Scotland 500 tour.
We are thinking of doing the 500 tour next year (2018).
There have been a lot of interest in this route around the north of Scotland.
The reviews I have read are mainly from Motor home users.
Have anyone tried this route with a touring caravan. Are the roads good enough to take Caravans.
For example, single track roads with passing lay byes.
We would be appreciative for any feed backs on the camps sites visited and especially roads.
Regards
Colin & Pam.
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It’s been discussed many times on here, Colbirch
Here’s a link to just one of the threads.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-together/discussions/sites-touring/uk-sites-touring/nc500/
It's getting busier up there now with lots of people doing as you plan.
Check out UK Campsites and the Visit Scotland website for site details
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Done it 3 times with 3 different vans, long before it was popular, plenty of passing places and generally good visibility, so meeting someone is not a problem.
Any roads that are unsuitable for caravans will be signed.
Allow plenty of time for the trip, things are slower now the trip is so popular
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OK, I know I'm another M/homer and my needs / demands are rather different but :--
many caravanners enjoy themselves in this area !!
Check out the Club & private sites on line & see how many of the photos contain caravans.
The roads are things of horror
but only in the past !! As long as you accept the reduced speed and therefore the similarly reduced distances you can cover you will be OK !!Remember, goods lorries, wood hauliers, tourist coaches such as Shearings etc, all use these roads quite happily.Also this self same speed reduction will give you time to accept the glory of the scenery / countryside thro' which you are travelling, and using the Passing Places ( a white Diamond or Square on a 5 or 6 foot high pole ) to allow over-takers & on comers to go on their unhindered way in peace will win you Brownie Points by the bucket load
!!There are some places where a car on its own has the advantage of course, such as the roads to & from the Glen Elg ferry ( summer only ) onto Skye, The pass of the cattle ( Bealach Na Ba,) over to Applecross Well I wouldn't advise towing over them !
But in general -- Go, Thee and Enjoy yourselves
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Do it often but on fishing trips and Campervan. Has got busy of late that I have given it up.MH of course gives you option of wild camping and there are plenty of superb places but accept not so convenient for vans. There are a few CC sites and some Cls. All good. Excellent commercial sites but don't expect 5* ratings. One of my favourites is at 2016.Another favourite is 2027 ( but mainly for the fishing). Commercial would be Durness, Scourie and 2 at Ullapool. Beware convoys of foreign Vans. ( we saw a convoy of Germans over 50 at Tongue and they went in convoy along the single track road to Durness- Cant think what an approaching vehicle did except sit in a passing place for them to pass. This has made visitors less welcomed by the locals) Notorious Applecross pass is not worth it. and consider average speed of 20mph,so plenty of stops. Cant understand those racing round in a week. If you want to go to Applecross leave the van behind and use the northern route. By the way take Insect repellent or a head mask!! If you are walker don w miss the bone caves at Ichnadamph
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This year Skye ran out of accommodation for visitors, the 500 has been so heavily promoted here and in the EU that the routes are getting very busy, not only vans but tourist cars and buses, motorcycle groups etc. Plan well ahead, book sites early and consider driving out from one or two sites rather than just a coastal tour. You will see more by staying a bit longer in one spot than just doing a tick box route, you will miss so many beautiful places if you rush through.
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I thoroughly recommend it - it was our first serious trip with our caravan, this April past. It was cold, and many of the "attractions" hadn't opened, but the real attraction, the scenery, was there, was stunning, and because it was so early, we had most of the roads to ourselves, and no problems at all with passing place congestion on the single track roads. The local people were all the more welcoming because we weren't high season sprinters.
No midges either!
We took actual 500 route as a suggestion only - there's no kudos in having done The Official Route - so made several diversions, and edited a few sections out. For example we found a truly beautiful little site in the Summer Isles area NW of Ullapool and stayed there for several days, exploring the area - utterly awe-inspiring! The single track road there was interesting but perfectly workable, taken steadily enough. Other roads in that area were definitely best explored in the car minus van, and I'd not want to do them in a large motorhome either, but very much worthwhile.
We'd join the voices saying not to tow over Applecross. We've taken the car over it before, but didn't see the point in stressing ourselves with the van behind, as we weren't looking for points, again. In fact, on this trip, we spent our available time in some other areas and missed that part altogether, as it's so lovely it deserves time spent there properly.
We went clockwise. Another time we'll go anticlockwise, so we start with the relatively domesticated side, and build up to the truly wildly beautiful side.
And yes, keep an eye out for the idiots in rented Lamborghinis/Ferraris etc !
Have a great trip.
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