Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Study reveals the North Coast 500 is viewed negatively by ‘majority of residents’

Tourists and their campervan on the Kyle of Tongue with Ben Hope beyond.
Tourists and their campervan on the Kyle of Tongue with Ben Hope beyond.

A new study has revealed the impact a hugely popular tourist trail has had on people living in the north of Scotland – with some even moving away as a result.

The North Coast 500 (NC500) was launched by Prince Charles’ North Highland Initiative four years ago to breathe new life into some of the remotest and most economically fragile areas.

Since then, it has brought 29,000 more visitors to the Highlands and boosted the economy by £9million according to a study by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

But in new research carried out by Stirling University, the 516-mile route – which begins and ends in Inverness – is not considered all good news.


>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The P&J newsletter


Gary Woodcock, who carried out the study, noted an increase in “antagonistic encounters between residents and tourists” and reported residents were moving away from the area as a direct result of the negative impacts of tourism.

He also found regular visitors were also being put off returning to their favourite spots – some of which are reached on single track roads.

Mr Woodcock found that it was these sections that caused the most complaints, with commnities complaining about slow-moving convoys of vehicles caused by cars not knowing how to use passing places and caravans and motorbikes. There have also been rows over speeders using the route as a racetrack.

For the new study, an online survey was distributed to more than 250 participants, while interviews and observational data was collected during a research trip to the region.

The report states: “Findings suggest that most residents hold a negative perception towards the route despite acknowledging that tourism has benefitted their community.

“This was particularly clear when certain factors were analysed. Most importantly, location and age were marked indicators with west coast communities and older residents most likely to hold negative perceptions of the NC500.

“Furthermore, the study indicates that there have been a series of negative impacts as a result of the NC500. These are mostly defined as ‘disruptions,’ such as an increase in traffic congestion and other driving difficulties.

“However, some more significant social and environmental impacts are identified, and many residents reflect on a downturn in quality of life because of increased numbers of tourists.”

Just 18% of all respondents said the NC500 was positive for the area, while 29% said it was negative. Another 40% reported major improvements were required, such as better infrastructure for roads, toilets and waste disposal and parking.

Overall, positive opinions were usually related to the initiative being a boost to the economy, or simply a good idea – with many people born in the area viewing it as positive compared to relative newcomers.

The report adds: “It is argued that a negative perception of the route stems from the impacts that are occurring as a result of the sharp increase in tourists visiting the area within a short time.

“Furthermore, the lack of reinvestment to meet demand, along with an absence in community consultation throughout the planning process, has exacerbated the impacts leading to a feeling of frustration and, at times, exploitation amongst residents.

“Consequently, results showed that there had been an increase in antagonistic encounters between residents and tourists that could have a detrimental impact on the destination’s attractiveness to potential future visitors.

“In addition, there was a reported increase in residents moving away from the area as a direct result of the negative impacts of tourism.”

A spokesperson for the NC500 said: “As just 250 questionnaires were distributed, it does not offer a representative sample of residents, business owners, private sector employees, public sector employees, day visitors, domestic tourists and international tourists and as such is clearly not properly representative of the views across the NC500 area.

“The overwhelming evidence we have points to the contrary.

“The North Coast 500 was created to boost the fragile economy in one of the most remote parts of Scotland and as such has been warmly received by people and businesses across the area where it has boosted the economy providing jobs, investment and has had a positive impact on rural depopulation.

“Around 400 local businesses now work with us reflecting support for the North Coast project.

“In relation to the road policing figures, there is no evidence provided that the individuals involved are visitors or local residents. Nor has any comparison been made with statistics from other areas in Scotland or the UK.

“We continue to work with the police and local authorities to make sure the route is a safe and positive experience for everyone.”