North Coast 500
hi just wondering if anyone knows if the NC500 is caravan rather than motor home friendly. Can anyone suggest a suitable route?
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Hi, we're planning to do this route with a swift challenger 510. From my research it's fine for a caravan if you are competent and careful. Enjoy.
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Here's some more info about driving with a caravan:
Is the road suitable for motorhomes/caravans?
For the most part, the route is suitable and many before have completed the route in a motor home. The 'Bealach Na Ba' stretch however is not suitable for large motorhomes, caravans and inexperienced drivers due to its sharp bends and steep gradients so we would advise taking the slip road up at the A896 instead which will be much safer for you and your passengers. We would also recommend avoiding the B869 from Lochinver to Kylesku as this can be a tricky route to follow for large vehicles. If you take the A837 back from Lochinver on the the main road you will be fine. As always, please take due caution on the roads and use passing places where possible.
Advice from several professional drivers that know the road, and from the local breakdown services, is that if your motorhome is more than a standard VW T5 conversion (ie about 16 – 18 ft in length), please take the alternative routes available. It only takes ONE person who is not used to driving a large vehicle to block the road completely to the detriment of other users, those that use the road for work, and importantly – emergency vehicles. For example, the Bealach Na Ba road to Applecross was blocked several times last year because of this. And please remember: If you cannot accurately reverse your vehicle several hundred yards on a narrow single track – you cannot safely drive over a road such as this.1 -
What I found surprising was that the Magazine article suggested you could do it in 7 days. maybe 10.Why would anyone drive 500 miles through superb scenery in such a short time?. The route is now very busy, unlike when I was doing it 10 and more years ago and taking a month. There are not that many sites available which would be a pro blem for a caravan. Motorhomes can of course wild camp with plenty of secluded places, making the journey much more leisurely and not constrained to reaching sites. A example is showers and waste disposal at the port In Kinlochbervie. The best advise is keep looking ahead and as a visitor pull in to passing places to allow both oncoming and following vehicles to pass. If you want to wander off the A road then a small campervan( max 6M) is the only viable option and without doing that then you miss the best of the route
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My answer is why!!!!
The roads are not suitable for towing if you want to enjoy them as you will spend all the time focussing on the road especially the North West portions where much of it is single track.
Applecross road a definite no for caravans I'd actually say the final hairpin would be impossible with a decent size caravan. In fact many of the small detour roads you should visit are decidedly non caravan.
The other thing is the sheer volume of traffic now doing this is getting to saturation point. Parking on the way round is car orientated.
Much better is to do some time in Kinlochewe and then Brora or Dunnet Head and then drive the road in your car - much more enjoyable and very realistic.
You should also aim to drive the Durness to Golspie road through the middle - well worth the detour
Finally - book in advance Kinlochewe and Brora had Full Nights in April this year
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Are you saying that caravans are not allowed to wild camp?
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I too thought what an unrealistic time frame the article suggested. In fact, we haven't done Applecross so I may be off a bit, I wondered if it was a sensible suggestion with a caravan in tow, and possibly irresponsible giving the amount of publicity it's getting and the existing roads - scenery should be the last thing on your mind if you are on unknown narrow roads that can be busy, keeping an eye of vehicles behind, ahead and oncoming should be uppermost for the driver!
It's a wonderful part of the country and deserves exploring, not the typical overseas coach tour of a country in as few days as possible 😉
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Have been fishing. camping/vaning the area from Wick round to Scourie for over 40 years. Early on never found anyone else, but lately very busy. Two years ago One day we got caught in a German group of 40 vans all going in convoy from Tongue, past Erbisol to Durness. It was impossible for approaching traffic to pass and had to sit in a layby for the convoy to pass, Its such behaviour that now is detrimental to ordinary vaners and the welcome is now not so friendly. Just a word of caution but the scenery is excellent and I would also caution the Aplecross pass. Use the northern approach instead so as not cause a problem to other road users. Its just common sense.
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Is it better to go clockwise or anticlockwise pulling a caravan - in other words, which way do most big vehicles go? Thanks.
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I think it's now, sadly, goodbye to the peace and tranquillity of the North. I know they probably needed a bit of a tourist boost but this will alter the whole set up. I'm glad I've seen most of it with hardly a car or person around, but there are bits I have missed, which will probably be obscured by coaches in the future rather than mist!
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My thoughts, too, Brue.
The NC500 is really being pushed this year and I fear Scottish tourism is already becoming a victim of its own success.
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Timandpauline, this is entirely up to you, imagine going round the whole of the Cornish coast which is about 296 miles, it depends what you want to see and whether you want to visit local places and spend a few days exploring. We once spent ten days at Dunnet, going out from the site in all directions and over to Orkney too. Hope you enjoy your trip, take your time whatever direction, there is such a lot to see.
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Remember that single track roads require a different attitude to driving, allowing locals to overtake in passing places, reversing back to the passing place if you are nearest. if there is a car that is trying to get past it could be a GP or Vet on a mission of emergency.
Read a report of some people not checking what was behind them .......an ambulance that had a patient on board who was being transported with cardiac trouble so couldn't use the siren.
Single track roads have sharp bends so you cannot always see what is approaching.
Enjoy the drive!
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Just so! And yes, you do need time.
We did our own variant version clockwise back in cold April with our caravan, before the crowds arrived, taking three weeks, and could have usefully taken twice as long. The local people we spoke with had very mixed feelings about the route, welcoming us warmly but lamenting that later in the season it was impossible to move. Many reckoned it didn't bring the money to them as it should, as people hire their vehicles away in the city, then drive round as fast as possible, spending neither time nor money in any one area. Solobay, you're so right - even back then, on nearly empty roads, with plenty of time to allow others to come by in passing places, there were little gangs of Lamborghinis, Ferraris and the rest, intent only on swallowing up the miles. One shopkeeper reserved special contempt for them - arrogant and a waste of her time!It was truly worth making detours, stopping on sites off the main way, and exploring. We didn't attempt Applecross this time when towing, though have driven the car across before and will do so again.
Another time we think we'd go anti-clockwise - the East coast has great beauty, but when you come to it after leaving the hills of the NW, it takes a while to look anything other than flat, we found.
Either way, it was glorious, but in crowds would be much harder work. Have a great trip!
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I remember the old times. You cold fill your water and empty the toilet at houses on the way. One person baked me a loaf in Durness in exchange for a feed of trout. No longer the case as the locals get so much disruption to their daily life with so much traffic.
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Glad I did it before it became the 500,seems every tom dick and harry wants to go there now, best keep other touring route's to my self if I want to keep enjoying them😟
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