NC 500 SCOTLAND

As someone who lives in the Highlands disregard the nasty comments on the residents please. The clue is in my name - Nairn - a beautiful seaside town with two championship golf courses and fabulous trips for a day out. Look at the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and I am sure you will then believe what I am going to say.

NC500 - in a Symbol - should be no problem BUT remember the rule of the single track road. Look well ahead and stop in time in a passing place, don't assume they will stop for you. The few seconds you do stop, have a look around you and you will in most instances be very pleasantly surprised. beautiful scenery unless it's wet!

The one road that cause problems and is clearly signed - "not suitable for caravans" and in my view foolhardy in bigger motorhomes is the road south to north at Applecross. Really steep drop on one side on a long steep hill and if something big comes down and you are going up then you have to reverse! I discovered this to my cost. I was coming from Applecross going south fortunately in a split new Fiat 500. I went round the sharp bend at the top and coming up the hill in the middle of the road was an Italian in a Merc, who was clearly petrified of the drop. It was in the middle of the road and refused to move over! So I had to reverse back up the steep hill around the blind corner until the road widened and I could pull off. Result - one overheated Fiat 500 - could smell the hot new paint on the exhaust etc, One Iti that went past without even a had thank you, and me repeating - "remind me never to come up here in our motorhome"! We then had a 7 metre one.

All that said, I now have a Symbol and would venture on the Applecross road aware of the foregoing and other less capable drivers!!! Try to be there early well before the hoards.

You will see some beautiful beaches on the west coast, on calm days sea so blue and scenery that will astound you. Sands Site has been refurbished in the last years and has a great reputation. Another lovely location is Loch Inver. Fantastic pie shop and pub on an old lorry - look both up. About 8 miles north from there is another staggeringly beautiful site Clachtoll - IV27 4JD. Approach road single track - you have been warned. 

If you fancy getting on the HARRY POTTER train Fort William to Mallaig and back. Two ways to do that - pay the full whack for the HP train or get on the normal train which runs on the same track, much cheaper and less crowded. We took the dog with us on it. You will go over the Glenfinnan viaduct whichever train you are on. Great sites around Arisaig and the train stops at the Arisaig station. Sunnyside Croft and Camping site is well run, new facilities and right on the beach - staggering sunsets etc.

Best view in Scotland to my mind is at the top of the Loch Maree road - pull off onto the small parking area, look down and beyond and take some pictures - brilliant.

Enjoy your trip whoevery you are, do call into Nairn on your way south after Inveress. From Nairn cross down to Grantown on Spey and tootle around that area. The site at G - o - S is top class. Private but excellent. You can walk into the town at a stroll in 10minutes. From there go via Boat of Garten - try the train - then to Aviemore then South and home. Enjoy.

Best months not to get the midges only on the west coast (Nairn is not inflicted!) would be April, May first week of June, then September or October!
So hope that helps you all decide to come and enjoy Scotland. You don't have to do the NC 500 and remember there are no midges on the East coast. Great NT castles, gardens, golf courses, beaches and walks. Weather normally very dry along the Moray Firth BUT!! elsewhere variable.

I can recommend Sunnyside croft too, we stayed there during its first season of opening,great location.great owners,hope they shot the Cockrill next door.  
Endorse everything posted by Nairnite ,pity we carnt get that far up this year,maybe Reispol.
Boaby

Another plus for Nairn - it has a Mercedes commercial garage. 

They replaced our o/s mirror after red van man 'removed' it on Orkney.

Yes - you are correct - and on the same industrial site visible from the A96 is BITZ - they are used to dealing with motorhomes and have a ramp/hoist up to 7 tonnes. Opposite Sainsbury's so easily found. That trading estate has other garages but Bitz is the one for me - Kris is your man.

Whilst waiting for a repair - tootle down town - 10 min walk - go to the links with the bandstand - PH's with good pub food right opposite. There is a car park at that location big enough for you to park and then walk along the promenade.Whilst there fins the Strathnairn Links cafe, the new Team Hamish splash pad (1st in Scotland) and Jame's by the putting green. Jame's is outdoor coffee and all things homemade icecream! You will be 100 yard back from a big sandy beach. T'other side of the Nairn bridge turn left - signed caravan site - here is The Maggot car park close to the harbour on the left of the road. If you carry on and go  through the Park Dean C. Site right at the end is a touring area with new facilities. Climb over the dunes and another huge sandy beach - East beach.  The car park here leads onto a walk that gets you to the RSPB area but watch the tides as you can get cut off if you venture off the path! Great for dogs. 

I and another motorhomer are working hard on local Councillors to get an "Aire" established  in Nairn. Strong possibility it will happen so do bear that in mind. Delnies Caravan site is on the outskirts and is C&CC - bus stop opposite takes you into town or if you like a walk get instructions on how to walk down to the sea past the farm (public right of way) and then turn right and walk on the miles of sandy beach to the town as described above. Bus back from centre of town! PH on west side of Nairn is the Westerlea, great pub food but an older style of interior but a warm welcome.

For the crafter that may be in your party - best wool and craft shop above central belt in Scotland. Very knowledgeable owners who always smile - The Wool Shop.

Great base for a wide variety of day trips if you fancy a few days of gentle tootling around from a central base - Nairn's for you. ENJOY

Planning to set off in early May to do the route. Thanks for the advice about Applecross, was a bit doubtful about trying it as they van will be very new to me.

I posted a wee while ago that my son did the Applecross section in his A class Motorhome,although it was a wide van he managed the route successfully with out any mishaps. Mind you the was trip was done in February.
Boaby

I was caught up in a real tangle on the south to north over to Applecross.  I was travelling from Applecross, over the pass in my SLK and followed closely by my travelling companion in his BMW Z3.  

As we rounded the corner at the summit we were met by a motorhome coming up hill and I had to stop in the passing place.  I looked my mirror and found that the Z3 was right behind me plus an other car and a motorhome so obviously well over committed for the passing place.

In the end, the motorhome had to reverse back towards a passing place.  I could see the driver was not confident and I was about to get out the assist him when I noticed his front wheel was about to drop into the roadside ditch.  I blew my horn and signalled for him to stop, got out and helped him get on the straight back to the passing place.  Utter nightmare for him but there was no way all the vehicles behind me could reverse back to a passing place.

I decided there and then that no way would I ever take our Medallion over that pass in tourist season, just not worth the trauma.  

Otherwise, the trip was great and we really enjoyed it.

Slaphead wrote:plus an other car and a motorhome so obviously well over committed for the passing place.

Unfortunately that's the classic act of an inexperienced single-track-road driver - I've seen it many times now, where the fourth, fifth, sixth, etc driver in a train of cars just decides to pile on through behind the first few, only to find that they won't all fit in the next passing space.

I've seen busy sections of road gridlocked by that, and had to wait a long, long time for it to sort itself out! It's worst with convoys of "owner's club" cars, where they just don't want to be split up...

The last time we did the 500, it's was during the August bank hols,Sango sands site was full.as was everywhere else.
However we watched convoys of Fiat 500's, (old ones) Minis, Honda gold wing Motor bikes, all types of vintage vehicles heading through Durness, even a convoy of Dutch Hymers heading east.
I see Applecross has got its own Heli pad for the air ambulance, not sure if it's operational yet ?
Boaby

New route to rival NC500 - only it seems to be based on hotels. 
Wonder if they'll let motorhomers overnight in their car parks . . .

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A few pubstops along that route, though how long their patience will last.................

Hello
My wife and I did it in late May in our recently purchased 1996 Duetto (much like the newer Symbol). We had no problems but recognised the cautions expressed elsewhere about the Applecross Pass. Just take care and it will be fine - even when you do meet a lorry coming the other way! Good luck.

We have just completed 4 weeks doing the NC500 clockwise.  Invariably the locals were helpful, kind and considerate and that applies to local drivers as well as in the shops and sites. We had very poor weather on the west coast with only two decent days in the first two weeks.  Lots of low cloud and mist which really spoilt the views.  We did the Bealach Na Ba to Applecross and it was no problem inour Nuevo but I do have a really superb twin reversing camera.  We met some A class vans coming the other way who were probably finding it a little more challenging.  The real highlight of the route was the stretch from Lochinver round the coast to Unapool via Clashnesie and Drumbeg - I intend to make a video from mthe dashcam footage! That was probably the narrowest section and had recently been resurfaced with a 4 inch extra layer of bitumen - that meant there was a huge drop off the edge of the tarmac and we heard that some vans had gone over and had to be winched upright.  I had to be extra careful about pasing places.  Most folk were good at pulling over for cars to pass and they invariably gave a cheery thank you with horns, waves or hazards. Post Office vans were particularly grateful.  The route was MUCH quieter than we had feared but there was a very high proportion of hired motorhomes, some of which would scuttle into a pasing place on the wrong side of the road as we approached!  Sites were full but we only saw one foreign vehicle in the whole 4 weeks which is why the roads were quieter.  We had booked almost every night at sites but there were very many spots where we could have wild camped.  The official car parks have had what we think may be the "no overnight parking for motorhomes" paragraph (para m as I recall) taped over and most of them are free.
Despite the weather we nhad a good journey - it was good to be away in the van after 20 months.  However, we really missed the flexibility that we enjoy in mainland Europe by not having to book.

Sorry you had some crap weather Ron, 4 seasons in one day as they say.
Some of the best scenery in the world when the weathers fine.
Boaby

If you avoid one week either side of all English and Scottish school holidays, as well as the holidays themselves, then you stand a fighting chance of getting a nice trip.
Don't be in a rush to get anywhere, let everyone else have the right of way and pull over if you see you are causing a two or more vehicle train.
Remember the weather will change every 10 minutes and you can get all seasons in a day and enjoy.
Smidge that midge and midge nets are a must but if you take them you won't need them but if you don't you are open season for the them.

We did it in our Fairford, including the infamous Bealach na Ba with no problems.  The roads are a little rough and narrow in places but plenty of passing places and worth the visit, we loved it.