NC500
Is anyone considering to ring the north coast 500 with a caravan
It appears it is very doable using a mix of club sites cls and commercial sites
Would like people's thoughts on this
Comments
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Very doable indeed. There are enough sites as mentioned. Not sure if the route 500 takes in Bealach na Ba aka Pass of the Cattle. You wont be taking your van up that one so woth checking the route if planning to stop at Applecross. There is a camp site there, and I'm sure they would advise the best route in.. There are youTube vides of the pass. Spectacular. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0gl_pMiCm4
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"Scotland" does'nt really start till you're 50 miles north of Tyndrum, JPOSH !! or so some of those seasoned vanners would have you believe
Equally so on the east coast, where you need to be past Dundee unless stocking up with cake of course !!0 -
JohnDH, there are signs at the start of the access road to Bealach Na Ba giving strong warnings about the inadvisibilty of using the Pass if you are not experienced in towing. Its not a nice place in Fog or Heavy rain and it's a serious No No for anybody in the dreaded white stuff !! Been there, done it
and now I happily advise against it 
There was a TV programme last week with a pair of presenters on cycles playing on The Pass as part of the NC500, as usual no mention of the camera crew tho'
AS for the rest of the Route I reckon it's eminently "do-able" but I am a resolute Non-cyclist of course
B
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"Scotland" does'nt really start till you're 50 miles north of Tyndrum, JPOSH !! or so some of those
seasoned vanners would have you believe Equally so on the east coast, where you need to
be past Dundee unless stocking up with cake of course !!Write your comments here...Tyndrum....
Sounds like an ear infection
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Very doable indeed. There are enough sites as mentioned. Not sure if the route 500 takes in Bealach na Ba aka Pass of the Cattle. You wont be taking your van up that one so woth checking the route if planning to stop at Applecross. There is a camp site there,
and I'm sure they would advise the best route in.. There are youTube vides of the pass. Spectacular.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0gl_pMiCm4Write your comments here...
I am lucky enough to have the uk in 1:25000 on digital format so can work out a decent route
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You do need to Have a look at a map as well as digital stuff like sat navs etc.
Much advice is available from maps, be they Paper or Electronic --> simple things printed on the map such as STROME FERRY ( No Ferry )
If you make an assumption on the place name without the bit in brackets one can end up a tad disgruntled !!0 -
www.northcoast500.com a good tourist initiative and some great photos on the web site!
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Write your comments here...Tyndrum....
Sounds like an ear infection
An affliction of those wearing percussion caps, I beleive.
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If you think Tyndrum is the start of Scotland you have missed out on the considerable joys of Dumfries and Galloway! Not to mention the lovely lower East Coast of Scotland south of Edinburgh - personally I love ALL of Scotland there is Soooo much to enjoy. Apologies as this may have gone off the topic of the North Coast!
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Clachtoll beach campsite (north of Lochinver) has a lovely setting, with really helpful owners. You need to be careful and not go in by then northern road as it is too narrow for caravans. The site at Sango Sands at Durness is good for trips to Cape Wrath.
Wick Caravan site is within walking distance of the town centre. The wardens are also really helpful.Give yourself plenty of time as there are a lot of single track roads in the North West. There are also lots of "oh wow" views you might want to photograph. Its the sort of road that people with a dashcam keep the video!
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The film makes it look much narrower than it really is, we have driven the pass solo and it was no problem, plenty wide enough at the passing places for 2 cars to pass.
Many of the single track bits are much wider than that shown there.
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Looking to do the NC500 next year but want to take in Aberdeenshire on the way, can anyone advise if the A939 from Ballater to Inverness is suitable for towing the caravan, it looks like the A9 is the most direct route up to Inverness from Edinbrough. Thanks to any replys.
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Have done the A939 several times with a large touring van. Some narrow bits and a couple of very steep hills but, like many roads in Scotland, as long as you take care it is very doable.
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The was the last time I did the 500 in 1969 it was and the Kyle of lochalsh ferry, great days no need to book anything complete freedom caravaning at its best, still got midges and rain though.
We also dragged the van to Ardnamuchan point but three days of westerly winds we retreated back to a farm in glenborowdale which let us stay there I think his name was Thompson let us fish his loch and we lived on trout fantastic time which cannot be repeated sadly.
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I would recommend using the route up from Banchory to Huntly, the A980, A944 & A97, then the A96 to Elgin and all the way along the coast to Inverness. We towed that route in the reverse last year and it was fine.
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