The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
End of road for NC500?
It has one of the highest roads in Scotland and the views on the way are stunning. So it is no surprise that Applecross is a popular stop for tourists completing the North Coast 500.
But now residents of the village will be asked if they want to remain part of the trail amid concerns about its impact on local infrastructure.
Earlier this year, moatlike ditches were dug at the Wester Ross village to stop motorhomes parking in environmentally sensitive places and signs put up warning of dirty camping.
While many businesses in the village are supportive of the NC500 and the trade it brings in, others feel the impact on the roads – and in particular on the winding Bealach na Bà – is starting to take its toll.
The Bealach boasts the steepest ascent of any road climb in the UK and is the third highest road in Scotland. Rising to 2,053ft with gradients of one in five and hairpin bends, it can be a challenge for any driver – but particularly motorhomes, who regularly get into difficulty.
Applecross Community Council has said that as part of working on a future strategy for managing the negative effects of tourism, the issue of “withdrawing” from the NC500 has been mooted.
Chairman John Glover, who also owns his own business, said: “There seems to be a bit of a consensus emerging for a local poll on whether we should seek to be removed from the NC500 route.
“I have personally been particularly wary of popular referendums ever since June 2016, and it would be good to get more facts, figures and arguments from both sides, but the community council/ tourism management group could maybe be persuaded to conduct such a poll in a strictly ‘advisory’ capacity. The NC500 is very divisive as, of course, being on the route brings many tourists to the area.
“However the other side of the picture is that there are concerns that the infrastructure, including the numbers of people who use the Bealach na Bà and who daily block the road due to accidents.
“Businesses quite rightly argue that they depend on the business the NC500 brings. But when you are waiting for medical attention or even deliveries to the area the traffic can be at the very least frustrating.”
The idea of a poll has already been welcomed on the group’s Facebook page.
Bed and breakfast owner Kalie Wilkinson revealed some of her regular guests had actually been put off visiting due to the area’s sudden surge in popularity.
She wrote: “I agree that a poll is a sensible suggestion. Personally I’d be in favour of the peninsula coming off the NC500 marketing. Most businesses, including my B&B, were ‘comfortably’ busy before the arrival of the NC500 and have now become swamped. ”
Gregor Watson added: “Certainly think there is merit in a tactical and tactfully diplomatic strategic withdrawal from the ‘NC500 race circuit’. Applecross is big enough and indeed small enough to stand on its own and it is certainly ‘amazing’ and unique.”
With more people preparing for a staycation this summer, communities along the NC500 route are bracing themselves for an influx of visitors. The tourism trail is worth more than £22 million a year to the local economy.
Last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his now wife Carrie Symonds enjoyed a brief holiday in Applecross, sharing photos from a walk with baby Wilfred.