North Coast 500

[Ajax Bay]

includes longish interview with a cyclist.

From 22:40 on the iPlayer link (above).

she needs to be comfortable and confident when driving, I feel that won't be the case round those roads.

The A896 goes straight north from Kishorn to Shieldaig and is an easy drive (for the 'support vehicle'). meanwhile you have the amazing and legendary Bealach na Ba climb (and descent) to Applecross, followed by the ride round the coast road to Shieldaig or on to Torridon (to the hotel?).
NC500 is definitely on my list of rides to do, albeit with the return from JoG not on the A99/A9 but back past Thurso to Bettyhill and south along Strathnaver, past the 'new' Crask Inn, and down to Lairg, the Falls of Shin, Bonar Bridge, Ardgay, the hill (B) road to Alness and on back to Inverness.

 

[User19783]

curious problem/limitation for a bike trip User19783.

Any chance of getting her to pedal or on the back of a tandem?

No chance, as she is unable to sit on a saddle due to lady problems

 

[scpsmith]

Hi, my friend and I did the North Coast 500 in May this year.
We also wanted to avoid the A9, so we ended up going to Dunnet Head, and then retracing our steps (wheels !) to head south via the A897 to Kinbrace. We then turned right to head west to Syre , before then heading south to The Crask Inn.

The ride on the A897 and B871 across to Syre was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Remote, wild, rugged and tough going.
I have written a full journal of my 7 day trip here NorthCoast500

Hope that helps anyone else thinking of doing the ride.

 

[Ajax Bay]

before then heading south to The Crask Inn.

Thank you for writing the diary which I enjoyed reading (and the photos). Delighted that you managed to get beds in the Crask Inn. I stayed there on my last night of an end-to-end 3 years ago when still a (anything but) normal pub.

 

[Fiona R]

Hi, my friend and I did the North Coast 500 in May this year.
We also wanted to avoid the A9, so we ended up going to Dunnet Head, and then retracing our steps (wheels !) to head south via the A897 to Kinbrace. We then turned right to head west to Syre , before then heading south to The Crask Inn.

The ride on the A897 and B871 across to Syre was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Remote, wild, rugged and tough going.
I have written a full journal of my 7 day trip here NorthCoast500

Hope that helps anyone else thinking of doing the ride.

I enjoyed your blog too, we did some of nc 500 in reverse to you as part of a tour 2 years ts ago in horrendous weather . Not keen on the shiny white Subarus/clean and new 4x4s on that part of route. local traffic, any other vehicles and Local motorcyclists were very considerate.

 

[berty bassett]

Done it last year in august and although it is a truly wonderful route , i had my first experience of a full scale military assault by the midges ( took me 3 attempts to load bike up in the morning ) and then had 2 days of 50mph storm - be prepared for bad weather ! i wasnt and i was froze , just blown straight across the road like a paper bag ! saw the only shelter ( bus stop in middle of nowhere ) have its roof blown off and in the end turned down A99 to get blown to latherton
my route was going to miss both A99 and A9 like others have said Crask inn but i just had to get the north wind behind me
sounds like i didn't enjoy it but i would do it again tomorrow , Anyone doing it i would suggest booking places to stay way in advance and if your carrying camping gear - try and get as light as you can as you are in for some hills -- Big hills -- lots of them
i posted little boxes of goodies to each B&b for snacks and stuff for the next day as there are places where there is no shop stop

 

[MiK1138]

Cyclist Does NC1000 ?????
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-44453403

 

[berty bassett]

Cyclist Does NC1000 ?????
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-44453403

That is some feat ! Don’t think I will be challenging that

 

[MiK1138]

That is some feat ! Don’t think I will be challenging that

Once was enough for me, I do intend to do it anti clockwise at some point though

 

[saoirse50]

I was in Scotland a couple of weeks or so ago. I’m a regular visitor, have been all my life. My grandfather was born way up on the North Coast and took us up back often in the sixties when it took 3 days to get there. As a teenager I toured up there, on my Holdsworth Equipe, camping and hosteling, and later on in my twenties. Then carried on the tradition with my daughter in the 90s using trains, tents and bikes. My daughter moved up there and so I continue being a regular visitor, invariably by train and Bike, with tent. I have cycled every road north of Inverness many times and many more roads and tracks besides up there. Last trip was in May to do some gravel track and off road riding to bothies plus a trip round Applecross, which I last visited 10 years ago. The NC500 has brought far more people to the area. Which is good in many ways, but does have some drawbacks. The main one being that the single lane with passing places roads are just not, in my opinion, coping with the kind of traffic they are getting now. It has changed the experience for me, and not always in a good way. Lots of large motorhomes, many drivers who don’t seem to understand how the passing place system works, for some reason. Overtaken often by motorhome drivers who then forced me to brake continually on descents behind them as they hadn’t the skills to descend at more than about 10mph. Descending like that on a fully loaded tourer with rim brakes is both difficult and ultimately painful. I still love the area, and will continue visiting. But intending to do much more of the gravel tracks and off road and less of the NC500 itself.

 

[saoirse50]

View from the top of Bealach Na Ba.

 

[snorri]

I was in Scotland a couple of weeks or so ago. .................................. and less of the NC500 itself.

I hear this sort of thing being said more and more in relation to the NC500.
When first announced it was said to be a wonderful route for motorists, cyclists and walkers. Knowing what I know of the route I commented 'a lethal mix'. I'm still waiting to find any place that will be improved by the introduction of more motor vehicles.

 

[saoirse50]

It is still a beautiful road trip. But is in danger of losing part of what makes it special, it’s remote atmosphere free of heavy traffic. There was what I can only call a queue to ascend the Bealach Na Ba the day I went up it. Goodness knows what it will be like in July and August. I managed to find more of what I love Scotland for, heading up the gravel track to Attadale, staying in the bothy there, and also heading down to Uags bothy, which requires leaving the bike where the road ends at the tip of Applecross and then hiking a few miles. But worth it.

 

[albal]

My take on some of that route last year. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1mr&page_id=510871&v=5f

 

[NorthernDave]

A friend has done the NC500 twice on his touring motorbike.
He's a very experienced motorcyclist, a qualified event escort rider and a former Blood Bike rider, so he knows what he's doing and isn't one for flying about recklessly.
The first time he rode it was right after it started and he loved it. The second time was last year and he echoed a lot of the comments posted about how busy parts of it are and how unsuitable many of the roads are for the volume and type of traffic now using them, a situation not helped by the attitude / abilities of some users.

I still fancy doing it though.