Touring Scotland

[RogerL]

Hi DD from home to Edinburgh roughly 250 miles . we can only do three weeks at a time no longer so a Route that would be worth seeing and then i will come back again

When route planning, remember that Edinburgh is a roadblock, despite the A720 ring road, at most times of day - unless that's where you're going, it's best to cut across from the A1 to the M6 using the A66 and then up the M74.

When going to Edinburgh itself from the east, we use the A696/A68 from Newcastle rather than the A1.

 

[Beachball]

No worries Beachball,
Three weeks will allow you plenty of time to explore the NC500 but just remember it’s a lot of miles and hitching and pitching, but will be worth it. I’m 100 + more miles than you to Edinburgh.. However as I have said before an early start will have you at Strathclyde Country Park the same day .IMO the NC500 is a great start for a great explore. Years ago when money was tight and kids had enough after an hour we focused on the Pitlochry area of Perthshire and then over to Fort William.

Hi DD Thanks for information we have some friends in Perthshire it will be nice to see them on the way home

 

[Beachball]

If you do make it you will love the scenery. If you are in the Clubs one of them has some readers letters about the NC500 this month as there was a full write up the previous month. If you’ve dumped the magazines there’s the online versions.

Having a holiday in the Highlands cancelled last summer, then recently having to cancel the cabin in Forest of Dean ( five households too many for regulations in early June) my wife, daughter and granddaughter have now booked Scotland in late August. They saw the Falkirk Lift and Kelpies two years ago and were amazed. This time their intent is to stay in Fort William and ride the Jacobite and Kyle trains as part of the trip.

I look after the dogs, rabbits, hamster and houses. Very peaceful and TV all to myself in the evenings. A sort of holiday too.

PS another article in March 2021 CMHC magazine. Seems the Highlands is the “ go to place” this year.

Hi otherclive Sounds like this NC 500 will be a interesting trip cannot wait to see everything and the scenery i hope your wife, daughter, granddaughter enjoy there break to Fort William and ride the Jacobite Steam Train and you having a sort of a holiday at home enjoy.

 

[Beachball]

When route planning, remember that Edinburgh is a roadblock, despite the A720 ring road, at most times of day - unless that's where you're going, it's best to cut across from the A1 to the M6 using the A66 and then up the M74.

When going to Edinburgh itself from the east, we use the A696/A68 from Newcastle rather than the A1.

Hi RogerL Thanks for the advise when planning our route, will try this out.

 

[Raywood]

With the exception of one roundabout at the A7 on the Edinburgh by pass I have not had any problem with using it unless you travel in the rush hour but it is normally very busy. Personally I would just use the A1 if that is the most convenient. The A68 is slow going in places and you still hit the problem roundabout, never tried it all the way from Newcastle but I have used it to get to Northumberland and it took far longer than I had anticipated.
The A66 or A69 to go via Glasgow is perfectly good though and I would not argue against them although it will be quite a bit longer. Both the A66 and A69 are near enough the same distance and the traffic on the day is generally the deciding factor on time. The A1(M) at Newcastle can be a problem at times, so the A66 is probably best on balance. We do drive down from Glasgow to Teesside and Yorkshire on a regular basis to visit family so are familiar with all the routes.

 

[DRB]

“PS another article in March 2021 CMHC magazine. Seems the Highlands is the “ go to place” this year.”

NC500 is a stunning route BUT what I don’t get it?.. people spending £50000 + on a motor home/camper van and then wild camping. Why? Is it to save a pound or two? support the local sites. Wild camping is very unpopular with the locals ( and not just in Scotland else where as well) it look very messy and believe me if you come across a piece of grass with stunning view over the sea believe me your not the 1st camper van/ motorhome to frequent that pitch so god knows what mess the other person has left you Believe me I’ve seen and smelt it. It’s not nice and I think it looks very untidy seeing camper after camper parked in a lay-by. Support the local econom. And stop spoiling the views for others.

 

[otherclive]

“PS another article in March 2021 CMHC magazine. Seems the Highlands is the “ go to place” this year.”

NC500 is a stunning route BUT what I don’t get it?.. people spending £50000 + on a motor home/camper van and then wild camping. Why? Is it to save a pound or two? support the local sites. Wild camping is very unpopular with the locals ( and not just in Scotland else where as well) it look very messy and believe me if you come across a piece of grass with stunning view over the sea believe me your not the 1st camper van/ motorhome to frequent that pitch so god knows what mess the other person has left you Believe me I’ve seen and smelt it. It’s not nice and I think it looks very untidy seeing camper after camper parked in a lay-by. Support the local econom. And stop spoiling the views for others.

And when you look out to sea all that you will see will be wall to wall cruise ships of all sizes. Even Cunard are now going there. Still no doubt Poole will be pleased to regain its views.

 

[Beachball]

“PS another article in March 2021 CMHC magazine. Seems the Highlands is the “ go to place” this year.”

NC500 is a stunning route BUT what I don’t get it?.. people spending £50000 + on a motor home/camper van and then wild camping. Why? Is it to save a pound or two? support the local sites. Wild camping is very unpopular with the locals ( and not just in Scotland else where as well) it look very messy and believe me if you come across a piece of grass with stunning view over the sea believe me your not the 1st camper van/ motorhome to frequent that pitch so god knows what mess the other person has left you Believe me I’ve seen and smelt it. It’s not nice and I think it looks very untidy seeing camper after camper parked in a lay-by. Support the local econom. And stop spoiling the views for others.

I fancy the NC 500 for now the Highlands on another trip at the present l prefer a caravan not a motorhome but like someone mention i do like the odd cruise ship to each its own

 

[Sam Vimes]

“PS another article in March 2021 CMHC magazine. Seems the Highlands is the “ go to place” this year.”

NC500 is a stunning route BUT what I don’t get it?.. people spending £50000 + on a motor home/camper van and then wild camping. Why? Is it to save a pound or two? support the local sites. Wild camping is very unpopular with the locals ( and not just in Scotland else where as well) it look very messy and believe me if you come across a piece of grass with stunning view over the sea believe me your not the 1st camper van/ motorhome to frequent that pitch so god knows what mess the other person has left you Believe me I’ve seen and smelt it. It’s not nice and I think it looks very untidy seeing camper after camper parked in a lay-by. Support the local econom. And stop spoiling the views for others.

The Highlands are my home and I'm surrounded by what I believe to be the most wonderful scenery and I dread seeing articles like this. No I'm not on the NC500 circuit and I'm not going to reveal where I am. I'm sure all on here are responsible campers but this is a public facing forum so I'm being cautious.

I could quite easily turn this into a rant against tourists but its usually an irresponsible minority that spoil it for the rest of us. Not just when we tour around but also for those of us who live here. We can no longer enjoy the wonderful places we used to visit in the summer time as its virtually inaccessable being clogged by day trippers who take a photo then move on.

The opinion of myself and friends and neighbours is that social media has created a tick box culture of tourism. 'Been there, done that, poo'd in the bushes'. Some I've come across don't even know where they are.

I have a good many personal stories about the antics of these inconsiderate people but life is too short to relate them - although examples are available on request.

Its not orginal but "Leave only foot prints, take only photos"......but not in my backyard thankyou.

 

[Beachball]

The Highlands are my home and I'm surrounded by what I believe to be the most wonderful scenery and I dread seeing articles like this. No I'm not on the NC500 circuit and I'm not going to reveal where I am. I'm sure all on here are responsible campers but this is a public facing forum so I'm being cautious.

I could quite easily turn this into a rant against tourists but its usually an irresponsible minority that spoil it for the rest of us. Not just when we tour around but also for those of us who live here. We can no longer enjoy the wonderful places we used to visit in the summer time as its virtually inaccessable being clogged by day trippers who take a photo then move on.

The opinion of myself and friends and neighbours is that social media has created a tick box culture of tourism. 'Been there, done that, poo'd in the bushes'. Some I've come across don't even know where they are.

I have a good many personal stories about the antics of these inconsiderate people but life is too short to relate them - although examples are available on request.

Its not orginal but "Leave only foot prints, take only photos"......but not in my backyard thankyou.

Hi Sam if i ever make the trip i probably hire a place it to far for me but i love the Highlands and i would give it the respect it deserves .

 

[Sam Vimes]

Hi Sam if i ever make the trip i probably hire a place it to far for me but i love the Highlands and i would give it the respect it deserves .

I'm sure you'd be made welcome but even the issue of holiday homes is contentious. Locals who make an income from them - B&Bs etc - are not so much a problem as those who build homes just as holiday lets and are often absent owners. There have been reports over the last few years of villages being decimated due to the number of holiday homes being built and not enough residents to maintain the soul of the place. In some places affordable housing is need to attract the young but holiday homes are more lucrative.

 

[Beachball]

I'm sure you'd be made welcome but even the issue of holiday homes is contentious. Locals who make an income from them - B&Bs etc - are not so much a problem as those who build homes just as holiday lets and are often absent owners. There have been reports over the last few years of villages being decimated due to the number of holiday homes being built and not enough residents to maintain the soul of the place. In some places affordable housing is need to attract the young but holiday homes are more lucrative.

With me been disabled wheelchair user i would prefer a cottage /Lodge we have two dogs but we do respect the area and i love taking pictures of a glorious view. .

 

[RogerL]

The Highlands are my home and I'm surrounded by what I believe to be the most wonderful scenery and I dread seeing articles like this. No I'm not on the NC500 circuit and I'm not going to reveal where I am. I'm sure all on here are responsible campers but this is a public facing forum so I'm being cautious.

I could quite easily turn this into a rant against tourists but its usually an irresponsible minority that spoil it for the rest of us. Not just when we tour around but also for those of us who live here. We can no longer enjoy the wonderful places we used to visit in the summer time as its virtually inaccessable being clogged by day trippers who take a photo then move on.

The opinion of myself and friends and neighbours is that social media has created a tick box culture of tourism. 'Been there, done that, poo'd in the bushes'. Some I've come across don't even know where they are.

I have a good many personal stories about the antics of these inconsiderate people but life is too short to relate them - although examples are available on request.

Its not orginal but "Leave only foot prints, take only photos"......but not in my backyard thankyou.

It's always the minority that spoil things - but by all accounts, the minority spoiling the NC500 has got bigger - the cynic in me thinks it's the recent boom in motorhomes that's the problem rather than caravanners - we've done the NC500 several times, not all in one go. but that was before it was labelled NC500 and have no wish to do it again - however our trip this year will/should include the NC500 from Braemore Junction to Inverness as there's no choice to get to the sites we've booked!

I'll own up to being an occasional wild-camper - for a single night en-route to/from the Highlands arriving late and leaving early with no evidence we've ever been there.

 

[Sam Vimes]

Keeping within the context of camping, since there are other groups causing problems, I think you're right that motorhome users cause more problems than caravaners in the sense of wild camping. I can't recall seeing anyone wild camping in a caravan.

When we use the term motorhomes we should include the entire range of Owner vs Rental and Fully Equipped vs nothing more than a small van. I tend to find that its the low end of the scale that cause the environmental problems because of lack of on board facilities and sense of care.

We have some very good sites in our region but I've still been asked 'where can we camp up for the night'. When I direct them to the sites they admit they don't want to pay. I had one tent camper ask me if he could sleep in my shed and when I pointed him to the campsites it was the same thing - didn't want to pay.

The other problem we run into most years are the convoys of motorhomes coming from the continent - mostly it would appear from Italy. They clog up the roads and generally cause chaos. I can recall just a couple of years back rounding a bend on a fast stretch of road only to narrowly avoid a head on crash with a German motorhome on the wrong side of the road. I can still recall the look of horror on the lady in the passenger seat.

Like you when we had a motorhome we occassionally wild camped just as an overnight stop on a long journey.

I think that when restrictions are eased even further, this year could be very bad for wild camping.

 

[Buckman]

When we used to wild camp with the caravan, we always left the area spotless. We would bury all our rubbish down the nearest ant bear hole which was also our toilet as no toilet cassettes in those days.
Waste water was dumped on the ground away from the caravan. We used very little water was mainly we sued paper plates which could be burnt on the fire.
We would stay for up to six weeks on a site and would be the only caravan for miles around and probably the only caravan in the whole country to be wild camping! No motorhomes in those days!

 

[RogerL]

Keeping within the context of camping, since there are other groups causing problems, I think you're right that motorhome users cause more problems than caravaners in the sense of wild camping. I can't recall seeing anyone wild camping in a caravan.

When we use the term motorhomes we should include the entire range of Owner vs Rental and Fully Equipped vs nothing more than a small van. I tend to find that its the low end of the scale that cause the environmental problems because of lack of on board facilities and sense of care.

We have some very good sites in our region but I've still been asked 'where can we camp up for the night'. When I direct them to the sites they admit they don't want to pay. I had one tent camper ask me if he could sleep in my shed and when I pointed him to the campsites it was the same thing - didn't want to pay.

The other problem we run into most years are the convoys of motorhomes coming from the continent - mostly it would appear from Italy. They clog up the roads and generally cause chaos. I can recall just a couple of years back rounding a bend on a fast stretch of road only to narrowly avoid a head on crash with a German motorhome on the wrong side of the road. I can still recall the look of horror on the lady in the passenger seat.

Like you when we had a motorhome we occassionally wild camped just as an overnight stop on a long journey.

I think that when restrictions are eased even further, this year could be very bad for wild camping.

On our solo trip to the North Coast in 2017, we did see a couple of places with caravans wild camping, but without any issues - and one local community had built an information "hut" with toilet and an open invitation to local campers to use it in bad weather, it was spotlessly clean but they may just have been lucky.

Given the ill-discipline we've seen over the last year at beauty spots I fear you may be right about this year being bad for wild-camping - and probably not the fault of "Johnny Foreigner" either.

 

[otherclive]

Keeping within the context of camping, since there are other groups causing problems, I think you're right that motorhome users cause more problems than caravaners in the sense of wild camping. I can't recall seeing anyone wild camping in a caravan.

When we use the term motorhomes we should include the entire range of Owner vs Rental and Fully Equipped vs nothing more than a small van. I tend to find that its the low end of the scale that cause the environmental problems because of lack of on board facilities and sense of care.

We have some very good sites in our region but I've still been asked 'where can we camp up for the night'. When I direct them to the sites they admit they don't want to pay. I had one tent camper ask me if he could sleep in my shed and when I pointed him to the campsites it was the same thing - didn't want to pay.

The other problem we run into most years are the convoys of motorhomes coming from the continent - mostly it would appear from Italy. They clog up the roads and generally cause chaos. I can recall just a couple of years back rounding a bend on a fast stretch of road only to narrowly avoid a head on crash with a German motorhome on the wrong side of the road. I can still recall the look of horror on the lady in the passenger seat.

Like you when we had a motorhome we occassionally wild camped just as an overnight stop on a long journey.

I think that when restrictions are eased even further, this year could be very bad for wild camping.

Sounds like the Cornwall of the North. Having seen the intense marketing from NC 500 it is not a surprise that so many migrate onto that route. Our next visit to Scotland will steer well clear of it, as the country is large enough for us to self-isolate from the Celtic Grockles

 

[Sam Vimes]

It's a worldwide problem. My daughter and family live in New Zealand - they are caravaners as well. The problem is just as bad over there with the 'Freedom Campers' despite plenty of low cost basic sites. Dump stations for waste are available free to use around the place and not just on campsites.

 

[Beachball]

That is one place i would have love to seen is New Zealand some of my family been for a holiday to each its own

 

[Dustydog]

I wonder how many new caravanners doing the NC500 will attempt the Bealach Na Ba, Pass of the cattle , road to Applecross😜😜😜😜

 

[RogerL]

I wonder how many new caravanners doing the NC500 will attempt the Bealach Na Ba, Pass of the cattle , road to Applecross😜😜😜😜

I suspect many motorhomes would struggle as well - the B869 Drumbeg road is best avoided as well..

 

[Sam Vimes]

That is one place i would have love to seen is New Zealand some of my family been for a holiday to each its own

It's a wonderful place and in some respects the land that time forgot. We're fortunate to be able to go most years and we've toured most of the North and South Island - just by car.

We've also been 'caravaning' with them. We get to use the van and they stay in tents. The sites have been very good - a little busy but well maintained.

 

[Raywood]

Possibly the problem is that the route has started to dominate Scotland's tourist routes. Frankly there are plenty of other places well worth visiting, and not so crowded. The route is spectacular, but because of the numbers there, my advice would be to try other areas and do the 500 when the crowds have reduced, assuming they do.

 

[RogerL]

Possibly the problem is that the route has started to dominate Scotland's tourist routes. Frankly there are plenty of other places well worth visiting, and not so crowded. The route is spectacular, but because of the numbers there, my advice would be to try other areas and do the 500 when the crowds have reduced, assuming they do.

For those who've never done the NC500 but would like to, I strongly advise to go off-peak, as early/late as you can manage.

 

[Sam Vimes]

The problem, probably true in most areas, is that the Tourist Industry reps seem intent on extending the season and spreading the load around even more.

A couple of years back when I was chairman of the local Community Council we got approached by the local rep for tourism, complaining about the fact that there were a few hot spots in the area that got most of the tourists and this was causing problems for residents. Could we consider opening up our area to encourage tourists - open the toilets in the village hall; put in hook up points; put in waste dump points; signage etc.

It took just a few seconds to say politely - No.