North coast 500

[Kenny-55]

Looking to try the north cost 500
Have 10 days 22nd July I know there are itineraries on line but most for driving by car
We will be doing it in a 7.4 m motorhome
I imagine lots of funsters have done this route
So looking for sites and stopovers that can be recommended the 2 of us like walking and cycling and like outdoor things to do and see
Any help would be appreciated
Happy to do sites and stopovers be it paid or of grid
Thanks in advance

 

[ivorantony]

I done the route in a anti-clockwise direction from Applecross to the Bealach na ba viewing point four years back
in a A Class 7.2 metres long, some tight U bends but most going downhill so less of a problem,

 

[Bobbydaisy]

Yep PVC would be ok , anything bigger would be mad , Applecross is worth the journey either way you get there

 

[Busybees]

We did most of the 500 in a 6m coach built last month. We used the Brit Stops book most for a wonderful variety of places to stay from a cheese factory, a distillery, a hotel, carparks with amazing views. There are, as someone else pointed out a lot of Aires springing up, which are very useful to stay in to fill up with water adn empty the poo tanks. Also varied from harbours to farm yards. We also found a motorhome rental place that you could empty and fill at for £5. The app Search for sites was also useful for the aires. We found it rather disconcerting that some of the A roads are single track with passing places. We completed the Applecross pass in good weather and no problem. We travelled anticlockwise spending most of our time on the east and north coasts. So much to see so little time!

 

[IanFraser]

Check the NC500 website and use the suggested route for motorhomes which avoids the applecross section, the locals are friendly, but you can expect to be politely advised of the alternative route for motorhomes if you attempt Bealach na Ba in anything larger than a transit. (I'm not a local with an axe to grind, I'm part of the problem - motorhome hire company, this is what we tell our customers based on the feedback from customers who tried it anyway). Note - polite advice may contain expletives.

Given the alternate route was a king detour I took a 6.4 metre king van up and over. Biggest problem was the several hairpin bends but the numbers of middle aged men in Lycra on bikes determined to do the climb! Pretty difficult to get past with traffic coming the other way & nowt worse than having to drive your van as slowly as a middle aged man cycling up a steep many hairpinned hill, worse watching middle aged butt cheeks quivering out of the saddle under the pressure…though may appeal to some. Having stayed overnight we left early next morning to avoid traffic and we’re met with spectacular sight of herd of deer who had come down the hill, we had to manoeuvre slowly through them on way back up. Still one of the highlights of time in van

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[Philip Hutchinson]

My wife & I did the NC500 over the first 2 weeks of Sept, 2018 in a 7.4 m MH that we had purchased new in the UK and then shipped back to NZ. We are now in our late 70’s and experienced MH’ers.

NC 500 definitely one of the worlds best trips. We included Bealach na ba East to West but passenger would prefer it done the other way to keep hill on her side ! Narrow of course but only one tight corner near the top.

We had no midges and no problem with camp sites but what has Covid done ? It’s all about risk and reward – GO for it !

 

[poppycamper]

We found it rather disconcerting that some of the A roads are single track with passing places.

I think that is the problem.
Folk come up to Inverness to do the NC500 circuit.
It is a main 'A' class road so they think it will not be any worse than the A6, and after all the literature state there is plenty of passing places, which I believe some immediately think that means "overtaking lanes" to allow plenty of wheeking past slower vehicles..
So 500miles, 100miles per day so only need to allow 5days... easy peasy.

 

[Bobbydaisy]

Have a look for yourself,if you are thinking of doing Applecross section on NC500, make up your own mind , this is doing it the easy way , anti clockwise in good weather and little traffic coming the other way

 

[bigtwin]

there is plenty of passing places, which I believe some immediately think that means "overtaking lanes" to allow plenty of wheeking past slower vehicles..

I’m not sure that I understand what you’re saying.

Ian

 

[poppycamper]

I’m not sure that I understand what you’re saying.

Ian

Normal two lane road that occasionally goes into three lanes alternately for both directions to allow backed up traffic to overtake.!

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[Gellyneck]

Normal two lane road that occasionally goes into three lanes alternately for both directions to allow backed up traffic to overtake.!

Frequently signed with "Overtaking Lane", "Slow Lorries for X Miles", etc and normally on inclines which slow larger vehicles.

 

[royandsharont]

Thanks to all who replied with clarification.

We did the full Scotland coast in 1979 on our honeymoon in a 1967 Riley Elf cannot remember much now about the roads but be default will have done most of the NC500 before it was named.

Were off up to a wedding in Tongue, on the very top coast, in mid August so the new van is here then we will spend time touring up there and retracing much of our honeymoon route instead of heading off to Spain in September. Memories eh

 

[gwyntaxi]

I’ve see photos of larger vans, and even a caravan, up at Bealach na Ba Viewpoint, so it must be possible if not recommended. I thought all the PVC’s were fine on that section of the route. Anyone confirm or otherwise

I agree that there are signs advising against Motorhomes taking the route over the Belach na Ba and Applecross pass, but I did the full route last September in a 7metre A-class with no problem, and did it many times before it became the NC 500, it’s all down to observing and planning, and being prepared to give way and wait, and be prepared to reverse, there are a lot of hired Motorhomes doing the 500 and they’ve never driven anything bigger than a car before and then they attempt the whole of the 500 but have got a clue how to drive a larger vehicle on that type of route. Jus sayin...

 

[bigtwin]

Normal two lane road that occasionally goes into three lanes alternately for both directions to allow backed up traffic to overtake.!

Gosh, I thought you were referring to single track roads!

Ian

 

[poppycamper]

Gosh, I thought you were referring to single track roads!

Ian

Please read all the posts..
I was referring to #33 where Busybees stated that he was "disconcerted that some A road were single track roads with passing places" and I replied #36

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[bigtwin]

Please read all the posts.

I had read all the posts.

Ian

 

[Bobbydaisy]

I’m not sure that I understand what you’re saying.

Ian

This is what he means ,

https://images.app.goo.gl/i4cg6gtomqdRfeuM8

You pull into one of these to let others pass ….. logging lorries on tonnage load bonus don’t …… suggest you do or invest in some of these

https://www.mirrorguard.co.uk/

 

[bigtwin]

This is what he means ,

https://images.app.goo.gl/i4cg6gtomqdRfeuM8

You pull into one of these to let others pass ….. logging lorries on tonnage load bonus don’t …… suggest you do or invest in some of these

https://www.mirrorguard.co.uk/

That is certainly what I understood was written but, apparently not.

Ian

 

[poppycamper]

That is certainly what I understood was written but, apparently not.

Ian

SORRY I was being a bit tongue in check.
When "disconcerted that the A road was single track I simply meant that some come up here expecting 2 lane roads, and by passing places they maybe were thinking off overtaking lanes as we see on some busy 2lane road as indicated by the
"Overtaking lane in 2 miles" signage.
Hope this makes more sense and if not I do not know how to make it any simpler

 

[bigtwin]

SORRY I was being a bit tongue in check.
When "disconcerted that the A road was single track I simply meant that some come up here expecting 2 lane roads, and by passing places they maybe were thinking off overtaking lanes as we see on some busy 2lane road as indicated by the
"Overtaking lane in 2 miles" signage.
Hope this makes more sense and if not I do not know how to make it any simpler

Understood. I had pondered that it may have been tongue in cheek.

Ian

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[CWH]

I’ve see photos of larger vans, and even a caravan, up at Bealach na Ba Viewpoint, so it must be possible if not recommended. I thought all the PVC’s were fine on that section of the route. Anyone confirm or otherwise

A local vehicle recovery firm told me a couple of years ago that they fund their off-season by the number of recoveries they make during the season, lifting vehicles off the Bealach.
Some hire firms won't insure you on the Bealach.
Are you and your passenger COMFORTABLE with reversing downhill into a passing place immediately above a precipitous drop? Are your brakes in good condition? Can you easily do a hill-start? Do you have the patience to wait for a struggling driver to reverse into THEIR passing place?

 

[stevel]

We did the NC500 east to west May 2021 in 7 days and loved it. We missed out the 'top right hand corner' by taking the A836 up to Tongue . Highly recommend the camp site in Ullapool alongside Loch Broom, plus the independent camp site at Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond. We also stayed off grid in the car park overlooking Balintore harbour and overlooking Balnakeil Beach which is an absolute 'must-see'. Both were great.

 

[frenchie 79]

Looking to try the north cost 500
Have 10 days 22nd July I know there are itineraries on line but most for driving by car
We will be doing it in a 7.4 m motorhome
I imagine lots of funsters have done this route
So looking for sites and stopovers that can be recommended the 2 of us like walking and cycling and like outdoor things to do and see
Any help would be appreciated
Happy to do sites and stopovers be it paid or of grid
Thanks in advance

I’ve see photos of larger vans, and even a caravan, up at Bealach na Ba Viewpoint, so it must be possible if not recommended. I thought all the PVC’s were fine on that section of the route. Anyone confirm or otherwise

We did 17 nights on 500 fantastic experience.We had no trouble with locals as stayed on sites.I booked and organised before we left home.We have a bailey autograph 79.4 wouldn’t advise going on the Bealach na ba We got to the sign & you can go straight on instead of going on it.Which has some lovely views.I did a planned route with sites & we also went over to Harris for two nights which was amazing.

 

[Dicken]

Looking to try the north cost 500
Have 10 days 22nd July I know there are itineraries on line but most for driving by car
We will be doing it in a 7.4 m motorhome
I imagine lots of funsters have done this route
So looking for sites and stopovers that can be recommended the 2 of us like walking and cycling and like outdoor things to do and see
Any help would be appreciated
Happy to do sites and stopovers be it paid or of grid
Thanks in advance

10 days is not enough to enjoy it.

 

[Arnothill]

Remember that the NC500 is a marketing gimmick. There are plenty of equally nice and remote trips in Scotland. Last week we travelled from Oban to Machrihanish along the west coast. Great camp sites, top food, beavers, otters, beer, castles, Kilmartin, views, gardens, walks - and not too busy either. If you have time then add in the islands of Bute or Arran.

BTW it is only the pregnant female midges that bite. If they don't get a belly-full of your blood then they can't lay their eggs that turn into little baby midges. Kill one midge and you are stopping millions of unborn lives. Best if you strip down to your underwear and be immortalised in the ballads of midge-world as "the great feast".

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[Monty777]

Check the NC500 website and use the suggested route for motorhomes which avoids the applecross section, the locals are friendly, but you can expect to be politely advised of the alternative route for motorhomes if you attempt Bealach na Ba in anything larger than a transit. (I'm not a local with an axe to grind, I'm part of the problem - motorhome hire company, this is what we tell our customers based on the feedback from customers who tried it anyway). Note - polite advice may contain expletives.

Off grid camping has got a terrible reputation around the NC500. There is no right to wild camp in a vehicle, and while it is tolerated in many places - less so around the NC500. Ten days is fine for an awesome road trip, much much longer if you really want to explore.

Oh and the mosquito nets that your manufacturer may have fitted to your van - no defense against the scottish midgie. Fearsome wee buggers are smaller than the holes in the netting - smidge helps deter them, but they love a game of "find the bit of flesh with no smidge on it" and something suitable toxic to spray the van before going to sleep is essential. Midgie hats look very ridiculous, people running around in a circle madly swatting they're own face even more so. Consider a midgie hat.

We did the West part of the route from Bettyhill to Applecross including Bealach na Baa (Pass of the cattl) last September in a 6 meter Autosleeper Warwick Duo without any problem-but the roads in the west are mostly very narrow single track so you do need to be sure of your vehicle handlin.

 

[CWH]

Problem with the Bealach is that while most of us (not all) and our vehicles (not all) could manage it on an empty road in decent conditions, we have a different challenge when there are other people - whether it's busy or there are just one or two. There are (as somebody has already said) the MAMILs and other cyclists, with no room to overtake; hired mohos and hire cars with inexperienced drivers; vehicles that struggle with the gradient; mohos too long to make the hairpins; drivers who can't reverse into passing places even on the flat, never mind either uphill or downhill; drivers who don't understand how to use passing places (how they get this far without being lynched I don't know); people stopping in passing places to get out and take photos; etc etc etc. There's a lot of complacency, and there's a lot of panic.
Actually much of this applies to other single-track roads as well... They're single-track often because they're built on bog, so dropping off on to the verge to pass rather than reversing is both dangerous and destructive (to vehicle and to road-edge).
IMV if a driver sees a public road as a "challenge" they shouldn't be doing it. It's arrogant to think that we are 'entitled' to disrupt other road users for our own entertainment. This is Scotland, not Disneyland! Yes the view from the Bealach is lovely, but a driver's not going to see much of it if they're concentrating on the road. There are plenty of equally stunning views without putting ourselves and our vehicles to the test.

 

[P Jones]

Personally, wouldn't think of trying to do the NC500 in 10 days. You can't do it justice in that time.
Pick part of it and focus on that.

start on east coast try be-hind the foot ball club at arbroath. nice c veiw. please dont get the wind up. ord tu best. ok. pj.

 

[CWH]

Try not to think of the 500 as a 'thing' in itself, more as a link between a range of places - unless you have all the time in the world, I'd agree that it's better to choose an area and enjoy that - fortunately when I went around the coast, long before anybody thought of marketing it as the NC500, I did have all the time in the world and still missed most of it despite spending 3 months travelling.

 

[Thedriver]

I’ve see photos of larger vans, and even a caravan, up at Bealach na Ba Viewpoint, so it must be possible if not recommended. I thought all the PVC’s were fine on that section of the route. Anyone confirm or otherwise

Hi, All a matter of choice but I did the Applecross pass in a 8.3mtre A Class last year, just to say "I dun it" No prob. Miss judged one of the U bends on the 1 in 3 gradient bit and had to reverse a bit to get round. All right call me irresponsible if ya like but it all depends on your driving confidence. Bruce

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[cyberyacht]

How does Applecross compare with the Hardknott pass in Cumbria for difficulty? Has anyone done both? I did the Hardknott years ago solo in a Cortina which did require a fair bit of concentration.