The NC500 - local perspectives

[VanHelsing]

Just read this by Gail Brown - an interesting, thoughtful piece of writing on the complex impacts of the fame of the ‘NC500’ route around the Scottish Highlands on the people who live there:

Lost Solace: Tourism, Social Media and Our Shifting Sense of Place in the North Highlands · Gail Anthea Brown

The words of author Neil M. Gunn provide a backdrop for this exploration of tourism, social media and NC500 branding in the north Highlands.

gailantheabrown.com

Just made me wonder what an ‘informal’ code of touring conduct might look like for members of the forum? One shaped in part by local voices? Anyway, idle thought… but please do read the piece.


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[andyinluton]

Need code of holiday conduct for Luton as well.
M1 and ring road clogged with airport traffic.
Airplane noise blighting half the town.
Retail park clogged with taxis waiting for flights.
Residential streets blocked with holiday makers avoiding the airport carparks.
None of them contributing to the local economy.

I’ts not just the NC500 suffering!

 

[Digger]

The words represent 99% of the people who live on the path of the NC. It does not bring money to the area as most fill up at Morrisons in Inverness and hardly spend anything until filling up again at Morrisons in Fort William. The rubbish left in bags at Borgie forest by campervans/motorhomes shows a total lack of respect for the countryside.
Sadly the arrogance of a minority and belief in the right to 'Wild Camp' wherever they choose will ultimately result if restrictions.

 

[Red wine lover]

Great article, very well written.
I'm always surprised at the number of campervan/motorhome owners, especially the expensive ones, who delight in 'wild camping' and not paying site fees. You don't need to pay a fortune and at least you'll not upset the locals. As she said there are numbers of vans parked up when the sites are half empty.
There is always a furore about traveller camps parking up on our playing fields and carparks..are they not the same?
Just a quick rant.....

 

[The Merle]

Need code of holiday conduct for Luton as well.
M1 and ring road clogged with airport traffic.
Airplane noise blighting half the town.
Retail park clogged with taxis waiting for flights.
Residential streets blocked with holiday makers avoiding the airport carparks.
None of them contributing to the local economy.

I’ts not just the NC500 suffering!

I done the nc500 in 2016 when it was first set up, and stopped at loads of little independent farm shops and ad hock tourist shops in peoples gardens etc.
So saying none contribute is wrong, campsites up and down the uk have been packed and owners making a nice income.
Local coop/scotmed reinvest in community too, shelves get emptied by tourists!

Things in the cairngorms are quieter than the last couple of years so maybe nc500 will easy.

It’s a hard balancing act to try and keep everyone happy, let’s hope the bad apples don’t spoilt it for good!

 

[gordon1988golf]

The “right to Wild Camp” does not include campervans and motor homes. In Scotland it is called “responsible access”. The article shows that the majority do not heed that. The best we can do as a group is look out for the places that we have to pay and behave responsibly. Slightly more expensive but much better for the NC500.

 

[dspuk]

Food for thought. We intend to explore Scotland next year, but will use sites and support the areas we visit. Some interesting points to take on board, although I feel she has highlighted the worst behaviour and ignored the best. Easy to do when you need to make a point. Unfortunately, a lot of our wider society today feels this right of entitlement that she describes, entitled to do what they like regardless of anyone else around them.

Question is - is it new behaviour or have us little Englanders always been like this and we just talk about it more now on places like the interweb which creates a self fulfilling moan circle?

As my Argentine partner would say - “no sey”.

 

[andyinluton]

Question is - is it new behaviour or have us little Englanders always been like this and we just talk about it more now on places like the interweb which creates a self fulfilling moan circle?

I don’t think anything much has changed other than the NC500 gives all the Scottish moaners a label to group together under.

From our recent travels There’s as many Scottish vans freeloading in Cornwall as there are English in Scotland.



The real problem appears to be the louts that would normally do an all inclusive to Benidorm where less than civilised behaviour is expected and tolerated have rented or bought vans. If they don’t know how to behave in a hotel what chance is there when they are let out in the wild with no one to educate them.

 

[BeeBee]

Food for thought. We intend to explore Scotland next year, but will use sites and support the areas we visit. Some interesting points to take on board, although I feel she has highlighted the worst behaviour and ignored the best. Easy to do when you need to make a point. Unfortunately, a lot of our wider society today feels this right of entitlement that she describes, entitled to do what they like regardless of anyone else around them.

Question is - is it new behaviour or have us little Englanders always been like this and we just talk about it more now on places like the interweb which creates a self fulfilling moan circle?

As my Argentine partner would say - “no sey”.

No lo sey

 

[jts46]

Did the 500 in March/April this year, Inverness to Skye then clockwise used campsites, local shops, local fuel stations. Locals polite & helpful.
Only downside was the idiots driving high powered sports cars at ridiculously high speeds on single track roads

 

[BeeBee]

I don’t think anything much has changed other than the NC500 gives all the Scottish moaners a label to group together under.

From our recent travels There’s as many Scottish vans freeloading in Cornwall as there are English in Scotland.



The real problem appears to be the louts that would normally do an all inclusive to Benidorm where less than civilised behaviour is expected and tolerated have rented or bought vans. If they don’t know how to behave in a hotel what chance is there when they are let out in the wild with no one to educate them.

From my understanding and experience, en route to Cornwall and in Cornwall itself there are lots of facilities to be utilised by campervans and their passengers. Whereas throughout the NC 500 route the facilities are scarce and to a great extent the attraction. Possibly, in part, a reflection on the lack of funding historically to certain areas. As regards ‘freeloaders’, they come in all shapes and sizes, but let’s not forget the sheer number ratio … Scotland has One Third of the UK Land mass and Under One Tenth of the population, most of those so called ‘freeloaders’ it seems travel North.

 

[kp64zl]

Good article - thanks for posting.

 

[Digger]

This was sent to me today. In todays Scottish DM. Yet another negative review from our beloved press.

PressReader.com - Zeitungen aus der ganzen Welt

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[Hawthorn37]

Total rubbish! We spent 3.5 weeks in the highlands this year and it was great. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Hope the soo called journalist didn’t get paid much for this made up story.

 

[Keith Smith]

We also spent 3 weeks in April/May this year in Scotland driving round most of the NC500 and found everyone friendly and helpful. A wonderful experience that I can’t recommend highly enough.

 

[dspuk]

Agree. Twaddle. We did 10 days in April and everyone we met was spot on. Not a grumpy local in sight. Not great news that though is it, “NC500 a great experience and locals very friendly”. Not going to garner any clicks.

All that said the biggest challenge we found were the masses of white whale hirers who were on their first big adventure and thought they were driving a small van. Site etiquette was hit and miss too. Mainly from first time English campers and “I’ll do what the F I want” middle aged faux vanlifers. We just moved away from them and kept chilled.

Now we have “done it” we’ll avoid the east coast completely and do more west, inland and Skye.

 

[Cali Phillip]

Total rubbish! We spent 3.5 weeks in the highlands this year and it was great. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Hope the soo called journalist didn’t get paid much for this made up story.

aire in Margret Meeks village, very welcoming. If her view is representative then why did the

Total rubbish! We spent 3.5 weeks in the highlands this year and it was great. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Hope the soo called journalist didn’t get paid much for this made up story.

Theres an aire in Margret Meeks village, waste, water hookup proceeds for the benefit of the community, so I question how representative her views are. The information seems old.

 

[Azteccamper]

We just had a fantastic 3 weeks touring the NC500. We camped on sites, bought from local shops when we could, ate and drunk in the cafes and bars en route and got diesel in petrol stations every couple days. People we met were lovely - locals and fellow travellers.
But we did notice a difference on Skye where it certainly seemed to be getting busier (middle of May) and dare I say some shambolic driving skills on display from “hired motorhomes”.
I think the timing of your visit makes a difference - and we were midge free throughout.

 

[Hawthorn37]

Agree. Twaddle. We did 10 days in April and everyone we met was spot on. Not a grumpy local in sight. Not great news that though is it, “NC500 a great experience and locals very friendly”. Not going to garner any clicks.

All that said the biggest challenge we found were the masses of white whale hirers who were on their first big adventure and thought they were driving a small van. Site etiquette was hit and miss too. Mainly from first time English campers and “I’ll do what the F I want” middle aged faux vanlifers. We just moved away from them and kept chilled.

Now we have “done it” we’ll avoid the east coast completely and do more west, inland and Skye.

The west coast is brilliant, and touring options appear endless. Next time we will do more island hopping.