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Amanda78Amanda78 Member ✭
in Planning and Practicalities
Hi everyone! Myself and my 2 sisters want to plan a (surprise) tour for our parents for sometime next year as a Christmas gift. They have a caravan but they don’t want to use it, my dad said it’s too big. We were looking at maybe booking b&b’s instead. Can anyone please give me some advice? Is the route 500 suitable for caravans? I really don’t know where to start. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance 

Comments

  • scothighlandsscothighlands Member ✭✭
    The North Coast 500 like most roads in the Highlands takes all kinds of heavy vehicles every day: you’ll see HGVs, recovery vehicles, parts of wind turbines being transported. So it’s perhaps less of a question of the vehicle but how confident you feel driving what you have on the roads found on the NC500. Many roads are single track roads with passing places - and some (like Berriedale Braes) are a bit steep and windy. But the east coast has a pretty straightforward stretch of main road from Inverness through to Bettyhill.

    B&Bs are a good way to go and many doing the NC500 do it with caravans and motorbikes as well. The northcoast500 website is probably your best place to start researching: https://www.northcoast500.com/

    I’d suggest doing the route between Spring to Autumn because of the longer days. Note that some places either close or have seasonal opening from October to March so this is good to check too. But there is a lot of great driving, views and food along the way to explore.
    ___
    scothighlands | www.scothighlands.com
  • Amanda78Amanda78 Member ✭
    Thanks so much, I’ll have a look 😊
  • scothighlandsscothighlands Member ✭✭
    There are some good videos on YouTube too where people share their experiences, including driving Bealach na Ba which is a pretty spectacular stretch of road.
    ___
    scothighlands | www.scothighlands.com
  • FullStopNextChapterFullStopNextChapter VisitScotland Ambassador ✭✭✭
    I am going to throw Moray/Speyside/Aberdeenshire/Cairngorms into the mix. 

    These areas also form the NE250 - but as with all "driving routes" they should be taken as inspiration and remain fluid for straying off route to explore other areas. 

    Coastline, mountains, castles, lochs, woodland walks, steam railways and plenty of choice for places to stay and eat. The roads along this route are much more driver friendly for less confident drivers (less chance of having to reverse along single track roads to a passing place). 
    Join in my new chapter over on the blog. Discovering all things that make Scotland the place everyone wants to visit. 

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