North Coast 500

[romtootes]

My Elise is going on the road this year after a 2 year break and I am thinking on celebrating by doing the 500 in a day. Will probably camp the night before at the southern tip of the route and get up early and get on it.

Have been mulling it over for a while now.

Some roads are maybe not as good as others (a9 and some of the single track stuff) but worth doing cos its there.

Just watched the EVO mag, big power slide aside I think the bill would be hard pushed to make anything stick without doing a lot of on road measurements etc.

[hendeg]

It looks like they're trying to desecrate all our favourite roads - https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... rist-draw/

[BigD]

Seems I've hit a paywall on P&J.

[tut]

Mind your own business you stupid bitch, we do not need the great unwashed clogging up our favourite roads with their boxes on wheels.

tut

[kenny]

Mind your own business you stupid bitch, we do not need the great unwashed clogging up our favourite roads with their boxes on wheels.

And the winner of the visitScotland.com marketing slogan for 2017 has just been announced.

Wouldn't worry, driving for fun will be banned soon anyway.

[mwmackenzie]

Some of the single track stuff is worth giving a miss id you're not into sightseeing, the roads have a lot of blind corners and undulate heavily, traffic coming the other way and being stuck behind traffic, even capervans in late October when we did it.. if you're looking to push on safely this isn't the place to do it... it's the bit up north of Ullapool I'm referring to... I'll try and find out the exact place, John Reid might be more help here.. Safer to take your time on this section and enjoy the scenery and view of the rear end of a camper...

[Victor Meldrew]

Some of the single track stuff is worth giving a miss id you're not into sightseeing, the roads have a lot of blind corners and undulate heavily, traffic coming the other way and being stuck behind traffic, even capervans in late October when we did it.. if you're looking to push on safely this isn't the place to do it... it's the bit up north of Ullapool I'm referring to... I'll try and find out the exact place, John Reid might be more help here.. Safer to take your time on this section and enjoy the scenery and view of the rear end of a camper...

Working on a route for next year. Noops and I will be doing a version of it at some point with Noops on the bike. Most of the single track stuff will be no use on a bike.

The section we were held up on that Mark is referring to was the coastal section between Unapool to Ullapool on B869 the via Achmelvich. There is a more direct route down the A835

[GraemeLotus]

Some of the single track stuff is worth giving a miss id you're not into sightseeing, the roads have a lot of blind corners and undulate heavily, traffic coming the other way and being stuck behind traffic, even capervans in late October when we did it.. if you're looking to push on safely this isn't the place to do it... it's the bit up north of Ullapool I'm referring to... I'll try and find out the exact place, John Reid might be more help here.. Safer to take your time on this section and enjoy the scenery and view of the rear end of a camper...

Working on a route for next year. Noops and I will be doing a version of it at some point with Noops on the bike. Most of the single track stuff will be no use on a bike.

The section we were held up on that Mark is referring to was the coastal section between Unapool to Ullapool on B869 the via Achmelvich. There is a more direct route down the A835

Oi!! That was my campervan you were stuck behind in October!!

If on the other hand you want to add a sightseeing bit - then there's not much better than the North West Assynt Coastal Road, as John says from Achmelvich northwards - joins back onto the 835 next to Kylesku bridge. The last section below the Quinag is just stunning......!

[smee]

Ali and I did a wee stretch of it a couple weeks ago, forget how great the roads are and in November, very quiet. Locals complaining of mega busy at Applecross and avoiding 9-5 during the summer but our only problem was keeping up with the locals in their Vectras and Octavias!

[mwmackenzie]

Ali and I did a wee stretch of it a couple weeks ago, forget how great the roads are and in November, very quiet. Locals complaining of mega busy at Applecross and avoiding 9-5 during the summer but our only problem was keeping up with the locals in their Vectras and Octavias!

We had an enthusiastic X5 to follow in the dark up to Wick! Made it all the more enjoyable knowing where the roads went in the dark following his lights, he wasn't hanging around lol

[campbell]

The post vans are usually fair pace cars too

[mwmackenzie]

The post vans are usually fair pace cars too

Stop a lot though

[campbell]

Lets you catch up

[scott_e]

Have a mate from Arbroath that did the NC500 with his brand new Mustang and 11 others. Sounded glorious. The organiser flew drones with some great shots of them all in convoy.

However there was a story of a yokel named Kyle who likes to drive around an area on the west coast drunk in a bmw with no brakes .... he stops the car against walls and fences ..... mustang owners not happy chaps when he visited the pub they were parked at for an evening meal .... luckily no damage just heated debate. I dont understand how people can get away with that sh*t in this day and age. Local bar staff explained it away as normal behaviour from the chap.

[timmsky]

Pfft.. what's all this talk of scenery? SE has gone soft

Back in the day before the NC500 tagline, we did TdE, Tut Towers and Campaganza's taking in all these routes and if you saw the scenery, you were driving too slowly.

The NC500 loop is great for a day's run out, but avoid the A9 routes south down the east side, instead cut across the middle and come back through Altnaharra, Lairg, Bonar Bridge and the Struie at the back of Alness. Stop into the Storehouse at Foulis for a cuppa and sugar rush home baking then you're on your way again.