Scottish 500

[William34]

Hi
It is the first time we will hopefully be visiting Scotland mid June to do the 500 in our motorhome not sure about some of the roads we are 8 metres
May be someone out there can advise also some decent campsites on the route and pubs

 

[rnb100]

First off, I'd do it anti-clockwise, as the west coast is much more stunning than the east and the trip gets better doing it that way. Traditionally the route starts and ends in Inverness, however it's up to you if you want to do it 'properly' or not. I had little deviations whilst I did it. There are many nice campsites along the way, however, one that stood out for me was this place (click here). It's a little bit off the route, but the drive to it and the views when you get there are stunning. There is a very well stocked shop on site (I think it's like a village shop) and a bar across the road which I had a lovely steak dinner at for a reasonable price.

One thing to consider is there are a lot of single track roads with passing places as shown in the photos, but the views are amazing and well worth the effort. My campervan is just under 7m and I've not had a bother on the roads, but I've heard people saying that they've had trouble at Applecross Pass (Bealach na Ba) with a big overhang at the rear of their motorhomes, due to the sharp bends in the road.

Also bear in mind that it'll be mentally busy with other motorhomes on these single track roads. That'll mean someone will have to reverse into a passing place which may be round a corner.

Hope that helps.

Arron.

 

[Spriddler]

See replies here to same enquiry a couple of weeks ago:

NC 500

As Newbie thinking of doing some or all of the NC 500 next week in 7.m MH hopefully before it gets too mad ( people or smidges). What parts should I avoid that are particularly white knucke ie high up pricipecies? Not too worried about narrow roads just those that are very high up when you look...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Riverbankannie]

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We were in a PVC and used a mixture of campsites and wilding with no booking ahead but even though most campsites had plenty of room in mid September, the CAMC at Dunnet Head was full. So I would book ahead if you want particular sites. We enjoyed our stay at John O’groats campsite, taking a day trip to Orkney. Always depends on weather and midges how lovely you find a place. We stayed on a CL at Loch Eribol, lovely position but first rained and then swarmed with midges so I don’t have fond memories of that stop.
Backing up on narrow roads with ditches and rocks on the sides will be required! We were lucky in never being in convoy with another larger vehicle or by coming head on with more than one in a convoy. I believe that is an issue now. We always pulled into passing places to let anyone behind go ahead.

 

[TerryL]

We love Scotland but personally would avoid the NC500 like the plague in the high season. The roads are perfectly adequate if used correctly, but unfortunately the uptake of motorhoming , and the inevitable surge after Covid lockdown is going to mean hordes of, frankly, inexperienced drivers who do not know (and often don't care) about their correct use. Just ask many of the locals.

In our experience Scotland is best just after the school summer holidays. You can never rely on the weather at any time of year, and we've travelled Scotland all year round, but we've had some stunning days in September/October without the stress of crowds. You cannot enjoy the scenery if you are forever peering around bends and reversing into tight spots while some idiot struggles past you. (On more than one occasion I've been tempted to jump out and turf the oncoming driver out of his seat and do it myself!) And please don't ask about caravans......................*!??$"£*

Agree, do it anti-clockwise and don't enslave yourselves to the "route". There are plenty of other places to see - sometimes just following your nose can provide impressive results, and sorry, I'm not revealing some of our secrets!