Touring from Kent to Culloden Inverness
Hi fellow members
we are only in our second year of touring and wish to go to Inverness, Culloden where we booked at site for 21 nights so we can drive NC 500 and stay in hotels etc
My question is planning the route within club sites and was wondering if any other member has undertaken such a trip and can offer any advice on sites on route
Appreciate we can use the club map and site directory but always good to have first hand knowledge and experience
many thanks in advance
Comments
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Do I understand you? You wish to leave a caravan unattended for 21 days at the Culloden site ? Speak the wardens about that. They may not approve.
Then you can buy a guide book giving details of a NC500 route with maps and suggestions of hotels and guest houses. Book ahead.0 -
Take your van on the NC500 and enjoy the glory of it. Whether motorhome or caravan you’ll be fine as long as you avoid the more minor roads. Most A roads are not single track and people do the route all the time with caravans/MHs to the extent it’s now become crowded at peak times.
Get yourself from Culloden up to Brora and Dunnet Bay and you’ll be making a good start. Check out websites such as UK camp sites - see link - for places to stay. You’ll save a whole pot of money doing it that way as well.
You’ll find lots of other threads on this subject on the forum.
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I agree, use your caravan. We have been round the route 3 times over the years, the last with our twin axle van.
( The Club does not usually allow vans to be left unoccupied on site for any length of time, I believe even an overnight absence has to be arranged in advance. )
I suggest you make a plan and book sites ahead where possible as it can be busy at times and there are not that many sites for caravans along the north coast bit. What dates will you be up there?
Route from Kent…….how far or how long do you wish to drive each day? And will you go clockwise or anti-clockwise? We always went anti-clockwise. Figure out your comfortable driving distance or time and look for suitable sites to book. Everything will take longer once past Inverness. Be sure to factor in enough time to explore off the route driving solo.
Coming up the A1 and heading past Edinburgh then past Perth and onto the A9 to Inverness would be one way. Then you could come back down on the west side of the country using the M74, M6 etc, there are many different routes coming south in Scotland, but do check out and maybe avoid the road on the west side of Loch Lomond. See previous discussions on that.
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My guess is that the drive from Kent to Inverness will be about seven hundred miles that for us would be three stops but possibly two. I would se the West coast route rather than the East as apart from spaghetti junction the route should have no real hold ups. The East coast route has several potential problems and the road North of Newcastle is largely single file. There is very little in the way of fuel past Perth though so do fill up there unless you have a pretty full tank.
Possibly up one way and down the other might give some variety though.
There is a Tesco just off the by pass which you can find by checking Google earth or if you turn right at the end of the bypass there is a petrol station there.
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There’s plenty of fuel in Inverness, WW, and no shortage in Brora, Wick (the cheapest for miles around at Tesco), Thurso, Ullapool, Oban or any town, plus small independents such as The Green Welly Stop along the way. Yes, it pays to take care by not running too low but you're tending to give the OP the impression there’s a dearth of filling stations. People live in the rural areas and survive to tell the tale😄
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As others have said, taking your accommodation with you would to me be a preferable option and also be much cheaper. Depending on time of year, even if allowed, it would cost circa £530 to leave the van at Culloden, even when paying for one. Personally I wouldn’t try and do the whole thing in one go but concentrate on a section. We have covered the route of the NC500 over the years, but we started long before it became a thing. However, if you are going for a base at Culloden my preference would be the east coast route with two stops at roughly equal distance. The first at Clumber Park, just off the A1 in north Nottinghamshire, the second Berwick Seaview (Berwick upon Tweed) also not far off the A1.
Also if you are leaving your van on site, it’s worth checking your insurance. When we had ours on a seasonal pitch and were not using it every night we had to pay a supplement as it was counted as storage, rather than use, and wasn’t as secure as where it was normally kept.
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