The North coast 500

Macseasider

Macseasider

Well-known member
Anyone done this before?

Doing it as a little road trip over 4 days in April. Looking forward to it.
 
I challenge you to take a slight detour and take your car up and over the Bealach na Ba. Applecross is the wonderful terminus.

But don’t try the pass at night in a thunderstorm as we once did - although we succeeded, it scared us massively. It’s over 2000 feet high, with a 20% gradient in parts and there are many successive hairpin bends near the top.

Inverewe Garden near Poolewe is worth a visit. If you have your boots with you, Stac Pollaidh (2000 feet) is a good short climb and not into the wilderness, but close to the coast, just north of Ullapool. Ben Hope on the far north coast is a fine ridge also. Be careful though.
 
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Dark_Side_of_the_Lune said:
The Applecross Inn on a summer’s eve is the best place on the planet.
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Wholly agree. I think it’s something to do with there being a monastery there back in the early Middle Ages around 700AD, founded by Irish monks. It was very difficult to reach and was a sanctuary for many who could reach it. In fact, the surrounding district is known as A’ Chomraich, 'the sanctuary' in Gaelic. It’s very peaceful.

And if you can’t get a room at the Inn, the camp site nearby is very good.
 
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The North West Coast bit is the most beautiful bit of the UK in my opinion. Most of the roads are OK, but some of the single tracks, particularly Lochinver to Kylesque, can be a nightmare with large camper vans travelling in both directions, and unable to manoeuvre easily.

The scenery around here, the discrete mountains of Stac Poillaid, Quinag, Suilivan, with their glacial carved sides sticking out of square miles of moorland, wow. Durness is great, but can get really busy, don't rely on every cafe being open. If you detour to Kinlockbervie, the cafe opposite the fish market did the best haddock I've had in a long time.

Torridon, Gairloch, Ullapool ( good place to stock up on everything as tiny shops for 100 miles afterwards). Good idea to fuel up when you see it, as we found odd ones closed or out of fuel (not uncommon here in the Highlands)

Across the top, amazing beaches with some great surf, dominated by Dounray, stopping you getting onto close beaches. Back down the east coast, bit more boring but tiny churchyards with the most ornate huge grave stones and statues.

Were up in a cottage north of Ullapool back end of last year, saw the most amazing Aurora display, for about 4 hours, worth keeping an eye out for. A lot of it is great light free sky, the stars too are amazing.

Enjoy, I hope the weather is fair for you
 
We are on our way up to Skye for the Spring Equinox in March, to go Aurora Borealis spotting. Apparently, the Spring Equinox is the best time because the tilt of the planet means that the cosmic particle flux comes down into Scotland and there are 12 hours of darkness for observation.

Also, northern Skye is one of the darkest places in the country, no big towns with their light pollution. Being on the coast we hope there will be less cloud cover, but we have to trust to luck.
 
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Archibald Knox said:
We are on our way up to Skye for the Spring Equinox in March, to go Aurora Borealis spotting. Apparently, the Spring Equinox is the best time because the tilt of the planet means that the cosmic particle flux comes down into Scotland and there are 12 hours of darkness for observation.

Also, northern Skye is one of the darkest places in the country, no big towns with their light pollution. Being on the coast we hope there will be less cloud cover, but we have trust to luck.
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As a slight aside, we went to the Kielder Observatory last December. Fantastic dark sky zone and we got to use the telescopes.
 
Tangerinemoss said:
The North West Coast bit is the most beautiful bit of the UK in my opinion. Most of the roads are OK, but some of the single tracks, particularly Lochinver to Kylesque, can be a nightmare with large camper vans travelling in both directions, and unable to manoeuvre easily.

The scenery around here, the discrete mountains of Stac Poillaid, Quinag, Suilivan, with their glacial carved sides sticking out of square miles of moorland, wow. Durness is great, but can get really busy, don't rely on every cafe being open. If you detour to Kinlockbervie, the cafe opposite the fish market did the best haddock I've had in a long time.

Torridon, Gairloch, Ullapool ( good place to stock up on everything as tiny shops for 100 miles afterwards). Good idea to fuel up when you see it, as we found odd ones closed or out of fuel (not uncommon here in the Highlands)

Across the top, amazing beaches with some great surf, dominated by Dounray, stopping you getting onto close beaches. Back down the east coast, bit more boring but tiny churchyards with the most ornate huge grave stones and statues.

Were up in a cottage north of Ullapool back end of last year, saw the most amazing Aurora display, for about 4 hours, worth keeping an eye out for. A lot of it is great light free sky, the stars too are amazing.

Enjoy, I hope the weather is fair for you
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Couldn’t agree more. I can’t keep away. Pushed further west last year to the outer Hebrides and went back to Vatersay which is beyond fantastic
 
I can recommend Derek Cooper's book, "The Road to Mingulay", which is the southernmost island of the Outer Hebrides. He used to be the BBC's Food Programme journalist.

The Road to Mingulay: Amazon.co.uk: Cooper, Derek: 9780751516975: Books

Buy The Road to Mingulay New by Cooper, Derek (ISBN: 9780751516975) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk

I have sailed out to Barra with mates on a hired yacht, but my ultimate bucket list destinations on Harris have to be the beach of Luskentyre, and even more so, Loch Craibhadail and the beach opposite Scarp.

There is an interesting story of a German scientist who experimented with firing rockets over the sound to Scarp as a way of delivering the post to that remote island in 1934. Unfortunately, the rockets had a tendency to explode in mid-air scattering charred letters over the sea and island, and making the crofters duck for cover. Scarp was inhabited until 1971, when crofting was abandoned. Maybe I should have kept that last place a secret. But it's a fairly long hike to get there, there is no road over the headland, it requires effort.
en.wikipedia.org

The Rocket Post - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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TwelveAngryMen said:
Thought about it and watched a fair few You Tube videos but not sure of EV charging provision up there which puts me off
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Look up Charge Place Scotland who are excellent and their national network leaves England looking like a country governed by a bunch of childish tw**s
 
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