must do and will be added to my bucket list
for next year.

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks again for your post and links.

miTTzee - [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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