# NC500 & Skye Mini Adventure



## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Well we decided to do NC500 & Skye this year , along with later Heart 200

NC500 I knew loads of the spots from my days as engineer on trawlers so retracing my steps from then.
Scotland has an incredible landscape with changes every corner in weather from mist to everything else, here is a small portion of some pics from our epic Mini adventure, we going back to explore more soon.
The driving on Skye was fun so was some of the open bends tight corners with great views.
Excuse my photography this was stopping on road jumping out car taking pics and little time for any fancy settings, but some came out good, was well pleased.

Cromarty first rigs everywhere



Electric cars the future?





Skye is incredible











A very special castle







Every corner something new









Applecross here we come



Treated to this on arrival at applecross just down for a drink was brilliant sight for eating our supper







Just having a sleep at road side









Just a small sample of pics from our epic road trips, more planned soon, the JCW was well at home on all these roads


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Some more pics

Super yacht at chanory point



This road was fantastic













Just having their lunch







Pity was out of focus first shot when I seen him


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Nice pictures. 

The wife doesn't look so interested. :lol:


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

She was feed up of me stopping round every corner:lol: she seen about 50 mountains by then for me everyone is different


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## neil b (Aug 30, 2006)

Cracking photos 👍🏻 Looks like you got good weather . Love up in highlands my mate stays in Halkirk so I up there Few times a year expect for this year just been up once. Going to head over to Skye next year and wild camp for a few days .


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

neil b said:


> Cracking photos 👍🏻 Looks like you got good weather . Love up in highlands my mate stays in Halkirk so I up there Few times a year expect for this year just been up once. Going to head over to Skye next year and wild camp for a few days .


Weather was fantastic, first time every for me on west with no rain

Wild camping getting real bad name on Skye and Highland some disrespectful idiots spoiling it for other leaving trash all over, burning out tents, ****ting in bags and leaving it, yes all of those:doublesho
Locals leaving trowel in lay-bys so they can at least bury their own ****,disgusting


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## luapkram (Aug 20, 2015)

Great pictures 

Cycled up the Bealach when I was a bit younger, fitter and some would say stupid!

Daughter is doing NC500 in next few weeks and hopefully she gets decent weather.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## neil b (Aug 30, 2006)

Derekh929 said:


> Weather was fantastic, first time every for me on west with no rain
> 
> Wild camping getting real bad name on Skye and Highland some disrespectful idiots spoiling it for other leaving trash all over, burning out tents, ****ting in bags and leaving it, yes all of those:doublesho
> Locals leaving trowel in lay-bys so they can at least bury their own ****,disgusting


There is no need for that what so ever has people not heard of leave no trace when camping, that really bugs the crap out of me tho How easy is it to leave a place exactly how you found it .

Wow no rain on the west coast that's got to be a record lol .
The last time i was in fort William staying at the glen Nevis campsite it was non stop rain for 2 days lol . , How was the midges tho ? Biting hard ? . I heard the horse fly's are making a come back on the west coast they give a nasty bite the buggers .


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Reading the reports of the NC500 it's very busy. Even more so than usual. The stuff I've seen about basic hygiene is awful. There is little respect. 

Too many tourists just don't get it. 

We'll be heading off soon on our travels. Not sure what we will do yet, but we'll be in Fort William at the weekend. 

I think we'll leave the NC500 and stay away until it calms down.


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## nbray67 (Mar 22, 2012)

Wow, cracking pictures buddy.

Absolutely loving the wild life you managed to encounter.

We've gotta give this area a visit at some point, regardless of the weather, we'll take it come rain or shine.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

luapkram said:


> Great pictures
> 
> Cycled up the Bealach when I was a bit younger, fitter and some would say stupid!
> 
> ...


That must have been hell cycling up there , my cousin from London is up there today with his mates, they are loving it , Glencoe yesterday weather was great for them,
I hope your daughter has a great time on her trip


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Nice pictures Derek, did you stay anywhere ?


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

SteveTDCi said:


> Nice pictures Derek, did you stay anywhere ?


Thanks Steve, we booked 4 nights in Premier in West Inverness before lockdown in Scotland was lifted on £120 for 4 nights was a gamble as Inverness usually expensive . Takes 1h 40min to Skye bridge early morning mine style driving, same to west. The hotels on west side of Scotland are average with high prices I just won't pay and far worse this year, we also booked new premier inn for Nov in Aviemore £29 per night was shocked,
So we left for Skye 6am back to Inverness 10pm same when did most of NC500 we did an alternative route to miss out bit I have done loads in past


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Steve the NE250 near us is great as well, if your planning a trip north give me a shout, and if can be of any help, if you do your more than welcome to come in past ours, with the better half for a blether and cuppa, and a tour of our coast and area on the NE250, SKi roads 90 route is also fantastic.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

nbray67 said:


> Wow, cracking pictures buddy.
> 
> Absolutely loving the wild life you managed to encounter.
> 
> We've gotta give this area a visit at some point, regardless of the weather, we'll take it come rain or shine.


Get it done, September not so busy I bet, we was ok as up so early on roads 6am, the wild life encounters made the trip if I'm honest was fantastic to see. I worked out on Mallaig for about a year with boat rained every time I was in port:lol:


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Fantastic shots, looks an amazing adventure. 

On my list to do :thumb:


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## mirdif64 (Aug 23, 2007)

Derek, you did well with the hotel prices. Heard some horror stories recently. £160 for a pod in Brora !! My mate was planning the Western Isles but everything was in triple figures, so he went to Orkney for the weekend instead.
Weather can make such a big difference. I was in Stornoway last week and the Uists and Barra the week before that and it was like the Bahamas :lol:
We had a wee run out on Saturday round the Black Isle to replace the Fortrose show which was cancelled.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

mirdif64 said:


> Derek, you did well with the hotel prices. Heard some horror stories recently. £160 for a pod in Brora !! My mate was planning the Western Isles but everything was in triple figures, so he went to Orkney for the weekend instead.
> Weather can make such a big difference. I was in Stornoway last week and the Uists and Barra the week before that and it was like the Bahamas :lol:
> We had a wee run out on Saturday round the Black Isle to replace the Fortrose show which was cancelled.


Yes I'm not following for the rip off Highland B&B chancers giving the area a bad name, when I saw the price I booked straight away, just with lockdown I think, we planned night in fort William not at £120 rather have a nice drive down the loch at 6am.
We did most of the 50 miles was good I liked Cromarty , aye I heard Brora taking the mick as well I went over A838 at Bonar Bridge to Scourie far better to me


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

neil b said:


> There is no need for that what so ever has people not heard of leave no trace when camping, that really bugs the crap out of me tho How easy is it to leave a place exactly how you found it .
> 
> Wow no rain on the west coast that's got to be a record lol .
> The last time i was in fort William staying at the glen Nevis campsite it was non stop rain for 2 days lol . , How was the midges tho ? Biting hard ? . I heard the horse fly's are making a come back on the west coast they give a nasty bite the buggers .


Yes there were a few village idiots around , the fairy pools on skye were like a scene from Ibiza Uncovered :lol: loads with tourists that think taps aff we budgie smugglers we bear belly a treat for other or lets say girls bathing in the pools that were more like rabC than bay watch babies:lol:
They had only spoiled that one location for us, as we were up and away at 6am to avoid coming in contact with tourists that don't understand why they have gone to Scotland on holiday its not Maga :doublesho

The midges at Applecross eat the living daylights out off me i was like i had measles when i got back, they don't even touch the wife, but hey i cant complain we had a fantastic holiday and i will be back soon, Orkney next up me thinks back to my old haunts on the trawlers


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## mirdif64 (Aug 23, 2007)

Beat you to it. On the Hamnavoe this morning to Stromness. Don't think I'm going to get such good weather this time though !!


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

mirdif64 said:


> Beat you to it. On the Hamnavoe this morning to Stromness. Don't think I'm going to get such good weather this time though !!


Let me know how you get on, are you taking the car as prices seemed not much cheaper than Aberdeen Kirkwall?, I would love to go back to Kirkwall Stromness and Peirowall loved it in there a few times I was what a time we had it was bizarre but great:lol:
Western Isles , only been once on boat that was enough they seemed a strange bunch, we did not seem welcome in the big trawler and the repair we needed took forever the guy had a 2 hour dinner break:lol:
Maybe we were a bit to wild for them up the road for a pint


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## mirdif64 (Aug 23, 2007)

Derek, over with work so no car. Haven't been here for a while.
My mate said he was £72 for his hotel room in Kirkwall recently for B & B.
Said it was good. Although he did get a shock when he came off the ferry in Stromness and turned left on to the main street. Didn't realise it would be so narrow :lol:


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

mirdif64 said:


> Derek, over with work so no car. Haven't been here for a while.
> My mate said he was £72 for his hotel room in Kirkwall recently for B & B.
> Said it was good. Although he did get a shock when he came off the ferry in Stromness and turned left on to the main street. Didn't realise it would be so narrow :lol:


I would not have noticed when there I fishing boat would have just been looking for the nearest pub:lol:
£70 seems ok , the roads were ok when we did NC500 route just cause we left at 6am
Did you just leave the car in Scabster.? Is there safe parking, I remember the night the ferry turned back due to storm , and we went away out with boat full of fish heading to Peterhead we damage to the boat taking a huge lump of water the tides were horrendous


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## pt1 (Feb 8, 2014)

Brilliant! Great pics  Planning on doing the NC500.i have seen a lot of the highlands along with mull, skye, arran etc but never done it all in one trip

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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

Derekh929 said:


> Yes there were a few village idiots around , the fairy pools on skye were like a scene from Ibiza Uncovered :lol: loads with tourists that think taps aff we budgie smugglers we bear belly a treat for other or lets say girls bathing in the pools that were more like rabC than bay watch babies:lol:
> They had only spoiled that one location for us, as we were up and away at 6am to avoid coming in contact with tourists that don't understand why they have gone to Scotland on holiday its not Maga :doublesho
> 
> The midges at Applecross eat the living daylights out off me i was like i had measles when i got back, they don't even touch the wife, but hey i cant complain we had a fantastic holiday and i will be back soon, Orkney next up me thinks back to my old haunts on the trawlers


Sadly it seems that most of the north west of Scotland is being destroyed this year by the great unwashed who normally get cheap package deals to places like Magaluf. Utter scum. The amount of rubbish, excrement and general dickheadishness on display up there when I visit my parents as a result of the NC500 is sickening. People driving like it's a private race track, people in rented camper vans emptying septic tanks into streams and people making what is a beautiful and wild place into something replicant of an inner city slum with rubbish and turds everywhere. The sooner the NC500 dies a death and everyone ****es back off to Spain the better, except the Spanish have said, quite justifiably, that these tourists aren't welcome there anymore. Not that I'm sure they ever were really 'welcome'.

I'm not sure that people on here would be behaving like that but everyone says 'we're responsible' but clearly plenty of people aren't being, and they must come from somewhere. Tents everywhere, cars blocking passing places and graffiti being scratched into rocks on munros as Sharon in her pink tracksuit pretends to be outdoorsy. It makes your stomach turn. My family's from up there, I spend a lot of time up there in the wilderness and the difference between people like me who respect the landscape and those people now visiting the area because of a bucket list tick or a named route is quite a contrast. The phrase 'leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories' seems pretty alien to them...


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I'm up in Inverness just now. There is quite a few groups of cars struggling to behave. I get the impression they are all heading for the NC500. 

We've got one of the groups in our hotel that wanted everyone to hear their rev limiters, popping and banging. Heard them coming across Inverness before they pulled up here. A few Golf Rs and Mlites. 

There's a time and place for everything, but at the annoyance of a relaxing place isn't it. When you get a group of guys together in cars many just can't behave.


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

Kerr said:


> I'm up in Inverness just now. There is quite a few groups of cars struggling to behave. I get the impression they are all heading for the NC500.
> 
> We've got one of the groups in our hotel that wanted everyone to hear their rev limiters, popping and banging. Heard them coming across Inverness before they pulled up here. A few Golf Rs and Mlites.
> 
> There's a time and place for everything, but at the annoyance of a relaxing place isn't it. When you get a group of guys together in cars many just can't behave.


With the way I'm feeling towards the average visitor up there at the moment I'm thinking a can of expanding foam up certain exhausts may be the best way to deal with the situation, before they leave Inverness...


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## mirdif64 (Aug 23, 2007)

Derekh929 said:


> I would not have noticed when there I fishing boat would have just been looking for the nearest pub:lol:
> £70 seems ok , the roads were ok when we did NC500 route just cause we left at 6am
> Did you just leave the car in Scabster.? Is there safe parking, I remember the night the ferry turned back due to storm , and we went away out with boat full of fish heading to Peterhead we damage to the boat taking a huge lump of water the tides were horrendous


I was in the work van so no car to leave.
Noticed this place before in Stromness marina/harbour. Couple of apartments with garages below them for private parking.

http://www.orkneyaccommodation.com/index.php/south-flat/


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## mirdif64 (Aug 23, 2007)

Kerr said:


> I'm up in Inverness just now. There is quite a few groups of cars struggling to behave. I get the impression they are all heading for the NC500.
> 
> We've got one of the groups in our hotel that wanted everyone to hear their rev limiters, popping and banging. Heard them coming across Inverness before they pulled up here. A few Golf Rs and Mlites.
> 
> There's a time and place for everything, but at the annoyance of a relaxing place isn't it. When you get a group of guys together in cars many just can't behave.


There was a company from Edinburgh (I think) who used to bring supercars up to a hotel in Inverness for the use of groups flying in to do the NC 500.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Ennoch said:


> Sadly it seems that most of the north west of Scotland is being destroyed this year by the great unwashed who normally get cheap package deals to places like Magaluf. Utter scum. The amount of rubbish, excrement and general dickheadishness on display up there when I visit my parents as a result of the NC500 is sickening. People driving like it's a private race track, people in rented camper vans emptying septic tanks into streams and people making what is a beautiful and wild place into something replicant of an inner city slum with rubbish and turds everywhere. The sooner the NC500 dies a death and everyone ****es back off to Spain the better, except the Spanish have said, quite justifiably, that these tourists aren't welcome there anymore. Not that I'm sure they ever were really 'welcome'.
> 
> I'm not sure that people on here would be behaving like that but everyone says 'we're responsible' but clearly plenty of people aren't being, and they must come from somewhere. Tents everywhere, cars blocking passing places and graffiti being scratched into rocks on munros as Sharon in her pink tracksuit pretends to be outdoorsy. It makes your stomach turn. My family's from up there, I spend a lot of time up there in the wilderness and the difference between people like me who respect the landscape and those people now visiting the area because of a bucket list tick or a named route is quite a contrast. The phrase 'leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories' seems pretty alien to them...


We were on the A838 from Bonar Bridge and there was a young lad in middle of road stopping traffic, his digger was coming on low loader we got chatting and he stayed up Scourie way and he said he takes sometimes an extra hour to get home as many can understand passing places.
He was positive about tourism but as I said to wife when we arrived in Inverness the people with an old works van and mattress in the back bring nothing to the local economy as they fill up food at Tesco Inverness and dump all their crap at road side.
It's an utter disgrace to see graffiti and we seen first hand field gates opened and vans and tents they think they own the place.
It's a shame to let these clowns ruin the reputation of the highlands as I know it , my cousin was up from London last weekend they had a fantastic time and I was please how the appreciated the raw beauty and they stayed at BandB and eat local so some can do it right but many have not got the brains to understand or respect, it all starts with parents IMHO


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## Shug (Jul 13, 2007)

The police are regularly getting called out round durness and scourie. Mostly they are having a word as apparently they can do nothing unless they catch them in the act of trashing the place or threatening the locals. It's a matter of time before someone gets a kicking as tempers are understandably getting very short.


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

Shug said:


> The police are regularly getting called out round durness and scourie. Mostly they are having a word as apparently they can do nothing unless they catch them in the act of trashing the place or threatening the locals. It's a matter of time before someone gets a kicking as tempers are understandably getting very short.


It's shameful. I was brought up in Edinburgh but spent a huge amount of time around Aultbae as a kid as that's where my family are from, and where my parents now live again on a site that can be traced back in our family for nearly 200 years. So when I see absolute scum damaging and treating the place like a dumping ground I get infuriated. The other week one of the locals saw a camper which had parked up (in the carpark right next to a campsite with spaces) dumping it's toilet tank into the stream. This is the stream that goes straight into the bay which is one of my favourite places on earth. It's a good thing I didn't see it happening otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to be held accountable for my actions. You simply can't educate pork like that.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Drove from Fort William to Perth today. We came down the A82 and I've never seen it busier. Far less hire cars and camper vans than usual. 

There was zero point overtaking as the traffic was constant. Every viewing point and parking area was jam packed. The pubs, cafes and stopping points were the very same. Nearly 3 hours to drive 107 miles without a single stop. 

Plenty of suicidal motorbike riders. I was overtaken on solid lines on blind bends a few times. It really was luck something wasn't coming the other way at that point. 

Speaking to a few people from further north over the week and they are at breaking point. Their communities are being overrun by careless filthy animals. 

The worst part is most places are making no money off them. They are stocking up and wild camping. Paying next to nothing into the communities and leaving a mess for people to pick up behind them.

We stopped off at Morar beach and witnessed firsthand the issues. There was a bunch of people camping on the beach. There was lots of used toilet roll and crap just off the walking track.  What was hidden further into the bushes?


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Kerr said:


> Drove from Fort William to Perth today. We came down the A82 and I've never seen it busier. Far less hire cars and camper vans than usual.
> 
> There was zero point overtaking as the traffic was constant. Every viewing point and parking area was jam packed. The pubs, cafes and stopping points were the very same. Nearly 3 hours to drive 107 miles without a single stop.
> 
> ...


Your last two paragraphs is sadly how it cam across to us, we had a great time, but the minority are going to ruin the reputation for the people that respect the area and its population.
I used to pass morar beach twice a week in late 80's and been back after road was all improved and its such a great spot, sad to see the lack of respect there as well.
Aviemore we avoided stopping at the Loch as was mobbed but some just don't understand and its them that will draw covid out further and further, unfortunately as said in earlier posts and again as you point out they are bring nothing of value to the areas in means of support to businesses.
Same here at weekend two campervans parked up outside campsite that still has places and it anent expensive, I would not be surprised if some even have the cheek to use the facilities on site.


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

Kerr said:


> Plenty of suicidal motorbike riders. I was overtaken on solid lines on blind bends a few times. It really was luck something wasn't coming the other way at that point.
> 
> Speaking to a few people from further north over the week and they are at breaking point. Their communities are being overrun by careless filthy animals.
> 
> The worst part is most places are making no money off them. They are stocking up and wild camping. Paying next to nothing into the communities and leaving a mess for people to pick up behind them.


Being selective in what I reply to otherwise I'll be here all day;
my dad has several near misses a week with idiots on bikes and in fast cars thinking the single track road to their village is a private race track. You'd think 30mph zones would be safe from these idiots but sadly not.

They are filthy, but please do not call these people 'wild campers', they're car campers who aren't using campsites. I camp up there a lot when climbing/mountaineering etc and it's sickening that I will be tarred with the same brush as these developmental rejects who leave **** and excrement everywhere. I camp in some amazing locations that feel untouched by humans, places which are now being destroyed, and even the further afield areas are now suffering the same from these parasites. If you find more than some flattened grass as the visible sign of where I've camped I will call you a liar. Sadly these people do not care for their surroundings, or the environment, they only care about their instagram post on social media and being able to say they've 'done' the NC500. These people are camping because they're tight arses and simply don't care, I camp because I love the outdoors and appreciate how wonderful it is. I also seem to spend a huge amount of money in craft and book shops up there at every opportunity, much as my parents would do if we were areas like this as I was growing up.


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