24th May 2019 by Scott
Probably Nitrous are no strangers to the roads that sprawl around the Scottish countryside, venturing up there a number of times on previous road trips. What we haven't experienced however, are the roads line the coast. To sate this desire we hit the North Coast 500. 516 miles of pure coast road driving bliss, starting and finishing in Inverness.
Probably Nitrous are no strangers to the roads that sprawl around the Scottish countryside
Whilst the trip from start to finish lasted 5 days, the proper coastal route driving didn't start until the day number two. Having tanked over 450 miles in one sitting to get far north as possible the day before, we were keen to get cracking onto the good stuff and as such were up bright and early to get a good start.
After a healthy dose of the Scottish Premium Unleaded, we headed north up the A9, taking in all the views of the icy looking North Sea along the way. The A9 is the main route from Perth to near John o' Groats (our first stop) and was relatively easy driving with a decent number of overtaking spots meaning we weren't stuck for too long behind the numerous other tourists we shared the roads with that weekend.
The formal announcement of the NC500 route has been met with controversy. The main aim was to increase the tourism around the far reaching tips of of Scotland, but it appears to have worked a bit too well resulting in a major influx of caravans and motor homes along the route. This influx of traffic makes it much harder for petrol heads like us here at Probably Nitrous to enjoy the great driving roads that the route has to offer to their full potential, and is an important consideration if you intend on driving it yourself. Do as we say, not as we do (don't go on bank holiday weekends).
Arriving in John o' Groats meant a walk around the most northerly point in the UK, and (arguably more important) a quick spot of lunch at the local café. Just around the corner the stunning Duncansby Head provided a very nice backdrop for a series of photos of the convoy.
We headed west out of John o' Groats in order to continue along the coastal roads and a quick fuel stop later (don't want to get caught short) we were back on track and starting to really see why people venture this far north. The roads had become almost dead and the undulations combined with the frequency and radius of the corners made for a really nice driving experience.
All good things must come to an end. About half an hour out from Durness Tom comes over the radio saying he's had a tyre pressure warning light come on. The rest of the group don't think much of it and we hoped that we could at least make it to the overnight stop before having to do anything about it. Needless to say a couple minutes later he's complaining of vibrations and we have to pull over. Enter the real hero of this trip: the VW Polo space saver.
We threw the space saver on and then headed to our overnight stop: a camping site right on the coast in Durness. The little town may not have all too much to offer (other than some seriously expensive fuel as we discover the following morning), but heck does it have one hell of a view. Up our tent went and we wandered into the little pub they provide for a well deserved beer and some dinner.
The next morning we were woken by the constant slamming on top of the tent from what can only be described as a complete downpour. Unperturbed by the rain by the promise of the roads that lay ahead, we stuffed the sodden tent into the back of the Audi S3 and proceeded to head out of the sleepy wet town; ourselves equally drenched.
The destination point for today's leg was Ardarroch, via what looked like the best roads on the NC500. Suffice to say the roads were incredible. Not much happened during the day and a lot of progress was made. During our satnav lead charge along the roads however, we did manage to make a wrong turn and nearly cut off an entire section of the route (as can be seen on the timeline). Who knew there would be two towns spaced 25 miles apart but with basically the same name (Unapool and Ullapool).
This day was always going to be long due to the number of miles we have to cover and the types of roads on which we would be doing it. The constant rain definitely didn't help the fatigue that we were starting to experience towards the end of the day (the missed turn also didn't help).
With about an hour to go to before we got to Ardarroch we arrived at a fairly well known road: Applecross Pass. Renowned for having some of the very best views that you can get in Scotland due to the height gained crossing it.
We fully hoped to see these views, but very quickly realised we were climbing directly into very thick fog. Thick to the point where we could only see two or three car lengths ahead. Earlier in the day, we had managed to catch up with another convoy of about five cars that were also driving the NC500 in our direction and so we followed them up the pass. Not being able to see the corners that are coming up until right at the last second can make for quite the unnerving experience. Especially with Tom still running the space saver which was providing exactly zero grip. But at the end of the day we all got down in once piece and that's what matters.
After descending into Ardarroch and nearly making another wrong turn (NEARLY), we gave the other convoy a friendly beep and headed off to our overnight stop. This time it was a cosy bunkhouse which meant we'd at least have some permanent cover if the rain were to kick off again. A few tinnies each and we were right in bed after another long day.
On the final morning, Tom had the brilliant (depending on who you ask) idea of swapping the space saver from the front left to one of his rear tyres. That way he wouldn't be relying on it for power delivery. With the morning being much clearer than the previous afternoon and evening, we left him to sort his car out and headed back up Applecross Pass. It was much clearer than the previous day and we got the full experience, being able to see for miles through the valleys. Sadly some serious incompetence from some other road users meant we only managed to make it halfway up the pass before having to turn around and head down again, but it was definitely worth the trip.
We got back to find that Tom - having the mechanical competency of a primary school child with a blindfold and oven gloves on - hadn't managed to do anything with his car, but after more faffing about we were pointed to a garage that was actually on our route by a nice local, so we headed there. After Getting to the garage it should be noted that space saver was definitely looking a bit worse for wear, which is fair given it's done about 300 miles at this point. A quick tyre swap and we were back on the road.
The final leg was only a very short one, pretty much a straight line from Ardarroch to Inverness covering barely 80 miles. We made good progress across the wide open A-Roads, stopping for one final photo op as a bit of closure for the trip. The only real event we saw was a van driver with a very flat tyre who was pushing on to the point of going the wrong way around a roundabout. Absolute madness. We reckon he must've stolen something and was trying desperately to get away.
As quickly as the trip started, we were back on the A9 roundabout for Inverness and the route complete. An overall fantastic trip and we would definitely recommend it for someone who doesn't want the hassle of travelling into Europe but still wants fantastic roads.
Miles covered: 1,448
Driving hours: 33 hours 45 minutes
NC500 Time: ~15 hours
Fuel used: lots
