The North Coast 500 loops the Scottish Highlands connecting landscapes such as the mountains of Sutherland, the lochs and white-sand beaches of Wester Ross and the villages of Easter Ross. Last year, the 516-mile road-trip route generated almost £100m in economic benefit, according to a report commissioned by North Coast 500 Ltd. Yet its popularity comes at a local cost, as I discovered during a guided tour.
Gazing out from the Inchnadamph Hotel in Sutherland, I watched ripples glitter on Loch Assynt, clouds playing with Quinag’s imposing bulk. I couldn’t see the ruins of Ardvreck Castle, but they were there, just around the bend. A gang of stags, antlers regal, strutted amid the nearby tussocks. A campervan rumbled down the otherwise empty road.
“They’re just driving through; all they’ve done is swap TV screens for windscreens,” said hotel owner Richard McKendrick, who was gazing out beside me. “It’s a marketing enterprise gotten out of hand.”
McKendrick, who has lived in these north-westernmost reaches of Britain for more than two decades, was referring to the NC500.
Launched 11 years ago, it has not only boosted visitor numbers, but, according to many locals, has also changed the tourist profile. There’s been an increase in one-night stays, a rise in littering and traffic, and an explosion of campervans cramming beauty spots – drawn by the legality of wild camping.
