March 11, 2025 • 21 mins
Are you dreaming of a trip to the Scottish Highlands? Have you always wanted to drive the legendary North Coast 500? I
In this episode, we embark on a journey through Scotland’s breathtaking North Highlands, uncovering what you need to know before setting out on this iconic route.
With me is Robert James from North Coast Explorer Tours, sharing practical tips and local insights drawn from years of exploring this magnificent region.
Whether you’re in the planning stages or simply dreaming of the adventure, join us as we discuss route details, driving challenges, and must-see spots along the 516-mile odyssey.
Get ready to safely navigate this spectacular drive and make the most of your Highland adventure.
• Introduction to the North Coast 500 and its significance
• Insights from Robert James, an expert on the route
• Overview of the driving experience and scenic highlights
• Discussion on single-track roads and their challenges
• Recommendations on driving direction and experience
• Highlights of the most challenging sections of the journey
• Practical tips for safe driving and vehicle considerations
• Fuel availability and charging points along the route
• Final thoughts and additional tips for planning your trip
⭐️ Guest - Robert James from North Coast Explorer Tours
📝 Show Notes - Episode 140
🎧 Listen to next
- Episode 35 – An introduction to Far North Scotland with Sally-Ann of North Coast Explorer Tours
- Episode 36 – Exploring Far North Scotland with North Coast Explorer Tours
- Episode 42 – Discovering the treasures of Far North Scotland with North Coast Explorer Tours
- Episode 118 – Exploring Scotland’s North Coast with Victoria Greig: Highlights and Tips
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you considering a visit to the Scottish Highlands
?
Is driving the North Coast 500on your bucket list?
In episode 140 of the UK TravelPlanning Podcast, discover what
you need to know before drivingthis iconic route and exploring
the stunning North Highlands.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK Travel Planning website,
tracey Collins.
In this podcast, tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
(00:38):
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
and from the picturesquecountryside to seaside towns.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Hello and welcome to episode 140 of the podcast.
I'm your host, tracey Collins,and today we're diving into one
of Scotland's most iconicadventures the North Coast 500.
Now are you considering a visitto the Scottish Highlands?
Is driving the North Coast 500on your bucket list?
If so, this episode is 100% foryou.
(01:16):
We're answering the keyquestion what do you need to
know to drive the North Coast500 safely and to make the most
of your journey?
Now, to help us explore this,I'm joined by Robert James from
North Coast Explorateurs.
With years of experience livingin and exploring the North
Highlands, robert is here toshare practical tips, local
insights and expert advice fornavigating this spectacular
(01:37):
route.
If you're familiar with NorthCoast Explorateurs, you may
already know Sally-Anne,robert's wife and better half,
who has been a guest on thispodcast three times episodes 35,
36 and 42, sharing herknowledge about their tours and
the incredible beauty of the farnorth of Scotland.
Now it's Robert's turn to joinus and share his unique
(01:57):
perspective and expertise.
So, whether you're in theplanning stages or just dreaming
about the North Coast 500,you're in for a treat.
So let's kick things off byasking Robert to introduce
himself and tell us a bit aboutNorth Coast Explorer Tours.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Okay, North Coast Explorer Tours is a small
family-run business.
It's myself, Robert, and mywife, Sally-Anne.
We live in the North Highlandregion, in fact, Sally Anne, we
live in the North Highlandregion, in fact, on the north
coast of Scotland, and weprovide private guided tours,
bespoke tours for small groupsof up to four people which can
(02:42):
last from a single day right upto two weeks, and you've taken
some of our podcast listenersand facebook group members on
tours as well.
I believe, yeah, we have.
We've been very lucky to havemany inquiries coming from the
podcast and some of thoseinquiries then turning into
touring opportunities for us,and the age groups from those
inquiries have been surprisinglybroad.
Actually, I think the youngestgroup we've taken are people in
(03:05):
their 30s and the eldest, Ithink in their early 80s.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Wow, that's fantastic .
Now let's turn our attention tothe North Coast 500.
So just remind us where andwhat is the North Coast 500,
robert.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Well, the North Coast 500 is a periphery route around
the North Highland region and,to position this on a map, the
North Highlands is the areanorth of Inverness on the
mainland of Scotland.
The area is approximately10,000 square miles in area, but
(03:40):
the population density isaround about 10 people per
square mile, so there's not anawful lot of people.
In fact, in the interior of theNorth Highlands there's very
little in the way of humanhabitation, very few villages,
very few roads.
In fact, all you'll find reallyis a mass of wilderness,
(04:00):
wildlife, mountains, locks andrivers, which is absolutely
wonderful.
But the main conurbations androads are around the periphery,
following up the east coast,north from Inverness, and across
the north coast, along theNorth Atlantic coast, down the
west and then a region which isthrough the centre of the
(04:21):
southern region of the NorthIslands, taking you back to
Inverness.
So it's a 516 mile road route,beginning and ending in
Inverness, around the whole ofthe North Highland region.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
And you've driven this around 150,000 miles, I
would say at least 150,000.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Sally-Anne and I have been exploring the North
Highlands.
This will be our 21st year, butI would say conservatively
about 150,000 miles, yes.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Wow, that's amazing.
So the North Coast 500 has beendescribed as a driving route,
but a lot of questions are askedon social media about how to
drive it.
So what are the challenges?
Which way around should it bedriven?
And you know what are yourthoughts about the term driving
route?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Well, there's quite a few questions in that.
I would start by saying thereis more concern about driving
the North Coast 500 than itreally warrants the majority of
the roads.
So two-thirds of the roads areexceptionally good roads wide,
excellent signage, goodvisibility and, for a competent
(05:32):
driver from any region, whetheryou're used to driving on the
left or not these roads won'tphase you and won't provide you
any difficulties.
Where the challenges reallycome in is on the single-track
roads.
Difficulties, where thechallenges really come in is on
the single track roads.
So this is where a twocarriageway road will suddenly,
and quite abruptly in someinstances, go down to one single
(05:53):
lane where traffic going inboth directions is using the
same stretch of road.
Now there is about 160 miles ofthis type of road on the north
coast 500, the majority of whichis very easy to traverse,
provided that you don't getdistracted by the scenery.
You really need to be lookingfurther ahead from your driving
(06:18):
seat than you would ordinarilydo so that you can plan how
you're going to negotiate aroundthe traffic that's coming
towards you, and when you'resurrounded by beautiful beaches
and mountains and locks andwildlife, it's very easy to get
distracted.
So, provided that you have goodvisibility and you focus on
(06:42):
that, for the majority of thesingle track roads, you won't
have a problem.
What you do have to be cautiousof, though, is that, in order
for the single track road systemto work, there are a series of
passing places, so these arelike little indentations on the
side of the road, pavedindentations, which are probably
(07:02):
every 100 meters, every 150yards or so, between each one,
and these passing places arewhat you use in order to allow
onward traffic to pass by you,and there are some regulations
that cover driving this type ofroad, but really is some common
sense guidelines, which I hopeto share with you today that
(07:26):
will make that drivingexperience on those single track
roads easier.
Your other question, which I'dlike to address before we get
into some of the detail, is it'sbilled as the ultimate driving
route, which, for some people,they think this is a route to
drive at speed without stopping.
It's sort of a non-stop route.
(07:46):
You can do that, but, to behonest, I think it's a waste of
time and what the region has tooffer.
You can drive the North Coast500 route in five days,
averaging about 100 miles a day,but that will give you very
little time to get out andexplore and enjoy the region.
(08:08):
I think you really need sevendays to fully appreciate the
North Coast 500.
, so that would give you perhapsfour hours of driving each day
and four to five hours ofactually getting out, getting
the sand between your toes andenjoying what the region has to
offer.
So beware of the term drivingroute.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
And what about choosing which direction to go?
Should we go anti-clockwise orclockwise?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Well, we will always take guests anti-clockwise.
And that's because we believethe route builds in a visual
crescendo as you goanti-clockwise.
The East Coast has curving,sweeping beaches and a coastline
, a beautiful route, but itlacks the mountains that you get
(08:58):
on the West Coast.
The North Coast then slowlybuilds, with beautiful beaches
and the mountains rear up intothe distance, and then as you
begin your journey down the WestCoast, the mountains and the
locks and the rivers really dobuild in earnest.
So the route builds in itsdrama as you drive
anti-clockwise.
But if you're a self-driver wewould still recommend going
(09:21):
anti-clockwise.
And that's because,particularly if you're in a
rental, you're going to pick upyour rental van or car in
Inverness and if you goclockwise, within about 90
minutes of leaving Inverness youare going to be on some of the
most challenging single-trackroads the North Coast 500 has to
(09:42):
offer.
In fact, within 90 minutes youwill be at the dreaded
Balachnabah, which we can talkabout a little in a minute, and
if you are not yet acclimatizedor used to your vehicle, it's
going to come as a bit of ashock.
You are going to have to beconfident and competent enough
to be able to reverse yourvehicle, often uphill and
(10:06):
downhill and around bends, tothe nearest passing space, which
could be 100 meters away.
So if you go anti-clockwise, bythe time you get to those most
challenging roads, you'realready familiar with your
vehicle and from that point youcan then concentrate on the
driving rather than what thevehicle itself is doing okay.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
So you kind of touched on uh there about the
single track roads and some ofthe challenging sections.
You mentioned one that Dougdrove and I nearly screamed my
head off most of the way.
So what to you are the mostchallenging sections of the
North Coast 500 route?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Well, balachnabah, which is Gaelic for the pass of
the cattle, is the one that getsall the headlines, all right.
So this is a single track roadsection which is about 12 miles
in length, and the Balaknabaritself, if you go, clockwise,
rises from sea level to about2,000 feet in around about four
(11:07):
miles.
There's a series of switchback,hairpin bends, precipitous
drops, blind corners, but it'snot as challenging to drive as
you might think.
Provided that you keep your eyeon what is happening a couple
hundred meters up the road, youwon't be surprised at any point
(11:32):
along that road.
I think where the challengecomes is that people are so
focused on the front of theirvehicle and where that is going
they often miss vehicles comingdown the road towards them, and
being not able to plan can makethat drive a little bit tricky.
But the beauty of Balaknabah isthat in the main, you can see a
(11:54):
good mile ahead of you, sothere shouldn't be any surprises
if you keep your eyes on theroad.
I personally think, havingdriven this route hundreds of
times, think the mostchallenging part of the north
coast 500 is actually the AscentPeninsula.
So this is from Lockinver aroundto the Kileskew Bridge.
(12:19):
It's a single track road.
It's about 25 miles, and whatmakes this route harder to drive
, in my opinion, is that thereare lots of blind corners, small
rises and falls in the road,and what you're likely to find
on this stretch of road becauseyou can't see very far in front
(12:39):
of you because of the nature ofthe road and the terrain is that
you're likely to meet cyclistsand motorcyclists out of the
blue, and cyclists have priorityon British roads, so no matter
where they are on the road, youwill have to reverse back to a
passing space to let them go,and even with motorcyclists,
(13:00):
they will also have priorityover you.
Of course, they don't have areverse gear, so even if they're
only just a couple of meterspast the passing space, it's
really beholden on you as thedriver of the car or the RV to
reverse back.
So that's what makes the AscentPeninsula more challenging it's
the other road users and thevery twisty, turny nature of the
(13:21):
road and the fact that youcan't see very far in front of
you.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
I'm just going to throw into there sheep as well,
and actually deer, because Ihave a recollection of going
round a corner and a massivestag being in the middle of the
road.
So that's one.
And and also the time that wedrove part of it actually was me
and there were lambs everywhere, everywhere I think you just
(13:46):
need to drive to the conditions.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
I rarely go above 20 miles an hour when I'm driving
the ascent Peninsula orBalaknabah For that very reason,
tracy.
You just don't know what'saround the corner, and if you
come around the corner at 35miles an hour and there's
someone doing the same speedcoming the other way, that's a
closing speed of 70 miles anhour and that's just far too
quickly.
So just take your time and putthat into the planning.
(14:13):
I think one of the challengesis when you look at a map, a
road map of the North Coast 500,it looks like the majority of
it is an A-class road, atop-class road.
So to actually find yourself onan A-class road which is
actually no wider than abouteight meters, is quite
concerning sometimes if you'renot prepared for it.
(14:34):
And as you're right, throw in afew highland cows, some young
ewes and deer and that can makefor quite a challenging drive.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Definitely so.
Have you got any special tipsfor driving on single-track
roads?
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Well, other than be aware and concentrate much
further into the distance.
I think the major one for meand for other drivers is the
convoy.
Don't travel in a convoy Now.
A convoy doesn't have to be alot of vehicles.
Most passing places on a singletrack road will be big enough
(15:12):
for two cars.
Single track road will be bigenough for two cars.
If you are traveling in a convoyand you are the third car and
you are competent with reversing, you won't have a problem,
because if you're travelingbehind the two other vehicles,
they have to pull into a passingspace and there's traffic
coming towards you and you havethe confidence to reverse, then
back you go, no problem.
If you are number two in theconvoy and you have a vehicle
(15:35):
behind you and that vehiclebehind you is not confident in
reversing, when you get to thatpassing place and everybody
bottles up, the guy behind youwon't reverse.
You are all stuck and I haveseen this so many times where
everybody is reluctant toreverse and then everybody
starts to try to drive off theside of the road to drive past
(15:57):
other vehicles and that's thetime when your bang wing mirrors
or, even worse, get a puncture.
I have seen so many vehiclestry to save themselves just a
few minutes by going off theside of the road to get past
other vehicles rather thanreversing back.
And if you get a puncture, mostrental cars these days don't
(16:21):
have a spare wheel, so you willbe laid up on the side of the
road waiting for a recoveryvehicle to come.
So, please, if you were to takeone piece of advice away from
this podcast is don't go off theside of the road.
Reverse back to the passingspace, and you can only really
do that if you travel in aconvoy of less than three
(16:42):
vehicles.
If you end up finding yourselfdriving along and you're in a
convoy of three or four vehicles, just pull over to the side of
the road and let everybody goand then start afresh on your
own.
Much more enjoyable to be ableto drive at your own pace and
enjoy what is around and aboutyou than feel pressurised by
other vehicles coming up behindyou.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
So do you see a lot of stranded vehicles when you're
driving around, robert?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Well, I think a lot is a term that I would avoid
using.
I would say that every week Iwould see at least one, and
these tend to be in the morechallenging areas, like the
Ascent Peninsula and Balaclava,where people are reluctant to
reverse, where people arereluctant to reverse, and the,
(17:31):
and one of the issues, of course, is that because it's an area
that's devoid really of largeconurbations that's part of its
beauty.
It also means there aren't anawful lot of recovery vehicles
to come out and help you, so ifyou do get a puncture, you could
be waiting quite a while forsomebody to come out.
So much better to avoid thathappening in the first place,
and that just involves justreversing back and adding a few
(17:54):
seconds to your journey ratherthan adding a few hours waiting
for repair.
So I do see vehicles brokendown by the side of the road.
I always stop to ask if they'reokay, because one of the
challenges that you can have iswhere am I?
I'm going to call a recoveryservice to come and help me, but
I don't know where I am.
(18:16):
There's a very, very good app inparticular called What3Words.
This is a smartphone app and itessentially divides the surface
of the globe up into one metersquares and then assigns three
English words to each of thosesquares.
Now, those three English wordsdon't actually have to make a
coherent sentence, but thosethree English words will
(18:37):
identify the exact square whereyou are, and all emergency
services and recovery servicesin the North Highlands use what
three words.
So when you want to try andguide somebody to you for help
and assistance, what three wordswill send them directly to you.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
So that's very useful to know and I'll be adding that
to my phone anyway, because Ithink it's useful that even if
you're in the city of London, tobe honest, to be able to
identify where you are Now.
Is there anything else youthink we should be aware of when
driving the North Coast 500?
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Well, there are some practical things there's often
anxiety about are there enoughfuel stations?
Are there enough chargingpoints?
The answer is yes.
You will never be more thanabout 40 miles, say 60
kilometers, away from a dieselor petrol fuel station.
A lot of these are 24 hour, soyou won't have any anxiety about
(19:31):
being able to refuel, and thereare increasing number of
charging points too.
Now, there aren't as many ofthese as there are fuel stations
, but there are more than enoughto recharge you overnight.
So these are not only chargingstations provided by many of the
hotels along the route, butalso in public car parks as well
(19:52):
.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Perfect.
So before we finish the podcast, because we always finish with
the same question do you haveone last tip for anyone planning
to drive the North Coast 500?
Speaker 3 (20:03):
If you are renting a vehicle, make sure that you
stipulate what type oftransmission you want.
There are an awful lot of carsin the UK that are still a
manual transmission, and I havehad to give guests a crash
course on how to drive a manualor stick shift in the car park
of the rental company inInverness.
(20:25):
So when you're booking, pleasestipulate an automatic.
If that's what you require, youwill not get one as a matter of
course.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Perfect.
So, robert, would you like tojust share where listeners can
find you, your website and otherinformation, please?
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Thank you, tracey.
The best place to go is we havesocial media pages, but it's
our website where you will findall of our contact details.
You'll also find some outlineroutes of places that you can go
and the number of daysassociated with that, and that
is at wwwnorthcoastscot perfect.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Oh, thanks so much.
It's been lovely to talk to you, robert.
I mean, I love talking to SallyAnn, but it's been lovely to
meet you too.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Thanks ever so much, Tracey.
It's great to have theopportunity to speak in person.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the
UK Travel Planning Podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanningcom.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
We love to hear from you andyou never know.
You may receive a shout out ina future episode, but, as always
(21:38):
, that just leaves me to sayuntil next week.
Happy UK travel planning.
Are you considering a visit to the Scottish Highlands
?
Is driving the North Coast 500on your bucket list?
In episode 140 of the UK TravelPlanning Podcast, discover what
you need to know before drivingthis iconic route and exploring
the stunning North Highlands.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK Travel Planning website,
tracey Collins.
In this podcast, tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
(00:38):
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
and from the picturesquecountryside to seaside towns.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Hello and welcome to episode 140 of the podcast.
I'm your host, tracey Collins,and today we're diving into one
of Scotland's most iconicadventures the North Coast 500.
Now are you considering a visitto the Scottish Highlands?
Is driving the North Coast 500on your bucket list?
If so, this episode is 100% foryou.
(01:16):
We're answering the keyquestion what do you need to
know to drive the North Coast500 safely and to make the most
of your journey?
Now, to help us explore this,I'm joined by Robert James from
North Coast Explorateurs.
With years of experience livingin and exploring the North
Highlands, robert is here toshare practical tips, local
insights and expert advice fornavigating this spectacular
(01:37):
route.
If you're familiar with NorthCoast Explorateurs, you may
already know Sally-Anne,robert's wife and better half,
who has been a guest on thispodcast three times episodes 35,
36 and 42, sharing herknowledge about their tours and
the incredible beauty of the farnorth of Scotland.
Now it's Robert's turn to joinus and share his unique
(01:57):
perspective and expertise.
So, whether you're in theplanning stages or just dreaming
about the North Coast 500,you're in for a treat.
So let's kick things off byasking Robert to introduce
himself and tell us a bit aboutNorth Coast Explorer Tours.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Okay, North Coast Explorer Tours is a small
family-run business.
It's myself, Robert, and mywife, Sally-Anne.
We live in the North Highlandregion, in fact, Sally Anne, we
live in the North Highlandregion, in fact, on the north
coast of Scotland, and weprovide private guided tours,
bespoke tours for small groupsof up to four people which can
(02:42):
last from a single day right upto two weeks, and you've taken
some of our podcast listenersand facebook group members on
tours as well.
I believe, yeah, we have.
We've been very lucky to havemany inquiries coming from the
podcast and some of thoseinquiries then turning into
touring opportunities for us,and the age groups from those
inquiries have been surprisinglybroad.
Actually, I think the youngestgroup we've taken are people in
(03:05):
their 30s and the eldest, Ithink in their early 80s.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Wow, that's fantastic .
Now let's turn our attention tothe North Coast 500.
So just remind us where andwhat is the North Coast 500,
robert.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Well, the North Coast 500 is a periphery route around
the North Highland region and,to position this on a map, the
North Highlands is the areanorth of Inverness on the
mainland of Scotland.
The area is approximately10,000 square miles in area, but
(03:40):
the population density isaround about 10 people per
square mile, so there's not anawful lot of people.
In fact, in the interior of theNorth Highlands there's very
little in the way of humanhabitation, very few villages,
very few roads.
In fact, all you'll find reallyis a mass of wilderness,
(04:00):
wildlife, mountains, locks andrivers, which is absolutely
wonderful.
But the main conurbations androads are around the periphery,
following up the east coast,north from Inverness, and across
the north coast, along theNorth Atlantic coast, down the
west and then a region which isthrough the centre of the
(04:21):
southern region of the NorthIslands, taking you back to
Inverness.
So it's a 516 mile road route,beginning and ending in
Inverness, around the whole ofthe North Highland region.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
And you've driven this around 150,000 miles, I
would say at least 150,000.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Sally-Anne and I have been exploring the North
Highlands.
This will be our 21st year, butI would say conservatively
about 150,000 miles, yes.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Wow, that's amazing.
So the North Coast 500 has beendescribed as a driving route,
but a lot of questions are askedon social media about how to
drive it.
So what are the challenges?
Which way around should it bedriven?
And you know what are yourthoughts about the term driving
route?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Well, there's quite a few questions in that.
I would start by saying thereis more concern about driving
the North Coast 500 than itreally warrants the majority of
the roads.
So two-thirds of the roads areexceptionally good roads wide,
excellent signage, goodvisibility and, for a competent
(05:32):
driver from any region, whetheryou're used to driving on the
left or not these roads won'tphase you and won't provide you
any difficulties.
Where the challenges reallycome in is on the single-track
roads.
Difficulties, where thechallenges really come in is on
the single track roads.
So this is where a twocarriageway road will suddenly,
and quite abruptly in someinstances, go down to one single
(05:53):
lane where traffic going inboth directions is using the
same stretch of road.
Now there is about 160 miles ofthis type of road on the north
coast 500, the majority of whichis very easy to traverse,
provided that you don't getdistracted by the scenery.
You really need to be lookingfurther ahead from your driving
(06:18):
seat than you would ordinarilydo so that you can plan how
you're going to negotiate aroundthe traffic that's coming
towards you, and when you'resurrounded by beautiful beaches
and mountains and locks andwildlife, it's very easy to get
distracted.
So, provided that you have goodvisibility and you focus on
(06:42):
that, for the majority of thesingle track roads, you won't
have a problem.
What you do have to be cautiousof, though, is that, in order
for the single track road systemto work, there are a series of
passing places, so these arelike little indentations on the
side of the road, pavedindentations, which are probably
(07:02):
every 100 meters, every 150yards or so, between each one,
and these passing places arewhat you use in order to allow
onward traffic to pass by you,and there are some regulations
that cover driving this type ofroad, but really is some common
sense guidelines, which I hopeto share with you today that
(07:26):
will make that drivingexperience on those single track
roads easier.
Your other question, which I'dlike to address before we get
into some of the detail, is it'sbilled as the ultimate driving
route, which, for some people,they think this is a route to
drive at speed without stopping.
It's sort of a non-stop route.
(07:46):
You can do that, but, to behonest, I think it's a waste of
time and what the region has tooffer.
You can drive the North Coast500 route in five days,
averaging about 100 miles a day,but that will give you very
little time to get out andexplore and enjoy the region.
(08:08):
I think you really need sevendays to fully appreciate the
North Coast 500.
, so that would give you perhapsfour hours of driving each day
and four to five hours ofactually getting out, getting
the sand between your toes andenjoying what the region has to
offer.
So beware of the term drivingroute.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
And what about choosing which direction to go?
Should we go anti-clockwise orclockwise?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Well, we will always take guests anti-clockwise.
And that's because we believethe route builds in a visual
crescendo as you goanti-clockwise.
The East Coast has curving,sweeping beaches and a coastline
, a beautiful route, but itlacks the mountains that you get
(08:58):
on the West Coast.
The North Coast then slowlybuilds, with beautiful beaches
and the mountains rear up intothe distance, and then as you
begin your journey down the WestCoast, the mountains and the
locks and the rivers really dobuild in earnest.
So the route builds in itsdrama as you drive
anti-clockwise.
But if you're a self-driver wewould still recommend going
(09:21):
anti-clockwise.
And that's because,particularly if you're in a
rental, you're going to pick upyour rental van or car in
Inverness and if you goclockwise, within about 90
minutes of leaving Inverness youare going to be on some of the
most challenging single-trackroads the North Coast 500 has to
(09:42):
offer.
In fact, within 90 minutes youwill be at the dreaded
Balachnabah, which we can talkabout a little in a minute, and
if you are not yet acclimatizedor used to your vehicle, it's
going to come as a bit of ashock.
You are going to have to beconfident and competent enough
to be able to reverse yourvehicle, often uphill and
(10:06):
downhill and around bends, tothe nearest passing space, which
could be 100 meters away.
So if you go anti-clockwise, bythe time you get to those most
challenging roads, you'realready familiar with your
vehicle and from that point youcan then concentrate on the
driving rather than what thevehicle itself is doing okay.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
So you kind of touched on uh there about the
single track roads and some ofthe challenging sections.
You mentioned one that Dougdrove and I nearly screamed my
head off most of the way.
So what to you are the mostchallenging sections of the
North Coast 500 route?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Well, balachnabah, which is Gaelic for the pass of
the cattle, is the one that getsall the headlines, all right.
So this is a single track roadsection which is about 12 miles
in length, and the Balaknabaritself, if you go, clockwise,
rises from sea level to about2,000 feet in around about four
(11:07):
miles.
There's a series of switchback,hairpin bends, precipitous
drops, blind corners, but it'snot as challenging to drive as
you might think.
Provided that you keep your eyeon what is happening a couple
hundred meters up the road, youwon't be surprised at any point
(11:32):
along that road.
I think where the challengecomes is that people are so
focused on the front of theirvehicle and where that is going
they often miss vehicles comingdown the road towards them, and
being not able to plan can makethat drive a little bit tricky.
But the beauty of Balaknabah isthat in the main, you can see a
(11:54):
good mile ahead of you, sothere shouldn't be any surprises
if you keep your eyes on theroad.
I personally think, havingdriven this route hundreds of
times, think the mostchallenging part of the north
coast 500 is actually the AscentPeninsula.
So this is from Lockinver aroundto the Kileskew Bridge.
(12:19):
It's a single track road.
It's about 25 miles, and whatmakes this route harder to drive
, in my opinion, is that thereare lots of blind corners, small
rises and falls in the road,and what you're likely to find
on this stretch of road becauseyou can't see very far in front
(12:39):
of you because of the nature ofthe road and the terrain is that
you're likely to meet cyclistsand motorcyclists out of the
blue, and cyclists have priorityon British roads, so no matter
where they are on the road, youwill have to reverse back to a
passing space to let them go,and even with motorcyclists,
(13:00):
they will also have priorityover you.
Of course, they don't have areverse gear, so even if they're
only just a couple of meterspast the passing space, it's
really beholden on you as thedriver of the car or the RV to
reverse back.
So that's what makes the AscentPeninsula more challenging it's
the other road users and thevery twisty, turny nature of the
(13:21):
road and the fact that youcan't see very far in front of
you.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
I'm just going to throw into there sheep as well,
and actually deer, because Ihave a recollection of going
round a corner and a massivestag being in the middle of the
road.
So that's one.
And and also the time that wedrove part of it actually was me
and there were lambs everywhere, everywhere I think you just
(13:46):
need to drive to the conditions.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
I rarely go above 20 miles an hour when I'm driving
the ascent Peninsula orBalaknabah For that very reason,
tracy.
You just don't know what'saround the corner, and if you
come around the corner at 35miles an hour and there's
someone doing the same speedcoming the other way, that's a
closing speed of 70 miles anhour and that's just far too
quickly.
So just take your time and putthat into the planning.
(14:13):
I think one of the challengesis when you look at a map, a
road map of the North Coast 500,it looks like the majority of
it is an A-class road, atop-class road.
So to actually find yourself onan A-class road which is
actually no wider than abouteight meters, is quite
concerning sometimes if you'renot prepared for it.
(14:34):
And as you're right, throw in afew highland cows, some young
ewes and deer and that can makefor quite a challenging drive.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Definitely so.
Have you got any special tipsfor driving on single-track
roads?
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Well, other than be aware and concentrate much
further into the distance.
I think the major one for meand for other drivers is the
convoy.
Don't travel in a convoy Now.
A convoy doesn't have to be alot of vehicles.
Most passing places on a singletrack road will be big enough
(15:12):
for two cars.
Single track road will be bigenough for two cars.
If you are traveling in a convoyand you are the third car and
you are competent with reversing, you won't have a problem,
because if you're travelingbehind the two other vehicles,
they have to pull into a passingspace and there's traffic
coming towards you and you havethe confidence to reverse, then
back you go, no problem.
If you are number two in theconvoy and you have a vehicle
(15:35):
behind you and that vehiclebehind you is not confident in
reversing, when you get to thatpassing place and everybody
bottles up, the guy behind youwon't reverse.
You are all stuck and I haveseen this so many times where
everybody is reluctant toreverse and then everybody
starts to try to drive off theside of the road to drive past
(15:57):
other vehicles and that's thetime when your bang wing mirrors
or, even worse, get a puncture.
I have seen so many vehiclestry to save themselves just a
few minutes by going off theside of the road to get past
other vehicles rather thanreversing back.
And if you get a puncture, mostrental cars these days don't
(16:21):
have a spare wheel, so you willbe laid up on the side of the
road waiting for a recoveryvehicle to come.
So, please, if you were to takeone piece of advice away from
this podcast is don't go off theside of the road.
Reverse back to the passingspace, and you can only really
do that if you travel in aconvoy of less than three
(16:42):
vehicles.
If you end up finding yourselfdriving along and you're in a
convoy of three or four vehicles, just pull over to the side of
the road and let everybody goand then start afresh on your
own.
Much more enjoyable to be ableto drive at your own pace and
enjoy what is around and aboutyou than feel pressurised by
other vehicles coming up behindyou.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
So do you see a lot of stranded vehicles when you're
driving around, robert?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Well, I think a lot is a term that I would avoid
using.
I would say that every week Iwould see at least one, and
these tend to be in the morechallenging areas, like the
Ascent Peninsula and Balaclava,where people are reluctant to
reverse, where people arereluctant to reverse, and the,
(17:31):
and one of the issues, of course, is that because it's an area
that's devoid really of largeconurbations that's part of its
beauty.
It also means there aren't anawful lot of recovery vehicles
to come out and help you, so ifyou do get a puncture, you could
be waiting quite a while forsomebody to come out.
So much better to avoid thathappening in the first place,
and that just involves justreversing back and adding a few
(17:54):
seconds to your journey ratherthan adding a few hours waiting
for repair.
So I do see vehicles brokendown by the side of the road.
I always stop to ask if they'reokay, because one of the
challenges that you can have iswhere am I?
I'm going to call a recoveryservice to come and help me, but
I don't know where I am.
(18:16):
There's a very, very good app inparticular called What3Words.
This is a smartphone app and itessentially divides the surface
of the globe up into one metersquares and then assigns three
English words to each of thosesquares.
Now, those three English wordsdon't actually have to make a
coherent sentence, but thosethree English words will
(18:37):
identify the exact square whereyou are, and all emergency
services and recovery servicesin the North Highlands use what
three words.
So when you want to try andguide somebody to you for help
and assistance, what three wordswill send them directly to you.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
So that's very useful to know and I'll be adding that
to my phone anyway, because Ithink it's useful that even if
you're in the city of London, tobe honest, to be able to
identify where you are Now.
Is there anything else youthink we should be aware of when
driving the North Coast 500?
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Well, there are some practical things there's often
anxiety about are there enoughfuel stations?
Are there enough chargingpoints?
The answer is yes.
You will never be more thanabout 40 miles, say 60
kilometers, away from a dieselor petrol fuel station.
A lot of these are 24 hour, soyou won't have any anxiety about
(19:31):
being able to refuel, and thereare increasing number of
charging points too.
Now, there aren't as many ofthese as there are fuel stations
, but there are more than enoughto recharge you overnight.
So these are not only chargingstations provided by many of the
hotels along the route, butalso in public car parks as well
(19:52):
.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Perfect.
So before we finish the podcast, because we always finish with
the same question do you haveone last tip for anyone planning
to drive the North Coast 500?
Speaker 3 (20:03):
If you are renting a vehicle, make sure that you
stipulate what type oftransmission you want.
There are an awful lot of carsin the UK that are still a
manual transmission, and I havehad to give guests a crash
course on how to drive a manualor stick shift in the car park
of the rental company inInverness.
(20:25):
So when you're booking, pleasestipulate an automatic.
If that's what you require, youwill not get one as a matter of
course.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Perfect.
So, robert, would you like tojust share where listeners can
find you, your website and otherinformation, please?
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Thank you, tracey.
The best place to go is we havesocial media pages, but it's
our website where you will findall of our contact details.
You'll also find some outlineroutes of places that you can go
and the number of daysassociated with that, and that
is at wwwnorthcoastscot perfect.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Oh, thanks so much.
It's been lovely to talk to you, robert.
I mean, I love talking to SallyAnn, but it's been lovely to
meet you too.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Thanks ever so much, Tracey.
It's great to have theopportunity to speak in person.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the
UK Travel Planning Podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanningcom.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
We love to hear from you andyou never know.
You may receive a shout out ina future episode, but, as always
(21:38):
, that just leaves me to sayuntil next week.
Happy UK travel planning.
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