A five-year history of NC500
Most of us know that the North Coast 500 is Scotland’s answer to Route 66 which travels east-towest across the United States. Our own version is a circular route starting and ending at Invermess and winding up the North West coast, across the top and down
Although the roads, stopoff points and attractions on the North Coast 500 have been in existence for many years, the route itself only came into being five years ago.
The ‘North Coast 500’ name was coined and launched in 2015 by Prince Charles’ North Highland Initiative (NHI) in a bid to “breathe new life into Scotland’s remote areas”. The NHI officially rebranded the 500-plus-mile stretch of northern roads as a route to be enjoyed by locals and visitors from the UK and overseas alike.
Today, the NC500 is regarded as Scotland’s ultimate road trip.
Have you travelled along the route’s roads yet? Perhaps you have never ventured as far north? Or maybe you have driven part of the route? Why not consider heading up north this spring or summer and take on the entire 516-mile stretch of road.
Those who are unfamiliar with where the route begins and ends will be interested to know that it is the same location – Inverness Castle.
Dating back to the 1830s, the hilltop castle looks over the River Ness and is a well-known viewpoint in this popular Highland city. Although the castle itself is closed to members of the public, its viewing tower is open and boasts 360-degree views across Inverness, so you can admire the cityscape before heading for the landscapes.
Isn’t it time you discovered all there is to see on NC500?
Here are some fascinating facts that you probably never knew about the route:
• It is recommended you take around 5 days to travel the entire route
• The actual distance of NC500 is 516 miles
• The #nc500 hashtag has been used on Instagram almost 170,000 times
• NC500 had attracted an audience of 3.3 billion people by 2018
• By 2016, the NC500 was responsible for adding around £9million to the North Highland economy
• The UK’s steepest, single track road, Bealach na Ba (pictured, right), lies on the NC500