# North Coast 500



## GaryK (Jun 26, 2016)

Hi All,

We just got our first motorhome a week ago, and stayed our first night on a site last night, at St Andrews, Scotland. 
Apart from a few newbie moments we got hooked up, sorted our fresh water and emptied the cartridge!!! 

Loved being out in JLO (our motorhome) and looking forward to doing the North Coast 500 in July, if you have done it and have any tips, sites to see, places to park up, etc please let me know, thanks and hope to meet some of you soon.


----------



## phillybarbour (Jun 27, 2016)

The NC500 is one of the few places in the UK that places to stop are round every corner with no issues at all. Just go and see what's there.


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jun 27, 2016)

GaryK said:


> Hi All,
> 
> We just got our first motorhome a week ago, and stayed our first night on a site last night, at St Andrews, Scotland.
> Apart from a few newbie moments we got hooked up, sorted our fresh water and emptied the cartridge!!!
> ...



I live just across the bridge from you (Tay) and I spend a lot of time just wandering ... basically anywhere west of the A9 and north of Dunkeld!
My personal favourite is Toscaig just along from Applecross,  but I have recently visited Lochaline and spent a lot of time on and around the Ardnamuchan peninsula ... even been train spotting the Jacobite stream train which leaves Fort William at 1030hrs and goes to Mallaig.
There's easy access to water at Lochaline. there are standing taps in either of the public toilets and also a firehose reel on the old (listed) pier ... there ia also a small supermarket which I laughingly refer to as the shopping mall.

I know I harp on about this a lot, but consider taking up geocaching ... it will not only help you find some bonnie places when out and about in a new area ...  it'll probably take you to a few locations around where you live that you didn't know existed. 

Seriously though, get some Smidge and if bringing dogs make sure their Frontline is up to date.


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jun 27, 2016)

runnach said:


> For a small fee, you can also shower at the dive centre, few mins up the road from ferry slipway. Wee club there too. I'm surprised the old silica mine has not opened up for tourists, the hills behind Lochaline, are like a massive rabbit warren.



The silica mine is back in production ... something happened to the Italian mine and they re-opened Lochaline's ... it gets shipped out to Italy on a regular basis. The locals have work again too.

Didn't know about the showers being available, thanks.

For anglers ... I was recently told that the old west harbour is the second deepest in Scotland?

I saw an angler catching his own PB 9lb thorny ... quite a nice fish and he was a very happy chappy.


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jun 27, 2016)

runnach said:


> Good to hear the mine is open, again, was closed last time I was up there. Silica from mine, is very, very, pure grade. I wouldn't be surprised west harbour being 2nd deepest, vessels berthing to take on silica, are huge, with deep draught. I dived it a couple of times, I think it drops down to 50 metre +?
> 
> I just noticed dive centre under new management, things may have changed, slightly? No harm in asking, though. If you missed last Fishnish ferry, you could book a room at centre, if available. Centre is a far better setup now, from my first time using the facilities. see link Dive Centre Accommodation |
> 
> ...



PB = Personal Best ... to be honest a 9lb. thorny is not that much of a PB ... triple figure weights are often caught, but he was dead chuffed, my only interest in fishing is anything edible ... mackerel, cod, pollack etc. 

The old west harbour isn't used for the silica now ... it's used by logging boats, every now and then it gets filled up capacity with felled trees and a boat comes for them ... the silica is now loaded directly from the mine to the ships moored at the mine, like you said, some big buggers too!  You can still walk (or drive) along to the mine but if driving be wary of the height restriction.  You cannot drive right along the old low road though ... I made the wrong assumption that I could upon my first caching visit.

The water pipe on the pier near the ferry terminal is free to all (it used to be donations I believe) I noticed that the donations box was destroyed and is no longer in use.


----------



## Deleted member 21686 (Jun 27, 2016)

Welcome to the forum.


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jun 27, 2016)

Ooops, yeah :yeahthat::welcome::ditto:


----------



## DougC (Jun 27, 2016)

*Every corner worth a photo*

:have fun:

Just got back from doing clockwise route through NC500 and first thing that springs to mind is buy a dash cam with extra memory cards as you just can't take enough photos :camper: gutted that it only occurred to me at fuel station on way home DOH!!!!

Smidge or any repellent is helpful the mozzies are varying with the rain.

Smoo caves are well worth a visit and the guides there a really friendly and informative.

Dunnet head view is stunning as well.....

the list goes on...

Will look at putting pics on this week.


----------



## DougC (Jun 27, 2016)

*ohh and forgot*

Stopped overnight at       CR Stromeferry (A890) (Highland)

great spot lovely views

and welcome aboard :camper::dog:


----------



## Deleted member 19733 (Jun 27, 2016)

Hi and welcome to the forum, have fun


:welcome::camper::have fun::cheers::dog::scooter::boat::drive::goodluck:


----------



## jeanette (Jun 28, 2016)

Hi and:welcome::camper:


----------



## GaryK (Jun 29, 2016)

Auld Pharrrt said:


> I live just across the bridge from you (Tay) and I spend a lot of time just wandering ... basically anywhere west of the A9 and north of Dunkeld!
> My personal favourite is Toscaig just along from Applecross,  but I have recently visited Lochaline and spent a lot of time on and around the Ardnamuchan peninsula ... even been train spotting the Jacobite stream train which leaves Fort William at 1030hrs and goes to Mallaig.
> There's easy access to water at Lochaline. there are standing taps in either of the public toilets and also a firehose reel on the old (listed) pier ... there ia also a small supermarket which I laughingly refer to as the shopping mall.
> 
> ...



Hi, Thanks, Smidge is now on the shopping list.


----------



## GaryK (Jun 29, 2016)

phillybarbour said:


> The NC500 is one of the few places in the UK that places to stop are round every corner with no issues at all. Just go and see what's there.



Thanks, we were thinking of booking a couple of places but will give it a try and see what we find.


----------



## Deleted member 19733 (Jun 30, 2016)

Hi and welcome to the forum, have fun


:welcome::camper::have fun::cheers::dog::scooter::boat::drive::goodluck:


----------



## DougC (Jun 30, 2016)

*Campsite*



GaryK said:


> Thanks, we were thinking of booking a couple of places but will give it a try and see what we find.




As a stop off with proper facilities Scourie camp site is great and a beautiful spot


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jun 30, 2016)

GaryK said:


> Thanks, we were thinking of booking a couple of places but will give it a try and see what we find.



I'm heading off in the morning (Friday.)  My basic plan is to wander up to Forres via Aviemore and Grantown.  Then along to Inverness and up to Dornoch.  Then wander up towards John O'Groats ... I should get there by mid week.

After JOG I'll wander along to Durness and start heading down the west coast towards Toscaig ... I should get to Toscaig sometime the following week or so after taking in Scourie, Lochinver, Ullapool, Poolewe and Gairloch.  Once there, I'll stay there until I get fed up eating mackerel or run out of food and water before I wander homewards, hopefully, I won't be home until well into August ...


----------



## GaryK (Jul 9, 2016)

Auld Pharrrt said:


> I'm heading off in the morning (Friday.)  My basic plan is to wander up to Forres via Aviemore and Grantown.  Then along to Inverness and up to Dornoch.  Then wander up towards John O'Groats ... I should get there by mid week.
> 
> After JOG I'll wander along to Durness and start heading down the west coast towards Toscaig ... I should get to Toscaig sometime the following week or so after taking in Scourie, Lochinver, Ullapool, Poolewe and Gairloch.  Once there, I'll stay there until I get fed up eating mackerel or run out of food and water before I wander homewards, hopefully, I won't be home until well into August ...



We are off tomorrow morning, Inverness first. Should I go up the Bealach Na Ba?


----------



## caledonia (Jul 9, 2016)

DougC said:


> As a stop off with proper facilities Scourie camp site is great and a beautiful spot



You can wild camp along the road to the cemetery next to the beach at Scourie. The camp site owner likes to pack the site when busy.


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jul 10, 2016)

runnach said:


> I always try to go down the Bealach, as you can take in the fantastic views on the run down.



I love it going up from the Kishorn end ... mostly because it means I'm nearing my destination at Toscaig, similarly I am less fond of it in the other direction because it means I'm heading homeward ... like yesterday, I'd noticed a bit of noise from a wheel bearing a wee while ago and decided to chance it for my recent trip, however, yesterday I decided to pop down to Inverness to stock up on some necessities as I had intended to stay for an extended break at Toscaig (I'd arrived on Wednesday, much earlier than planned.) Anyway, to cut a long story short, I headed to Inverness late on Saturday afternoon planning to sleepover nearby and get some shopping and fuel on Sunday but the noise form my bearings had become MUCH more obvious and after a lot of deliberation, I decided to head on home down the A9 taking my time so I could get home and get on with the repair.


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jul 11, 2016)

runnach said:


> I try to plan a stop at Shieldaig, at the crofter land, overlooking the island. Then head over the new road (opened mid 70's) the views over to Torridon, Rassay and, Skye are breath taking. But I do understand your thought process of going up and down. We used to dive for clams at Toscaig, size of dinner plates!!
> 
> Pity about wheel bearing, at least the run doon to Blair, is not too, long.



Nah it was an easy run home from Inverness ... I was going to sleep over at the truck stop in Tore so I could get breakfast in the morning and it was while I was sitting there that I made the decision to come home to replace the bearings ... I ended up leaving Tore about 2100hrs and was in the house just about 2315hrs ... it was only 104 miles to home and the A9 was remarkably deserted so I just plodded along at a gentle speed, the noise and vibrations were hardly noticeable at 60 ish, but I periodically stopped to check my wheels were cool enough ... it was when I slowed to about 40 ish and under that the noise was VERY noticeable and the vibrations were hard to overlook.

A new bearing is about £20 to £25 ... its just one bearing race rather than the two narrower ones I've done in the past and one of my nephews has a tool for pressing them out and in ... I used to use a hammer and chisel or a slide hammer.  The other job I want to do is easy enough, the bushes on my front anti-roll bar are worn and there's a bit of a knock when you hit a bump ... again a quick replacement costing about £8 to £10 for the pair.

My plan is to phone a garage in Perth tomorrow morning and if he can do the jobs for a reasonable price during this week then he can get it, otherwise I'll wait until the week-end and will do it myself with my nephew's help ... I don't want to risk making my back pain worse now that it seems to be on the mend (and I detest asking for help,) it's actually my hip or hips that is causing the problem, if I lie down and do some stretches/twists it sounds like someone squashing a bag if crisps.  But wearing loose trousers (which were on my shopping lists for Inverness) for a few days helps it, as I have a bit of a belly, my trousers usually ride my hips and I tend to wear them very tight which my hips seem to object to.  I don't want to end up on You've Been Framed with my trousers round my ankles.

Anyway, it's way past my bedtime ... night night y'all


----------



## Wooie1958 (Jul 11, 2016)

Did a section of it the other day along the top ( *A838* ) from Thurso to Durness and it took 4 1/2 fekking hours   :mad2:   coming back took almost as long    :mad2:

Absolutely crawling with tourists in hire cars doing the widely publicised NC500 that haven`t got a clue what a " Passing Place " is never mind how to use them      :mad2:

Saw 4 that had come off the road completely and were stuck and i lost count of the number of them using passing places as somewhere to park.

1 couple ( possibly Chinese / Japanese )  even had folding chairs out drinking tea and eating butties in the passing place   :scared:

We had that many close shaves with cars hurtling through regardless that i nearly gave up, turned around and went back.

It was only the wife threatening me with a pain worse than death if she didn`t get her Cocoa Mountain fix that made me carry on.

It`s the first time ever we`ve been up in high / holiday season and it is most definitely the last, we`ll stick to our normal times weather permitting.


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jul 11, 2016)

Wooie1958 said:


> Did a section of it the other day along the top ( *A838* ) from Thurso to Durness and it took 4 1/2 fekking hours   :mad2:   coming back took almost as long    :mad2:
> 
> Absolutely crawling with tourists in hire cars doing the widely publicised NC500 that haven`t got a clue what a " Passing Place " is never mind how to use them      :mad2:
> 
> ...



Yeah, that can happen ... but the worst are the towrists in their shiny Chelsea tractors that just stop in the middle of the road and look at you ... they're expression often changes a bit when I just charge straight at them and dive for the grass verge (when there is one) at the last minute ... as I drive away I always think "I bet they're thinking local yokel!"


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jul 11, 2016)

runnach said:


> Aches and pains, the downside of becoming an Auld Pharrt :sad:
> 
> Hope van is sorted by this weekend...........cheers.



Yep, God bless 2 x 200mg Cocodamol and 2 x 200mg Ibuprofen ... 10 minutes later you can hardly feel a thing, has got me home and/or to work on many occasions, I *ALWAYS* have both with me just in case.

Bits for the van are now on order and I'll collect them this afternoon, I'll get the anti-roll bar bushes done a.s.a.p. weather dependant, as I do the work in the street ... well in a small church car park about 5 miles from home, I get more peace and quiet instead of "helpful" neighbours stopping to chat.  The bearings (I'm getting a pair to be on the safe side) will probably wait until the week-end when I will have an assistant ... he's nearly 20 years younger and better at rolling about on the ground, with me being so round shaped, when I start rolling it sometimes takes a while to stop ha ha.


----------



## caledonia (Jul 11, 2016)

Was up west coast at the start of June during the short summer we had and it was already busy and the more remote wild spots had been found by other wilders. Came home early and parked the van. Will venture north again nearer the end of August when the masses have left. This wild camping motor homing lark is really taking off, don't know if it's a good or a bad thing?


----------



## caledonia (Jul 11, 2016)

NC500 is featuring on the Scottish news weather report all week. Reporter was on kishorn side of pass today. Top gears Mustang feature will also attract more interest in the route. All good for tourism and the small businesses that rely on visitors.


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jul 11, 2016)

runnach said:


> Similar happened to us while touring the Hebs, local woman (English) would not move, came out car and said we should not be on this dead end road, MH was too big, I asked if delivery/garbage collection motors were ok to use road, a few more comments from her, I turned to Mrs R and said "stick kettle on, looks like we're going to here for a while". Woman returned to car and reversed into passing place where she should have stopped in first place!



Funnily enough, I used to work with a sassenach wummin that moved up there ... and she was just the type to say something like that ... your's wasn't by any chance of a rather hefty build with dark/black hair which (when I knew her) always looked like it needed a bloody good shampooing. I hated this wummin with a vengence (with a capital VENGE) but c'est la vie (I wonder why they say lavvy.)

I really have nothing against people coming to live up here from where ever, but you can almost always tell when it's a sassenach ... the big stones/boulders appear on the verges outside their "castle" and often a sign saying "No Turning" ... wanna bet?  On one occasion I managed to turn an artic using their driveway and on another I managed to plant their stones so well into the ground they'd need a digger to get them out, it's amazing what a 45 tonne artic can do!


----------



## Auld Pharrrt (Jul 11, 2016)

caledonia said:


> NC500 is featuring on the Scottish news weather report all week. Reporter was on kishorn side of pass today. Top gears Mustang feature will also attract more interest in the route. All good for tourism and the small businesses that rely on visitors.



Here here.


----------

