Nc500 Best Time To Do It

I asked similar questions so I’ll be watching this thread

 

and me, I understand it’s a bit like Piccadilly Circus on New Year’s Eve up there.

 

May is probably your best bet, it tends to be dry but not very warm. No midges either... spend your time around the west coast and around the Cairngorms for the bes . Iking roads

 

Must of done at least 10 tours of Scotlandshire over the years and always April/May
Accommodation can be expensive but worth paying for creature comforts after riding all day
The West coast routes are absolutely stunning
Had two tours with bad weather (it knows how to rain up there) but it’s still brilliant
I definitely wouldn’t want to be on a Harley
Some parts are proper nadgery

 

I am also thinking of doing this in September. But with my wife in her car....It will be good to see the answers from those who have already experienced the NC 500. Good thread.

 

In a car has many advantages, but at least one MAJOR disadvantage. On the best coastal roads you’ll be following a procession of camper vans and motor homes. Certainly on the main road down to Skye.
So try to avoid anything like peak season.

or be prepared to be very slow

 

Thanks for the tip....to be fair it’s quite a quick car and I will be driving .....but in all fairness we aren’t going to be in any rush. I can believe you are absolutely correct about camper vans. So many friends have bought one after last year and many more are considering buying or hiring them this year. I think they will become very very popular in these lockdown times. Self isolation and independence.

 

I have downloaded the NC 500 app. A lot of useful info on there.

 

West coast IS WAAAYYY better but I did the east bit (anti clockwise) first to get it out of the way and to have something to look forward to!
Stayed at the tongue hotel and from that point it was amazing.
You'll love it either way guys!

 

From me, May is definitely the best month. Did it a few years ago and only saw midges one morning in Durness.
Consider doing it "the wrong way round", i.e. clockwise, granted the end of the route is definitely an anti climax but there is a big plus. As there are no trees, hedges etcetera even though a lot of the west is very single track road, you can see any traffic a long way off. When its busy the others are mainly going the other way. Also as an added plus, many of the larger vehicles will pull into a passing place long before you reach them enabling you to maintain rapid progress.
Finally, give yourself more time than you need, plan in time for stops, sightseeing. The riding is nothing short of fantastic but if it becomes a race against the clock imho it somewhat spoils it.
Finally, it will rain at some point though tbf we only really had torrential stuff over Bealach na Ba and on the way home from the Lake District to Bristol.

 

You could have the quickest car in the world but its of no use on single track roads of which the best parts of the NC500 are. If youre not fussy about accommodation think about the Hostel Association but book well in advance.

 

We did it in May which was a great time to do it, accommodation wise check out: https://bikerbnb.com/

 

We were there last September, arrived on the Saturday before the Krankie Goblin slammed the door on tourists. Had a great 12 days, based in Newtonmore in the Cairngorms for 7 nights and then headed West for NC500. Bealach Na Ba is a stunning climb, but watch out for the idiots in Bongo vans, especially on the hairpins at the top. It was a dry road for us, but I can imagine it being a problem if wet. After dropping to the Westerross coast road, we spent 2 nights in B&Bs until we got to John O.Groats. We turned around and retraced our route to avoid the east coast road which has a reputation for being boring. We took the A897 down to meet the A9 back to Inverness.

A couple of wet days, which didn't spoil the trip. I will do it again this year as soon as we are allowed out of the house!

 

Mid May is about your best chance of spring weather,
and the midges are still a little lazy,
I did it at this time and it was brilliant

 

Best time to do the NC500?
Between 11.00pm and 04.00am

 

In mid-summer that could be an entirely appropriate piece of advice ..........