North Coast 500
View from the passenger seat!
I may have been the one who first came across the North Coast 500 as part of the holiday research, but I was the one who was completely apprehensive about undertaking the trip! I had a lot of pre trip worries, which were probably aggravated by being of a ‘certain age’ and as the departure date neared I became increasingly concerned!
Being a regular visitor to the Highlands and islands of Scotland number one on the worry list was toilets. As anyone who has visited that region probably already knows there is a distinct lack of public toilets and in some places, if you really need to go, there’s a definite lack of a suitable bush! I don’t think Scotland is any different to any other part of the UK but what it lacks are service stations or cafes along the route – but the remoteness and beauty of the area would be spoilt by the addition of these, so what you learn is go when you can and plan well! We encountered lovely little cafes and even a chocolatier – people running businesses in very remote places who offer a wonderful service. Don’t just use their facilities spend some time in their shops – buy some chocolate for your journey, have lunch with them. Appreciate the fact that they are there!
Second on my list was a dislike of driving and our route seemed to involve a lot of driving. Did I really want to spend 3-4 hours in a car every day? It didn’t sound like much fun especially as sitting for a long time would probably cause my back to grumble. I may think I’m 18 but parts of me remind me all the time that I’m not!
My third concern was around the number of different places we were staying. I had worked out that I wouldn’t be unpacking at all for ten days – how was that going to work?
Still being a dutiful wife of 27 years and knowing how keen Chris was to go I agreed wholeheartedly to do it and then just quietly worried to myself!
Being a regular visitor to the Highlands and islands of Scotland number one on the worry list was toilets. As anyone who has visited that region probably already knows there is a distinct lack of public toilets and in some places, if you really need to go, there’s a definite lack of a suitable bush! I don’t think Scotland is any different to any other part of the UK but what it lacks are service stations or cafes along the route – but the remoteness and beauty of the area would be spoilt by the addition of these, so what you learn is go when you can and plan well! We encountered lovely little cafes and even a chocolatier – people running businesses in very remote places who offer a wonderful service. Don’t just use their facilities spend some time in their shops – buy some chocolate for your journey, have lunch with them. Appreciate the fact that they are there!
Second on my list was a dislike of driving and our route seemed to involve a lot of driving. Did I really want to spend 3-4 hours in a car every day? It didn’t sound like much fun especially as sitting for a long time would probably cause my back to grumble. I may think I’m 18 but parts of me remind me all the time that I’m not!
My third concern was around the number of different places we were staying. I had worked out that I wouldn’t be unpacking at all for ten days – how was that going to work?
Still being a dutiful wife of 27 years and knowing how keen Chris was to go I agreed wholeheartedly to do it and then just quietly worried to myself!
Day 1 & 2
Day 5
Day 8
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Day 3
Day 6
Day 9
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Day 4
Day 7
Day 10 & Top Tips
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For more info on the NC500 visit the official website - www.northcoast500.com. Great interactive map very useful for planning stays, shops and stuff to do.
For more views on our Scottish adventure follow our Flickr page here.
For more views on our Scottish adventure follow our Flickr page here.
