NC500 a Highland ‘highway from hell’
Route brings locals chaos as well as cash
IT has been touted as the Scottish version of America’s famous Route 66, with more than 500 miles of stunning coastal and Highland scenery.
But the hordes of tourists now taking the North Coast 500 road trip are driving locals mad.
Some residents have even left the area, claiming the route – which begins and ends in Inverness – is a highway from hell rather than a road to riches, a study has found.
The NC500 was launched by Prince Charles’s North Highland Initiative four years ago to boost visitor numbers to remote areas.
But Gary Woodcock, a researcher from the University of Stirling, has found an increasing number of ‘antagonistic encounters between residents and tourists’, while more locals are moving away and regular visitors are put off returning. A fifth of the 516-mile route is on single-track roads, with residents complaining about slow-moving convoys of vehicles or visitors using the road as a ‘race track’.
They also said tourists do not know how to use passing places.
Mr Woodcock interviewed locals, went on research trips and 250 people completed a survey online. He found ‘most residents hold a negative perception’ despite acknowledging the economic benefits and warned of a rise in litter. His study adds: ‘Many reflect on a downturn in quality of life.’
Since its launch, the NC500 has brought 29,000 more visitors to the area and £9million to the economy, according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). An NC500 spokesman said: ‘The overwhelming evidence we have points to the contrary. The NC500 has been warmly received by people and businesses.’
The Scottish Government said: ‘We’re involved in a working group set up by HIE to ensure the NC500 is developed sustainably, taking communities and the impact of tourism growth into account.’