16 minute read
ROAD TRIP: SCOTLAND'S NC500
HIGHLAND FLING
In May 2021 father and son, Derek and Garry Wadey, took their Minis to the north of Scotland to drive the stunning NC500 coastal route.
Words and photos: Garry Wadey.
After our short but enjoyable road trip to the mountains and valleys of Wales back in September 2020 (as featured in the September 2021 issue of MiniWorld) we wanted more and started thinking ahead to the next trip. I have visited Scotland a few times, as we have family there, so I know how good some of the roads are. I had never been there in my Mini and I had never been to the very top of Scotland.
The North Coast 500 is a 500-mile route around the very top of Scotland, starting and ending in Inverness and traditionally going clockwise across to the west coast then up along the north coast and back down the east side to Inverness. The route has grown in popularity in the last few years with petrol heads looking for great driving roads and tourists just wanting to enjoy the scenery, especially with the recent travel restrictions making travel abroad more di cult.
My dad, Derek, and I began planning the trip and took some advice from my sister, Gemma, and brother-in-law, Calum, who live just south of Inverness so knew the area and the ideal time for us to go. They suggested May, early June or late September as the route is likely to be quieter and we would miss the legendary Scottish midges.
We decided on late May and also planned to do the route anti-clockwise for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we thought there may be less tra c travelling in the anti-clockwise direction to hold us up and we were told that the scenery on the west coast was the most impressive so wanted to save that until the latter part of the trip. The Isle of Skye was also recommended as worth a visit whilst in the area, if we had time, so we
On the A9 to the start of the NC500 route. Rogie falls .
A photo stop at Loch an Ruathair on the detour road.
planned that into our route as well.
My parents were already planning a visit to see Gemma and her family in the Cairngorms (an area well worth a visit on its own) at the end of May so it made sense to tie it in with that. Dad wasn’t too keen on the eight-hour motorway journey in his 1995 SPi Mini Mayfair so decided to buy a trailer and tow the Mini up behind his 4x4. The motorway drive in my 1971 K-series Mk1-styled Mini didn’t bother me so I followed up in it a few days later. The great thing about an engine-swapped Mini is the fi fth gear and e ortless cruising which make motorways a piece of cake. Even so, it was still around 500 miles from my home in Northamptonshire to Gemma’s house in the Cairngorms so I stayed with them for the night before dad and I headed out the next day to begin our adventure.
We only had four days to do the route so had to cover over 150 miles per day. Our planned route was around 700 miles long as we factored some detours, including the Isle of Skye. After loading up the Minis with camping kit, tools and spares we left Gemma’s house and headed north towards Inverness. We didn’t get far before we had a problem. Only a few miles in, dad’s Mini hit a huge bump in the road, caused by roadworks, and his SPi Mini instantly cut out. Luckily, I realised that the jolt from the bump caused the fuel cut-o switch to trigger, turning o the fuel pump. With the switch reset we were o again.
As Minis only have small fuel tanks, and not knowing how easily we would fi nd fuel in some of the more remote areas, we fi lled up whenever we saw a petrol station. First stop was Inverness, where I also fi lled up a jerry can just in case. From here we drove to Rogie Falls, a fantastic waterfall where, at the right time of year, you can see salmon jumping out of the water, trying to make their way upriver. Unfortunately we didn’t see any but it was worth the stop anyway.
Normally you would then continue west, along the A835, to complete the route in the clockwise direction but we doubled back eastward and turned north to follow the east coast along the A9. There was fairly heavy tra c on this road, due to it being a major route, so we detoured as suggested by Calum. We were supposed to turn onto the A897 at Helmsdale but the sat nav took us on a shortcut so we turned o earlier on to what we thought was the correct road.
This road started well, a narrow singletrack with a decent surface and great scenery, but it quickly deteriorated into a very rough, broken surface that felt more like a rally stage. After a few miles we stopped the cars to consult the map as I couldn’t believe this was the road that was recommended to us. It turned out to be an access road used by huge logging trucks and, fortunately, soon joined up with the A897 which was much more pleasant. This road cuts across to the north coast and is a great driving road, with no tra c and a smooth surface, but does mean we missed out on the »
John O’Groats.
north-east corner of the NC500 route.
Our plan was then to drive from Melvich, where this road emerges on the north coast, back eastwards to a campsite at Thurso, where we would pitch our tent, then continue to John O’Groats. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite go to plan. When we began to set up the tent we couldn’t fi nd the poles anywhere in the Minis and dad then realised he had left them at home. A quick drive into Thurso and we found a fi shing shop that luckily had a suitable tent so at least we had somewhere to sleep. We couldn’t miss visiting John O’Groats (the most north-easterly point of the mainland) but I also wanted to visit Dunnet Head, which is the most northerly point of mainland Britain.
John O’Groats provided a fantastic photo opportunity, as we were able to park the Minis in front of the famous sign, but the views from Dunnet Head were much more impressive. Back at the campsite we fi nished setting up camp, gave the Minis a quick checkover and found that a small repair was needed to the radiator fan wiring on dad’s SPi. Otherwise all was well.
The next day would see us driving along the north coast then down the west coast to Ullapool, where we had a B&B booked for the night. There is a lot to see along this stretch but, as we didn’t have much time, we had to miss out on a few of the sights although there were some I defi nitely wanted to stop at. As we made our way along the coast the scenery slowly started to change: the hills start to turn into mountains and the landscape became more dramatic.
The road also varied from fast, singlecarriageway to single-track in places, which slowed progress, particularly when the motorhomes were travelling in convoy, but there are plenty of passing places and most of the slower vehicles pull over to let faster ones past. After a few miles my dad pulled over to the side of the road in front of me and was gesturing towards a hillside but, by the time I got out of the car and asked what he was pointing at, it was too late. I had just missed a large herd of wild red deer as they disappeared over a hill. We had been warned about them as they have a tendency to run out in front of cars.
The fi rst big stop was at Smoo Cave, near Durness; an impressive large cave. It is free to enter the main opening and you can pay to take a boat ride deeper into the caves. Unfortunately there wasn’t another boat until much later in the day so we instead walked up to the top of the cli s to take in the view as we didn’t have enough time to hang around. We topped up with fuel in Durness and I would later fi nd that the fuel caused the K-series to pink whilst climbing some of the hills further on.
I had heard of a place in Durness which is famous for its hot chocolate so I couldn’t miss out on trying that before we headed on. There are some amazing beaches along this part of the coast with white sands and crystalclear blue seas and only the cold water to remind us we were in Scotland.
Dunnet Head.
Smoo Cave.
Whenever we stopped at a popular tourist spot the Minis received a lot of attention from fellow tourists who loved the idea of doing the route in a classic car. Several people wanted to pose for photos with them. At various stops along the route we would often meet the same people, as they were travelling in the same direction, and we would swap notes on the roads and views. This is one of the great parts of travelling in a Mini as people are always friendly and come over for a chat.
After Durness the route then turns southwards down the west coast. From this point the scenery changes again as you are suddenly surrounded by mountains and lochs for miles without many open fl at areas to break it up. There’s plenty to stop and look at on this section but our next main stop was Kylesku Bridge. The bridge was opened by the Queen in 1984 and is a favourite spot for photo opportunities for anyone driving the NC500. The curved concrete bridge is made even »
more striking by the landscape it sits on and the mountains in the background.
Just after the bridge the o cial route turns o the main road on to the B869 which runs from Newton to Lochinver. A lot of people choose to bypass this loop and, if you are in a motorhome or large vehicle, I would recommend doing the same as the road becomes very narrow, steep and bendy. It is perfect for a Mini though and it really was a brilliant road. Most of the surface was smooth and visibility around corners was good enough to make decent progress with the odd slower vehicle pulling over in a passing place to let us past. We were in our element, chucking the Minis through the bends and powering out of the corners before getting back on the brakes for the next bend. Roughly half way along this pass is a hidden waterfall called Clashnessie Falls; easy to miss as it’s di cult to see from the road and there is only a small road sign. We stopped here and made the short walk to the falls, which made a pleasant break from driving.
Back on the main road, we drove past Loch Assynt, with Ardvreck Castle ruins on the bank, and down to the small town of Ullapool where we reached our stop for the night. Ullapool is situated right on the edge of Loch Broom, which joins the sea, and the town itself is well worth a visit. I had booked us in to a B&B as I had assumed we would encounter wet weather and a break from camping in the cold and wet would make the trip more enjoyable. As it turned out the weather was stunning for the whole trip with sunshine and blue skies every day. It was still nice to have a proper bed for the night and, once checked in, I decided to go for an evening walk around the town, taking in the sunset across the water.
Kylesku Bridge. Clashnessie Falls.
Ullapool.
Bealach na Bà (Applecross Pass).
Refreshed from a decent night’s sleep, and a large cooked breakfast, we packed up the cars, checked our route for the day and headed o . A few miles south of Ullapool the route turns o the A835 on to the A832 which follows the coast for a while and then runs down the side of Loch Maree. I really enjoyed this section as the road was smooth and fast-fl owing with wide, open scenery. It was pleasant just cruising along, taking it all in, nicely breaking up the tight, twisty, single-track roads.
A good place to stop for a rest is the Kinlochewe Service Station, situated near the Loch just before the turn-o onto the A896. There is a small café, with a covered outdoor seating area, displaying photos of vehicles which have stopped here whilst completing the NC500. There is a wide range of cars and motorbikes from all over the world, including a few Minis. From here the route goes to Shieldaig and there were quite a lot of motorhomes along this section as there are a few good camping spots, which meant having to sit behind some very slow-moving vehicles, most of which allowed us to pass.
Soon we were onto the coastal pass that takes us down to Applecross; another great, twisty single-track road with little tra c as motorhomes, caravans and large vehicles are advised not to use this route. If you are lucky, as we were, there are amazing views of the Isles of Rona, Raasay and Skye rising dramatically out of the sea. Once we reached Applecross we then started to ascend the famous Applecross pass, also known as the Bealach na Bà. This is a very steep, twisting, single-track pass that reaches quite a high altitude very quickly. Due to its notoriety it was also quite busy, meaning progress was slow due to having to wait in passing places to let oncoming tra c through.
The view at the top, however, was breathtaking. There is a passing/ parking spot right at the top of the pass o ering fantastic photo opportunities or just a chance to stop and take in the view of the road snaking back down the valley. Here the road becomes a series of hairpins and steep gradients, which were absolutely great fun, but make sure your brakes are in good order as they get a real workout.
Normally, those following the NC500 would now head back inland and over to the fi nish at Inverness but we had decided to spend the night on the Isle of Skye. There is a bridge across to the »
We were so glad that we detoured to the Isle of Skye. Fairy Glen.
Stunning views from the Isle of Skye.
island and also a ferry. We stopped near the bridge for fi sh and chips and to top up with fuel. Then we opted to take the bridge across as it was getting late in the afternoon and we had a campsite booked on the opposite side of the island which meant an exciting drive across some lesser-used passes.
Before that, though, we drove a detour to Torrin, to get a view of the mountains across Loch Slapin. Some of the passes across Skye were a little rough, with some scary potholes, but we made it to the campsite OK and set up for the evening. Looking back across to where we had set out I could see an interesting land formation which turned out to be the Trotternish landslip that runs for 20 miles; almost the entire length of the Trotternish peninsula.
Whilst at the campsite some of the other campers came over for a chat and to look at the Minis. One camper told us that, before we arrived, he had been sent some photos of our Minis at John O’Groats by a friend who is also driving the NC500. What are the chances of that?
We awoke to the fi nal day of our adventure, packed up the tent, loaded up the Minis and checked over the map. We decided not to follow the o cial route back to Inverness but instead to head straight towards Nethy Bridge. Before leaving Skye I wanted to visit a place known as Fairy Glen, near Uig, so called due to the landscape being made up of miniature hills and landslips that form a fairy-tale setting with a small road winding through it.
Once o the island it was a fairly relaxed drive as we didn’t have many planned stops and the roads were mostly fast-fl owing A roads. I spent the next day in Nethy Bridge, helping to build a Bothy in Gemma and Calum’s back garden, before making the 500-mile drive home the following morning. The Mini was eating up the miles so I just kept going, only stopping once for fuel, and I made it home in record time. My dad followed on a few days later, to his home in Leicestershire, with his Mini on the trailer.
It really was an epic road trip. The cars were faultless and we loved the variety of roads and terrain. I covered over 1,800 miles in total and loved every one of them. There is so much to explore and see up in the Highlands of Scotland and a Mini seems like the perfect car to do it in. Even if you don’t do the NC500 route I would recommend a visit, particularly to the west coast, where the scenery is at its most impressive and there are countless perfect driving roads.
See a video of Garry and Derek’s NC500 adventure at: https://youtu.be/Bze_oTWOdFU
