I’m planning on doing the NC500 Mid September 2022.
I plan to spend 2 days traveling to Inverness with one of these days in either Lake district and do the Hardknott Pass or to the Peak District, to do the Snake pass and the Cat and Fiddle.
The plan is to do the NC500 in 5 days.
On the 8th day travel back south.
The reason for doing it in September after the schools open is effectively to try avoid congestion on the roads.
I was looking at accommodation atm but I was thinking whether anyone else wants to join ?
Depending who else wants to come we may need to see what other options we have for accommodation other than B&B. Please let me know asap if you want to join.
I wanted to do it myself so there is no middle man involved I would expect this to be around £500 - £1000 per person, depending on the accommodation we find and how many people want to join. If there is more of us I would expect to cost less if I can get a discount.
I need to make a start so I will give it a week or so to see who’s coming. Then depends of the numbers that want to come I would ring up and find what’s available and ask people to book themselves at said accommodation for the dates we’re going to be there.
We’ve done the route twice now with a third planned for 2020 but that never happened so got our monies back
Only talking about doing it again last week, only talking at this stage.
It wouldn’t be the whole route either, the last times we did that we also incorporated a chunk of Scotland (around 10 days) not on the NC500 route, like Edinburgh, Dumfries & Galloway, Sterling, Oban, Inveraray and Skye to name a few.
Probably just do Edinburgh for a few days and take off towards Skye for another few days then 3 days taking in Applecross up the West coast then head back towards Inverness.
Don’t know what it’s like right now for accommodation, we do know that back 3-4 years ago the good stuff (and reasonably priced) hotels/B&B’s get booked up pretty quickly.
By far the best way to drive those roads (and don’t stick to the NC 500 route - it is a marketing confection , not Route 666 ) is to do it solo , or with literally one or two friends .It is about the scenery and a sense of isolation almost unknown elsewhere in the UK. It isn’t about following a bunch of identical cars - convoys look ludicrous , p*** off locals and clog up passing places. I’ve been driving up there since the early 80s and I could weep at how much the NC 500 has become the victim of its own success
If there is no takers I’m going solo mate. I don’t really want a convoy - just a few fellow similar minder blokes (or lasses) to have a nice proper driving holiday.
I’m planning to do it solo or with one other car but I’m intending to camp where possible to keep costs down and also because I’m going to take my dog along with me and I guess that there may not be many b&b or hotels that allow dogs.
I did the NC500 last year in the first week of October, this was perfect as not so many motorhomes or caravans. Still a fair few though
Inverness to Ullapool in one day via Applecross, that was a great driving road, Ullapool to Thurso another great drive. Then Thurso to Aberdeen, this was a little boring and the drivers certainly not as nice. I wish that I’d done Thurso to Inverness instead. In all a fantastic 5 days
Will be going again this October for sure
Hope this helps a little
As I have mentioned elsewhere , a few years ago I wrote a guide for anybody exploring the far north of Scotland for the first time - routes, stuff to see etc - and it is not confined to the (frankly infuriating ) NC 500 . PM me with email details if it’d help plan a trip - I am happy to share with kindred spirits .
But if I see just one more photo of a convoy parked up at Kylesku Bridge for the most cliched picture in Scotland I may self combust …
I will be up Scotland for 11 nights incorporating the NC500 as well as 2 days on Skye as it’s incredible.
Might see you up there. Should be going north from skye around the 20th Sep. In all cost around £1k for 11 nights, including also staying at the lakes for two nights. We are in Wiltshire so long drive. We have got all accommodation on flexible booking incase the worst should happen.
As John says above a solo trip is the way to do it. I’ve been up that neck of the woods many times over the last 10 years, mostly on motorbikes. That’s easily manageable with a couple of pals but groups of cars on singletrack roads aren’t much fun at all - and super frustrating for other road users. Worst experience I ever had on a motorbike was around the Applecross peninsula when I came across a convoy of 10 or so MGs. Difficult and irritating to get past. As most passing places only hold 2 cars max you can imagine the carnage if there was a queue coming the other way. If you want to stay together as a group you’d be best travelling solo during the day on the singletrack I reckon. Or get motorbikes, they’re fab!
Took my son up last August bank holiday in our MX5 and had a blast by ourselves. Baking hot and not too much traffc. Definitely some of the best driving roads in the world. As also mentioned above you don’t need to limit yourselves to the ‘official’ route, you’d don’t get a badge for sticking to the brown signs. Tongue to Lairg is particularly recommended off route. I’ve stayed at some lovely - and some ropey - hotels over the years, we stayed at a glamping pod at Dingwall last year which was excellent.
I agree with going solo, it’s just not practical on some of those single track roads to go as groups.
I once (definitely only once) joined up with a Z4 owner, a relation of ours for a jaunt around the Derbyshire Dales. Never again I vowed, it wasn’t fun at all.
If you do feel the need for several cars, get some walkie-talkies for the passengers to keep tabs on each other, and drive a mile or two apart and arrange to meet up at occasional good scenic spots with space.
This way a leader with local knowledge can avoid being held back by a convoy and yet still chose/bypass interesting/clogged rendezvous points.
It also allows the other drivers in the group behind to enjoy the road and scenery and not the back of the car they MUST follow a few hundred metres ahead nor lose the one behind themselves.
After a few experiences of convoys I prefer not to do them.
Give me a destination and arrival time, fine, but no convoy.
I hate convoys. You see very little, because you are either keeping the car ahead in view or trying not to drop the one behind. You can’t stop and gaze at will. If you all stop together, parking can be awkward.
‘Runs’ are by far better when everyone has the directions and can go a their own pace.
I have done multi-day trips with others, but prefer to leave separately and get back together at the destination. That way you get the best of the drive and of the company.
Enjoy - I did this in August 2021 over 8 days - 1000 miles Inverness to Inverness with plenty of diversions around the quiet but scary (especially the West Coast) B roads, camping, glamping and hotels. 5 of us in 2 cars, one more practical for carrying everything in was a help!
The time flies, way more to see and do than it first appears but you can always plan a second trip!
Hardnott pass in a MX5! or even a group of MX5’s, wouldn’t recommend this to my worst enemy.
Cat & Fiddle with the speed camera’s, again why; you would be better just going straight up there and then keeping of the recognised NC500 roads, then you will enjoy it.
