NC500 and Euro Trip assistance needed

[KiwiDave]

Team.

The Mrs and I are discussing doing a Euro road trip vaguely this time next year. (I'll come back to this bit later.) I also want to do the NC500, because when I lived in Scotland I never managed to get up above the Inverness -> Skye invisible line and because so far on my trips back something has always thwarted returning up there to drive. For long and complicated reasons, this would mean tagging it on the beginning or end of the rest of the trip, just me. Depending on money it may also have to be in an absolute shitbox rental rather than something nice.

So, for those of Scottish driving tendencies I need a bit of help. Do I follow the route as advertised or are you gonna tell me you know some places? How long should I expect it to take? Do I need to have booked the hotels last year? When in the season should I do it, or perhaps more accurately, based on what we're thinking, how late in the year is too late? Would any of you buggers wanna come driving?

Figuring this bit out is key to helping us unlock what to do about the rest of the trip. We're working out leave and costs backwards based off the Scotland aspect. The Euro component amounts to 'lets go to some nice places and experience it, then drive to the next.' The wildest dreams which yet remain to be reigned in a bit are landing in Oslo, work down through Sweden, make it to Denmark, tick off some nice Euro spots. Maybe get to see my good buddy in Utrecht, maybe get to the Ring, maybe visit RUF and see if Aloisa's invite to visit the factory was genuine or platitudes. I was quite inspired by Seen Through Glass's video last year driving in Portugal and there are parts of the Italian/Swiss Alps that I'd love to tick off. Also have a mate on Thassos with a brand new holiday villa I can have at mates rates. How much of that can be done will be time and cost dependent.

Time in the UK outside of the Scotland bit would be minimal I think.

All comments welcome - I genuinely haven't done a long road trip through Europe ever. I've done week long things to Spa/Ring/Luxembourg (hi Patrick!) and a few roadies for Le Mans, but never long roadies.

[mik]

No time to respond properly just now, but
1. Jobbo's post from 2025 NC500 in 3 days would be a good starting point
b. @scotta is currently on a European tour and may have some good up-to-date guidance

[dinny_g]

My trip around the NC500 was in the summer 2002 so not much help as it was almost entirely empty. It wasn't a "thing" back then so we almost had the road to ourselves. I've said it before but at one stage, north of Ullapool, we drove for about 2 hours without seeing another car in either direction.

Nowadays I gather, it's a long procession of camper vans doing 40mph. I don't want to put off but I'd imagine the further you are from the summer, the more you'll enjoy it - at least that what I've read. Others here will know more though.

Can't really help with the Euro bit - only trip I've done is through France to Carcassone (Stunning) , then Monaco, Stressa (Charming) and up into the alps to St Foy - so pretty boring and formulaic. You can rent amazing ski lodges in the summer for not much monies.

One thing...

Please, please, please, please, pretty please, with sugar on top, bring your Camera Kit...

[Sundayjumper]

Gavster did it a few years ago as well and will have some insight.

I’ve never been but what I’ve heard echos Dinny’s post - lots of camper vans, but also fancy rentals driven by people that don’t know how to drive.

[Gavster]

I did it in early April 2016 and I camped. Drove up to Inverness on day 1, stayed at a hotel for the night, then spent 4 nights/5 days driving the NC500, with plenty of time to stop for lunch and dog walks along the way. Spent another couple of nights in Inverness at a lovely little B&B on the way home, where at breakfast the landlady gave me a sausage wrapped in foil 'for later' for my dog

The roads were pretty clear, although they weren't fast or smooth roads from my recollection, more like roads to bumble along and enjoy the views, being ready to pull over and jump out for a photo opportunity or explore the landscape at any point. There were a few other cars on the same schedule as me, we'd often bump into one another at campsites or on the road during the day. Was quite nice because when I stopped to take photos of a pass I caputred an old Triumph which was parked at the same campsite that evening, so could send them the photos.

Also the seafood platter at Kylesku hotel remains one of the best meals of my life, eating it looking out over the loch where a lot of the seafood was caught, amazing.

It's a beautiful experience, especially if you get a bit of space and breathing room to take it all in.

[unzippy]

Do it, relive your youth

[Jobbo]

Time of year isn't something I can comment on, other than May being a lovely time - before any midges, before the main season, good chance of some sun and the gorse has started to flower.

Hotels - yes they get booked up but you should be able to work out an itinerary. The food at the Bettyhill Hotel was lovely and the location is great being at the eastern end of the real wild north-western section. The Gairloch Hotel fills up with busloads of elderly tourists from Glasgow and Edinburgh but it's pretty big so probably a bit easier to find a date. The hotels which Harry Metcalfe uses (such as the Kylesku mentioned by Gavster) are much posher and pricier, and all fully booked when I looked.

I don't think it matters a great deal what car you do it in. I think I might have gone round it a bit too quickly - I went for the drive more than the scenery but I didn't allocate a lot of time to stopping and seeing stuff. If you are intending to see things a, I saw plenty of hired Kia SUVs and the like which would be fine for the trip.

Oh, and don't specifically follow the designated route, though it's hard to avoid really since there are so few roads round the coast anyway. I enjoyed doing it anticlockwise personally.

[dinny_g]

We stayed in in B&B's along the way but the one Hotel we did stay in was Shieldaid Lodge near Gariloch.

https://www.shieldaiglodge.com/

Highly recommended - awesome collection of Whiskys

[Sundayjumper]

The Gairloch Hotel fills up with busloads of elderly tourists from Glasgow and Edinburgh but it's pretty big so probably a bit easier to find a date.

We’re doing GILF dating recommendations now ??

[Jobbo]

We stayed in in B&B's along the way but the one Hotel we did stay in was Shieldaid Lodge near Gariloch.

https://www.shieldaiglodge.com/

Highly recommended - awesome collection of Whiskys

I think that was also one of the pricier and booked-up hotels I looked at.

SJ, I should probably have re-read that before posting

[dinny_g]

Yeah it's really nice but for one night, it was a treat...

[DeskJockey]

Unlikely you'll need it, but if you find yourself in need of Scandi language help, I'm happy to help.

[mik]

I don't think it matters a great deal what car you do it in. I think I might have gone round it a bit too quickly - I went for the drive more than the scenery but I didn't allocate a lot of time to stopping and seeing stuff.

This is probably a fundamental question actually.... if your primary focus is the scenery (and why not) then it's far less of a problem to be hampered by tourists in motorhomes etc.

If you are going to enjoy some of the world's best driving roads, then you'll want to be in something with some level of tactility. You can't generally go fast on the true single-track-plus-passing-places sections unless you have looong sightlines.

[Marv]

It's actually 9 years ago this month since Duncs, YK and I went on our trip across the NC500. Crazy how quick time passes, eh @duncs500 ?. After the trip finished and we parted ways, I spent another week exploring the Skye and the west coast - this strayed into the school holidays and things got noticeably more busy. Got to meet lots of nice people while camping, but on the roads things were a bit more congested. I was in my Golf by then, so I was happy to take in the scenery. Apart from the one Transit van who insisted on driving 20mph down a well sighted single track and wouldn't let me pass.











So I recommend going outside of holiday season, if you can. Generally with road trips in Europe, May, June and September are my preferences as you still get a chance of decent weather, without the crowds getting too much. Might actually be worth starting in the Mediterranean, then working your way North? Someone I work with did the long train journeys you can do across Europe and that sounded really good.

You'll also have to sweet talk the Scots on the forum to let you know the location of the S*cr*t R**d

[Explosive Newt]

I'll be interested by the posts here. I was planning on renting a car in Perth and heading in a North Westerly direction myself, probably 2nd week in August.

[mik]

You'll also have to sweet talk the Scots on the forum to let you know the location of the S*cr*t R**d

The first two rules of the S*cr*t R**d are…..

[Matty]

I've got this pegged for next year, so following with interest!

[duncs500]

It's actually 9 years ago this month since Duncs, YK and I went on our trip across the NC500. Crazy how quick time passes, eh @duncs500 ?. After the trip finished and we parted ways, I spent another week exploring the Skye and the west coast - this strayed into the school holidays and things got noticeably more busy. Got to meet lots of nice people while camping, but on the roads things were a bit more congested. I was in my Golf by then, so I was happy to take in the scenery. Apart from the one Transit van who insisted on driving 20mph down a well sighted single track and wouldn't let me pass.











So I recommend going outside of holiday season, if you can. Generally with road trips in Europe, May, June and September are my preferences as you still get a chance of decent weather, without the crowds getting too much. Might actually be worth starting in the Mediterranean, then working your way North? Someone I work with did the long train journeys you can do across Europe and that sounded really good.

You'll also have to sweet talk the Scots on the forum to let you know the location of the S*cr*t R**d

For completeness.

[dinny_g]

You'll also have to sweet talk the Scots on the forum to let you know the location of the S*cr*t R**d

The first two rules of the S*cr*t R**d are…..

If Dave doesn’t deserve to know where the secret roads are, then no one does…

[Barry]

I've done more runs up there on the bike so not a fair comparison really, but I will say you better let us know where/when you'll be (when you finalise details) so we can maybe figure out an rv of some fashion. Even if I'm still rocking the little Jazz