NC500

cyberyacht
cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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edited April 2021 in UK Campsites & Touring #1

Anyone thinking of doing this is probably already aware of the possible 'over' popularity of the route. I spotted this little snippet on the BBC News website which may add to your woes if others try to break the record..

"Mr Quigley recovered from his first accident and went on to shave six minutes off the existing record for cycling the North Coast 500 when he completed the Highland route in 31 hours and 17 minutes last September."

Comments

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
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    edited April 2021 #2

    Glad I was doing it 50 years go before it got a name, Even 10 years go it had changed beyond recognition.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited April 2021 #3

    Love it! wink

    We've been behind a few cyclists down in Cornwall recently so beware the Tour of Briatin effect this summer!

    The one advantage of the far northern routes this year will probably be the lack of EU motorcyclists and tour buses, so make the best of it while you can even if you have a vision in lycra in front of you....laughing

     

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
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    edited April 2021 #4

    Last time we were at Thurso,28 Motorvans from Germany were going in convoy towards the West Coast. Must have been a nightmare for anyone meeting them on the single track road.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2021 #5

    Maybe it should be made a cyclists only route ?

    smilesmile

  • Solobay
    Solobay Forum Participant Posts: 156
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    edited May 2021 #6

    Just spent three weeks at Brora and place is manic already!

    Brora site hardly has any real availability between now and September.

    Fun game was watching the hire MoHo's trying to reverse and pitch - quite a few missing or duck taped mirrors!

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
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    edited May 2021 #7

    People considering the 500 need to consider the trip up to say Inverness before starting. Birmingham to Inverness is over 450 miles one way so your trip is likely to be 1500 miles in total. Factor that in in time etc.

  • Navigateur
    Navigateur Club Member Posts: 3,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited May 2021 #8

    It will all quiten down when the midges come out again.

  • dave the rave
    dave the rave Forum Participant Posts: 806
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    edited May 2021 #9

    Please forgive me if I am incorrect but how did you manage to spend 3 weeks away from home in Scotland during a period of lockdown? I do agree with you about the hired motorcaravans,the "drivers" have not on the whole had the experience of driving large goods vehicles on narrow roads and most have no idea as to how to reverse.The family that they take with them have,on the whole,no idea as to how to behave on site!I witnessed all of this last year and actually returned home earlier than planned due to these issues.

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,303 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2021 #10

    Didn’t sites in Scotland open  up on the 26th April? That is 3 weeks ago.

  • Solobay
    Solobay Forum Participant Posts: 156
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    edited May 2021 #11

    As mentioned Scottish sites opened up on 26th and by pure coincidence we had Brora booked from that day - sometimes you're the pigeon sometimes the statue lol

    For years been doing Kinlochewe from mid April(avoid the midges) to the end and then move over to Brora, twoish weeks on each site.

    Next years already booked!

  • Solobay
    Solobay Forum Participant Posts: 156
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    edited May 2021 #12

    Plus factor in road works - on our way up we encountered two convoy controlled road works - added an hour to our journey!

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2021 #13

    A tour around Scotland of 4-6 weeks starting and finishing here usually accounts for 2000-2500 miles. 

  • Solobay
    Solobay Forum Participant Posts: 156
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    edited May 2021 #14

    Yip, we live midway between Edinburgh and Glasgow and still clocked up 1150 miles - travel up and down to Brora and a couple of day trips

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2021 #15

    We've done less miles by heading straight up to Dunnet and then touring Orkney and Shetland because the ferries did a lot of the miles for us.🙂

    Scotland is a bigger country than people think. It’s laughable when folk talk of doing the whole NC500 in 2 weeks including travel from England.

     

     

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
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    edited May 2021 #16

    If trying to do the route from Mid England or beyond its not worth considering unless you allow 4/6 weeks.  Whats the point of racing round and missing the off route gems and the views.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited May 2021 #17

    Unfortunately the tourist name has gripped people more than the real names of the area. You can collect badges and stamps as you travel around.  If we had the WC750 (that would be fun 😊) in Cornwall and Devon it would be similar. So it's just become a "thing to do." I presume many will never see all that Scotland has to offer, just the track north, the longest access route ever..!

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited May 2021 #18

    Only Just seen your post , Corners !  On the most recent visit of mine to Grummore club site it took me about an hour to get from the site back to the road junction nearest to Altnahara purely due to a 'mob of cyclists' heading up the back roads to J O'G -- querying the numbers as I eventually arrived at clear tarmac, I was told there were many hundreds of the scamps quite a few of them not being very polite and, coming round a bend and meeting my Ducato told ME to get off THEIR road !

     If they want a clear run up that way, I'll arrange for a giant automatic opening / closing sink hole especially for them, and them alone!

  • Solobay
    Solobay Forum Participant Posts: 156
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    edited May 2021 #19

    Had similar on the road past Altnaharra site with historic rally cars who just raced by a passing place sign expecting me to go offroad - so I just sat in middle of road till they saw sense, I wasn't on the clock lol

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited May 2021 #20

    I always have the edge. Three days food and water. Unless they come with a legion or two and a couple of siege engines....wink