The North Coast 500 has reached its 10-year anniversary since its official launch.
Thurso features on the north-east coast of the NC500 route and has seen the changes since its inception in 2015.
So, how has it changed for business owners and what do they think of its promotion and what it brings to the area?
Extra footfall, busier roads and adding an attraction to Thurso were all topics of interests among the village’s business leaders.
‘Everything is a little bit harder’
Terry Mackay owns Newsbeat newsagents in the town and believes there are “good bits and bad bits” about the NC500.
For another of his businesses, he has to travel to west coast destinations such as Lochinver and Scourie – and believes the roads become a “no-go” for locals.
He said: “In the summertime it takes as at least twice as long to get anywhere and that’s a big grudge for businesses who are on the road.
“When we were growing up, there was a fair few pubs in every local village. People used to come for weeks and would integrate with locals.
“It’s different now. The people who want to come and see locals now can’t, because everywhere is filled with tourists instead.
“There’s definitely more people on the go than there was ten years ago, but we don’t necessarily see them in here. They fill up their campervans at Tesco and see how far they can get.
“The business doesn’t see a boost from it, so it’s a difficult one to argue for from my perspective.”
Thurso businesses ‘need’ NC500
Melanie Roger’s parents opened Harper’s Fly Fishing Shop in 1992 and she feels the NC500 has only brought good news to the town.
She said: “We get a lot more customers now than we used to. Before it was quite a narrow scope, if people came here it was because they were coming to Thurso.
“Now, you have so many people who are passing through and so more people are popping their heads in the door.
“We still get those people who are here just for Thurso as well. Fishermen haven’t been deterred whatsoever.
“It has certainly helped to advertise our town, and businesses here definitely need that.
“I think it has outgrown what anyone could have ever thought it was going to grow to.
“Out west you can understand the gripes because the infrastructure isn’t there. There’s no doubt at all it can be a real struggle for them.
“However, we’re really lucky and this has been an ideal addition.”
Why visit Thurso?
Michael Mackay owns Westlea B&B in Thurso and knows the NC500 “isn’t for everyone” but has seen the benefits.
He owns the business with his wife, Karen, and has done so for the past six years.
He said: “It has brought more eyes onto the area and so more people want to stay here now.
“The dynamic has changed slightly in the past few years. You could’ve ended up with people for weeks and now bookings are probably a bit shorter, one or two nights and then moving on to the next place.
“But it hasn’t stopped longer bookings, people will stay here and use Thurso as a base for going over to Orkney or Shetland on the ferry and then return here after a day trip.
“Of course it would be good to have more people coming and staying for longer, but why? There’s nothing in Thurso for some people.
“The North Coast 500 has given more people a reason to come here. How can that be a bad thing?”
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