Laid neighbours say North Coast 500 has turned into ‘monster completely out of control’

Neighbours in a crofting community in Sutherland claim the North Coast 500 has turned into a “monster completely out of control.”

The P&J visited Laid, on the banks of Loch Eriboll, as part of a project exploring the impact the route has had on communities.

Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the 516-mile tourist trail, reporters Alex Banks and Alberto Lejarraga did the NC500 to gather locals’ views.

On Sunday, March 2, following our interview with NC500 The Land Weeps founder Margaret Meek, we drove up to Laid to meet three residents who had emailed us.

We were welcomed into the home of Kenneth MacKenzie-Hillcoat, 90, who was joined by neighbours Susanne Ramacher-Smichtz, 60, and Hugh Maclellan, 64.

They told us the North Coast 500 is “ruining their quality of life.”

North Coast 500 Limited said they “understand there are still problems around the route”.

However, they “encourage locals to see the NC500 not as a monster but as an opportunity”.

‘It’s like living next to a motorway’

Mr MacKenzie and Ms Ramacher-Smichtz, along with two other neighbours, sent a letter to politicians, authorities and North Coast 500 Limited in December 2024.

The letter expressed “great concern” about the promotion of the NC500 as a “worldwide rally course”.

It read: “It is the road for the school bus, the ambulance, all tourist vehicles and pedestrians who can’t enjoy the luxury of a pavement.

“In such circumstances, we’d have thought that a rally course would need at least some safety precautions, but there’s nothing.

“The way it is, it is causing danger to us, our children and livestock. If there is a rally, they race through our villages well over the legal speed limit.

“We wonder who gave permission to turn a public road into a racing course.”

North Coast 500 Ltd’s development and engagement manager David Richardson sent an extensive reply after meeting with them in person.

He acknowledged the need for “investment” and “that more footfall means more pressure on infrastructure”.

However, he also highlighted tourism is essential for “creating jobs, retaining young people, encouraging young families to move in, and ensuring that our villages continue to resound to the sound of children playing”.

The issue of supercars on the North Coast 500

Mr MacKenzie told The P&J they also have a problem with supercars.

He said: “You get the craziest things. There’s somebody in Inverness who hires out the most gorgeous cars – Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and they travel in squads.

“It’s just absolutely outrageous, you get a stack of half a dozen Lamborghinis trying to make their way around Loch Eriboll.”

Ms Ramacher-Smichtz added: “It’s like living beside a motorway.

“People are coming to Inverness Airport where there are lorries with supercars waiting. They get in the car, do the NC500 as fast as they can and then go back to the plane after one or two days.”

North Coast 500 Ltd claim they “do nothing to encourage car events on the NC500”.

A spokesperson said: “Rather, we actively promote safe driving, respectful visitor behaviour and sustainable tourism.

“As residents of the Highlands ourselves, we completely condemn dangerous driving and would never promote it.

“Speeding is a problem seen all over the UK, sadly, and we support the police and Highland Council in measures to tackle dangerous drivers.”

North Coast 500 not bringing ‘prosperity’ to the Highlands

The neighbours also told The P&J that, contrary to popular belief, the North Coast 500 is not bringing “prosperity” to the Highlands.

They explained this is partly because “regular visitors who like to stay in places for more than one night” no longer want to return.

Mr MacKenzie said: “Three years ago, Laid had three B&B’s, today, they’ve all closed.

“Three or four years ago, in Durness, there were four places where you could have dinner. Today, one. They are not spreading prosperity.”

A North Coast 500 Ltd spokesperson replied: “Nothing stands still, least of all businesses and economies, and it is up to us to work together to ensure that they go forwards rather than backwards.

“The North Highland economy was not in a good place before the NC500 was established, which is precisely why it was launched, and a return to pre-NC500 days is not desirable, nor is it possible.

“Evidence from the last economic impact report is that the NC500 has increased tourism revenue substantially.

“There is no evidence that B&B’s have closed due to the NC500.

“In fact, the route has led to many new accommodation providers and other types of businesses like cafes, restaurants and shops opening up.

“There have been other external pressures on B&B’s, such as the introduction of short-term let licenses, the impact of which has been extensively covered in the media.”

Money ‘not invested back into communities’

Meanwhile, Hugh Maclellan said money is not being invested back into communities.

He said: “The road has been chipped away and it’s undulating because of all the traffic.

“Money is not being invested in Laid. I’ve been looking at the same pothole outside my house for 40 years.”

Ms Ramacher-Smichtz added: “We wonder where the money is going, because they’ve closed 24 of 28 public toilets and the roads are horrendous.”

A North Coast 500 spokesperson added: “At no point in its history has North Coast 500 Ltd made money.

“It is run at a loss because businesses want to see the North succeed and are prepared to make the investment.”

NC500 not a monster but an opportunity

The spokesperson concluded: “As an organisation, we’ve made a consistent effort to visit and cooperate with residents in Laird, Loch Eriboll and the rest of the North Highlands to offer support with any concerns raised.

“We understand there are still problems around the route but increasingly we’d encourage locals to see the NC500 not as a monster but as an opportunity.

“It is the North’s shop window – we know that many, many people do it once and then return again and again to the areas that took their fancy on that first trip.

“The NC500 brings opportunity, and, with constant collaboration it can continue to contribute to small businesses, local people and the North Highland economy.

“While there are some well-known pinch-points, we do not accept that the North Highlands is suffering from overtourism – not if you compare this area to tourism ‘honeypots’ in the rest of the UK and Europe.

“What we do have is bad or non-existent visitor management, and that is something that North Coast 500 Ltd is doing everything in our power to work with others to address – not because we have to, but because we want to.”