The Not NC500 Scotland Trip

Housey

Housey

Housey

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A few weeks ago I was lucky to join a group of good friends together with a few new acquaintances on a road trip into Scotland. My friends and I had been bouncing it around for some time and when our Spa/Nurburgring trip became impossible we decided to plan a Scotland trip instead.

I have done the full NC500 route before and though this is a fantastic trip to do it doesn't really suit supercars. In some places it is very tight and very bumpy and once you get away from the west coast it becomes a bit average for large swathes of the route.

We wanted something that brought the best driving roads into focus and a friend had done something last year and swore by it. We took his route, tweaked it a bit and in doing so I think came up with the best possible driving this country offers and the equal of anywhere I'd argue.

Day 1

195 miles - 4 1/2 hours with lunch around half way
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Day 2

231 miles - 5 hours with lunch of course
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Day 3

222 miles - 5 Hours and I seem to recall....lunch
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We used an App designed for Tesla but the advantage of that App and important for proper routing is it does not recalculate if you take a wrong turn, so you don't miss anything. We did add a couple of additions to this route to take in some additional local knowledge and that was worth it too as it provided some epic views and shots for photos. I can totally recommend this journey and promise you far far better driving routes and some equal vistas to the standard NC500 route.

More to come...
 
Love to know what app you used - I drive a support car for cyclists sometimes so I need to follow the exact route they do to catch people who have a mechanical and not reroute if I go off route. A bit like this, its not always the most direct or best route between places, but chosen for cycling. Have taken to loading the route into my Garmin 520 cycling computer and using that to make sure I'm where I need to be
 
The App was "A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)"

It isn't that great but it did provide adherence to our route. I tended to use the in car sat nav to keep me honest and provide live traffic content as well as alternate routes if I wanted to get to lunch first.....or beers in the evening.
 
ahar said:
Love to know what app you used - I drive a support car for cyclists sometimes so I need to follow the exact route they do to catch people who have a mechanical and not reroute if I go off route. A bit like this, its not always the most direct or best route between places, but chosen for cycling. Have taken to loading the route into my Garmin 520 cycling computer and using that to make sure I'm where I need to be
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I use Komoot for cycle routing as it gives you routing for different types of cycling like road routes or MTB routes etc. You then send it to a cycle computer
 
Looks great, the only bit of this I've done is the 'day 2' segment- really need to get up there more. Although it's making me think I'm going crazy as I swear I read a pretty much identical post a few weeks ago.
 
Tom_ed1987 said:
Looks great, the only bit of this I've done is the 'day 2' segment- really need to get up there more. Although it's making me think I'm going crazy as I swear I read a pretty much identical post a few weeks ago.
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God I am getting old... :(

I didn't recall what I posted, remember posting the odd picture but not the maps. DOH! (I just did a search and found I had on the Merc thread).
 
Don't think I posted these ones....
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Will leave the thread as maps might be useful. Ask questions will answer them happily about the route etc. We went very basic on hotels, nothing posh.
 
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Between this route and the NC500 route, if you were going primarily for the scenery rather than 'driving roads'*, which would you do?

*apparently my other half doesn't appreciate that i'm clearly an undiscovered professional racing driver
 
Definitely choose one of the better runs IMO - the bit through Rannoch/Orchy through to Fort William is always one of the highlights for me when I manage to get up there albeit often full of camper-vans and tourist traffic.
 
Kenai said:
Between this route and the NC500 route, if you were going primarily for the scenery rather than 'driving roads'*, which would you do?

*apparently my other half doesn't appreciate that i'm clearly an undiscovered professional racing driver
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To be fair both offer stunning views but I think the NC500 has more 'places to visit' off route because it's more well known. On the route we took there were moments of "wow will you just look at this" but think the NC500 offers more of them. In terms of roads and driving it's no contest, this route is better.
 
Rroff said:
Definitely choose one of the better runs IMO - the bit through Rannoch/Orchy through to Fort William is always one of the highlights for me when I manage to get up there albeit often full of camper-vans and tourist traffic.
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The Military Road was incredible, so was the Spittal of Glenshee both were on day 3 and both on their own would have made you happy on their own. Day 1 and Day 2 had many many like that too. We had 1 police stop, 2 guys done but small points (really unlucky) coming out of a town at 41 in a 30 as we all slowed right down when it got town/village and slow speed limits.
 
Housey said:
Spittal of Glenshee
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One of the things, depending on route you use to get there and back, the NC500 misses out is some of the better bits of the Cairngorms. Was gonna reply along that lines to Kenai. Personally I prefer this route over the NC500 several bits like you mentioned are highlights for me at least personally.
 
Rroff said:
One of the things, depending on route you use to get there and back, the NC500 misses out is some of the better bits of the Cairngorms. Was gonna reply along that lines to Kenai. Personally I prefer this route over the NC500 several bits like you mentioned are highlights for me at least personally.
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Most of the lads on the trip have done a lot of road trips and all said this was up there with the best in terms of roads and the way you could enjoy them safely. Having walkie talkies did create the odd "wtf" moment when you decided to pass a slow line of cars on twisty roads because they could not hear the "clear, clear, clear, clear, clear I was hearing"
 
I honestly don't know how anyone got done speeding though :p at least the times I've been up there it has been rammed with camper-vans, etc.
 
Rroff said:
I honestly don't know how anyone got done speeding though :p at least the times I've been up there it has been rammed with camper-vans, etc.
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Coming out of the smallest village IN THE WORLD we come to a slight incline. The 2 lads just gently pull pass a farm vehicle and in a side road to the right is 2 cop cars speed checking. I came past them as plod was having words and thought the worst. When they said 41 in a 30 I was relieved as on the approach to said village at the other end we were 'more'.
 
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