Tips for Motorhome Trip on NC500

[Toby2018]

I am doing NC500 in July, any tips please and recommended campsites for a motor home

 

[bigtwin]

If everyone goes the same way, it makes it easier for tourists and locals.

I'm all for questioning group logic. But it's not always wrong.

The group logic only really works if those travelling in the same direction are travelling at exactly the same speed (i.e. no one catches up with anyone else, so never needs to pass anyone).

Still no source of the recommendation?

Ian

 

[CWH]

If the majority of people are heading in the same direction, there's less congestion.

If everyone goes the same way, it makes it easier for tourists and locals.

Not if there are nose-to-tail 30mph folks taking in the scenery when you want to travel at 60

 

[Guigsy]

Not if there are nose-to-tail 30mph folks taking in the scenery when you want to travel at 60

Except you'll be stopping more often due to increased oncoming traffic. You'll probably go slower.

10 people decide to do the loop. 7 go anticlockwise, 3 clockwise. If you go clockwise, you've got to deal with 7 passing events instead of 3.

 

[Clive Beeza]

Can I please ask where you heard that????
So you are saying someone who lives on the NC500 and needs to go to the next village to the local CO'OP 5miles away are advised on a 500 miles round trip.???
Think you must have got that from Facetube

The adivice is for a clockwise direction rotation for motorhomes,
well publisised in magazines,not compulsory but advisory,
to make passing oncoming traffic slightly easier
and local van and delivery people get frustrated,
with mororhomers who ignore the advice and travel anti clockwise

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[poppycamper]

Except you'll be stopping more often due to increased oncoming traffic. You'll probably go slower.

10 people decide to do the loop. 7 go anticlockwise, 3 clockwise. If you go clockwise, you've got to deal with 7 passing events instead of 3.

Sure there must be some sort of logic there somewhwre but I dont see it..
NC 500 ain't just for tourists but for locals aswell and they will understandably go which ever direction they need to to get where they want to be..
I believe any "Advisory" direction came about, not to ease congestion but to save they last part of route (West Coast) till last.

 

[Guigsy]

Sure there must be some sort of logic there somewhwre but I dont see it..
NC 500 ain't just for tourists but for locals aswell and they will understandably go which ever direction they need to to get where they want to be..
I believe any "Advisory" direction came about, not to ease congestion but to save they last part of route (West Coast) till last.

If all the tourists head the same direction, it'll mean there's less congestion overall.

 

[Guigsy]

The adivice is for a clockwise direction rotation for motorhomes,
well publisised in magazines,not compulsory but advisory,
to make passing oncoming traffic slightly easier
and local van and delivery people get frustrated,
with mororhomers who ignore the advice and travel anti clockwise

Most guides I've seen suggest anti clockwise.

 

[bigtwin]

If you go clockwise, you've got to deal with 7 passing events instead of 3.

In an oncoming sense yes, but not necessarily if you are needing to overtake more slower cars in front of you!

well publisised in magazines,

Which magazines? Who reads magazines these days?

I believe any "Advisory" direction came about, not to ease congestion but to save they last part of route (West Coast) till last.

Indeed, not advisory as such but rather everyone’s preference (and their recommendation when anyone asks).

Most guides I've seen suggest anti clockwise.

Which guides?

Ian

 

[poppycamper]

If all the tourists head the same direction, it'll mean there's less congestion overall.

Also mean all tourists would then possibly be travelling in convoy...... Really Really fround upon and any locals going other way would spend most of the time sitting in passing places letting tourists past...
That will really pee them off.
Again Guigsy struggling to see your logic?

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[Guigsy]

Also mean all tourists would then possibly be travelling in convoy...... Really Really fround upon and any locals going other way would spend most of the time sitting in passing places letting tourists past...
That will really pee them off.
Again Guigsy struggling to see your logic?

If you have equal number of people going both ways, you'll get more conflicts than if they all go the same way. Every conflict has the chance of becoming a gridlock. They normally occur when you get two convoys meeting each other. In the off season, it doesn't matter because the flows are lower. But in the summer peaks, people have taken hours to do a few miles.

 

[Figaro]

If everyone goes the same way, it makes it easier for tourists and locals.

I'm all for questioning group logic. But it's not always wrong.

Much like the ring of Kerry in RoI, the tour coaches go anti clockwise and motorhomers are advised to as well

 

[CWH]

Except you'll be stopping more often due to increased oncoming traffic. You'll probably go slower.

10 people decide to do the loop. 7 go anticlockwise, 3 clockwise. If you go clockwise, you've got to deal with 7 passing events instead of 3.

Rarely have to stop for on-coming on a single-track. Usually both adjust speed to meet at a passing place. I have 17 miles of single-track to get to the local village.
Also, most of the 500 isn't single-track.
You refer to 'the loop' - are you just talking about a specific section of the 'route'? (I put route in inverted commas cos it's simply the coast road.)

 

[Apacheman]

Next there will be a rendezvous point and everyone has to meet there and motorhomes set off at 10 minute intervals so as not to have 2 in a row. And anyone caught going the wrong way will be turned round by the Marshalls. . It’s not really the Motorhome’s you need to worry about, more the Porche or TVR owners club that try to complete the route in less than 10 hours!

 

[Gizmouk]

Rarely have to stop for on-coming on a single-track. Usually both adjust speed to meet at a passing place. I have 17 miles of single-track to get to the local village.
Also, most of the 500 isn't single-track.
You refer to 'the loop' - are you just talking about a specific section of the 'route'? (I put route in inverted commas cos it's simply the coast road.)

"The Waltz"

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[Squeakin]

Scotland is a beautiful place, personally I couldn’t think of anything worse than the NC500, plodding along with the masses. There are so many other places to go such as Skye, Mull, Cairngorms etc, but then it’s not for everyone. Enjoy your trip, it really is a special place To go and the people are marvellous wherever you go.

 

[VXman]

We did what is now called the NC500 long before it was so named. It was unspoilt, quiet and beautiful but now it is busy and polluted by so many Motorhomes, spoiling many of the stop off points with some of our friends from the continent parking overnight in inappropriate places, owning the roads and driving as though they’re on autobahns. (They’re not all like that but there are general traits) We still visit Scotland but don’t do the NC500. However, Scotland is a beautiful place best enjoyed out of season, albeit colder.

Depends when you go. We went in early May last year and I didn't find it overly busy at all. Yes there were more motorhomes there than other places I've been in the UK but never had a problem finding a park up and quite often we were alone. Traffic on the roads was pleasantly quiet.

 

[VXman]

Scotland is a beautiful place, personally I couldn’t think of anything worse than the NC500, plodding along with the masses.

As said above - not my experience at all. Clear roads, little traffic and just a few motorhomes here and there. It might be in the height of summer holidays but i wouldn't know as I haven't been then.

 

[Guigsy]

Depends when you go. We went in early May last year and I didn't find it overly busy at all. Yes there were more motorhomes there than other places I've been in the UK but never had a problem finding a park up and quite often we were alone. Traffic on the roads was pleasantly quiet.

We went late September a couple of years ago. We'd see the occasional motorhome at the common beauty spots. Most of them we had to ourselves. Only time we saw any traffic was because a far too large motorhome combined with some roadworks caused a tailback on the Lochinvar section. We saw the same group of sports cars (Mercedes GT, McLaren and a couple of Ferraris) a few times over a few days, letting them pass only to see them stop for a smoke at the next village. Repeat. That was the nearest we got to busy.

 

[Ray-Vic]

This is from the NC500.com website and seems pretty clear that there is no defined route. We are planning to visit at some point (not necessarily sticking to the "route") so got a couple of books, each recommending east to west but only for the thrill of the west coast last, not for the flow of traffic.

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[bigtwin]

This is from the NC500.com website and seems pretty clear that there is no defined route. We are planning to visit at some point (not necessarily sticking to the "route") so got a couple of books, each recommending east to west but only for the thrill of the west coast last, not for the flow of traffic.

View attachment 844431

NC500.com ???

Ian

 

[Tombola]

NC500.com ???

Ian

North Coast 500 - The ultimate road trip around the North of Scotland

Bringing together a route of just over 500 miles of stunning coastal scenery in the far north of Scotland, the North Coast 500 is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. Explore opulent castles, sample a dram of whisky or take an exhilarating wildlife safari, enjoy a truly unique touring...

www.northcoast500.com

 

[Ray-Vic]

NC500.com ???

Ian

northcoast500.com

 

[Ray-Vic]

Which guides?

This one:

 

[CWH]

This one:

View attachment 844469 View attachment 844470

Just reading that one page of this INDEPENDENT and UNOFFICIAL guidebook tells me that the author has misunderstood the whole concept. Which is a shame as this book is regularly recommended on fb groups so I assume it has a lot of good stuff in it - but presumably also creates/ perpetuates myths such as one-way motorhoming.

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[Ray-Vic]

Just reading that one page of this INDEPENDENT and UNOFFICIAL guidebook tells me that the author has misunderstood the whole concept. Which is a shame as this book is regularly recommended on fb groups so I assume it has a lot of good stuff in it - but presumably also creates/ perpetuates myths such as one-way motorhoming.

So it's not a guide then?

 

[CWH]

So it's not a guide then?

I've referred to it as a guidebook in the post that you quoted.

 

[Gyro]

Depends when you go. We went in early May last year and I didn't find it overly busy at all. Yes there were more motorhomes there than other places I've been in the UK but never had a problem finding a park up and quite often we were alone. Traffic on the roads was pleasantly quiet.

My last sentence was meant to cover that

 

[Verteuil Man]

We went in October 2020, anticlockwise. A good time of year to go as there are no wee beasties and the trees on the east coast give a lovely display of autumn colours.
We have 2 toilet cassettes and can carry plenty of water. We planned our route to say at pubs, hotels (car parks) or aires for 3 days then a site to empty and refill on the fourth.
A lovely stop over we found was on the old harbour at Kinlochbervie on the northwestern tip. Small charge for the night and the is EHU if you want it. That time of year there is not much sun.
Also take plenty of photographs. SWMBO took hundreds, most through the front windscreen whilst we were travelling. If you only do it once the memories are captured.

 

[Northernraider]

NO the adviced rotation is CLOCKWISE
and travelling anti clockwise infuriates the locals

probably the "impatient white van man"
was agitated because you were travelling in the opposite direction
to the Clockwise direction recommended for Motorhomes

Eh?? I uses to do the North of Scotland twice a year every year between 1991 and 2016 , long before they dreamt up the nc500 name. I've never in my life encountered or heard of any recomended way round ... motorhomes are not haggis, they don't have 2 wheels smaller than the other they can go both ways round and it makes not a jot of difference which way they go . Scotland isn't a one way system. And the Scottish white van men don't only drive round it in one direction either.

Personally the East is boring and the west is best so I'd advice anyone doing it the first time to do it anti clockwise. It also means they'll be then driving down the bealach na ba and not up it.

To do the nc500 properly and see all the beauty of the North of Scotland you should easily clock up over 1200 miles .



P.s I would never consider doing the nc500 in July. Mid April- mid June and mid September till end of October are the best times to do it.