It’s been exactly a decade since the North Coast 500 was officially launched.
Marketed as a 516-mile tourist trail around the Highlands, it has become one of the most famous road trips in the whole world.
The route has had a huge impact on local communities, with some saying it has been positive for the economy.
However, there has also been strong criticism, with several locals saying it has brought problems such as the deterioration of the roads and housing issues.
To see what locals really think, The P&J completed the North Coast 500 as part of a project exploring its impact.
Reporters Alex Banks and Alberto Lejarraga spoke to nearly 100 locals and business owners over four days.
During the first day and a half, we spoke to 25 residents from Inverness to Ullapool.
Locals give opinions on the NC500
Beauly residents have their say on the North Coast 500
The P&J parked in Beauly and headed to interview people on the High Street.
Jane Fraser, 60, said the impact the NC500 has had on locals is “not very positive.”
The Beauly resident said: “It must be good for businesses, but the road can be too busy at times, some don’t know how to use passing places, or don’t know the general rules of the road.
“Also, Airbnb is a nightmare. There are properties in Beauly that are Airbnb while they should be housing families.”
Dug, 55, from Muir of Ord, said life for locals has “got shittier”.
He said: “There’s more rubbish. There are campervans that don’t appreciate how to drive on single-track roads. They are blocking local traffic from getting around and generally causing mayhem.
“There are also the self-entitled cyclists refusing to get out of the way. I say that as a cyclist, there is a difference between cyclists and idiots on bikes.”
When asked if the NC500 has brought any positives he replied: “There is definitely more tourism and therefore more money coming into the localities.”
Beauly residents Kay Macdonald, 57 and Evelyn Stewart, 80, told The P&J they have “mixed views” on the route.
They said: “An awful lot of people are misusing it because they are racing cars.
“There are massive potholes on the roads. They need to invest more money into maintenance.
“You get some good tourists who do appreciate how beautiful it is.”
Richard, 58, and Sarah Scott, 60, who now live in Inverness but used to stay in Ullapool, said the North Coast 500 has been “good for businesses” because it has brought “a lot of traffic to the place.”
They do not think the traffic “is that bad” but say that “maybe the campers are a bit annoying.”
The couple believe the main problem is people leaving rubbish behind.
Meanwhile, S. Smith, 64, believes the NC500 has been “positive for Beauly,” saying that “it seems like all the shops are benefiting from it.”
“It hasn’t brought any problems here. This area is not like the West Coast with campervans,” she said.
A stop in Achnasheen to see what people think
Following the stop in Beauly, the P&J parked near Achnasheen Train Station.
We walked to the village cafe to speak to customers.
Inside, we met Karla Milne, 26, Elizabeth Milne, 24, Liam Rowen, 23 and Kay Fraser, 26, who were having a bite after a hike.
The group, from Inverness, believe NC500 tourism has been “positive.”
“I think it’s positive. I used to work at a restaurant, there was a lot of tourism that came from North Post 500. It’s good for the economy,” one said.
When asked for negative aspects, they explained that “a lot of the shops in Inverness are geared towards tourists.”
They believe the worst aspect of tourism is the lack of housing for locals.
We left the cafe and met local resident Linda Hill, 62.
She claims that people speeding is the worst problem about the NC500.
She said: “There’s a stretch on the road that has been advertised as one of the fastest stretches even though there is a 60mph limit.
The resident added that she has seen drivers doing 70mph on the town’s main road, which has a 40-mph limit.
What do Applecross and Lochcarron locals think of the North Coast 500?
We then drove to Applecross to gather some more local views.
The P&J went inside the Applecross Inn for an interview with owner Judith Fish.
We also spoke to a number of locals at the iconic pub.
Donald Macbeth, 68, told The P&J “the only thing” tourists are doing is “spoiling the road”.
The retired fisherman, born and bred in Applecross, said: “If you go over the top, you’ll see the state of the road, it’s a disaster, it’s dangerous now.
“They’ve taken all the verges off, they don’t know how to reverse, they’ve never driven a big van before so that road scares the hell out of them, so they panic and go off the road.”
We then spoke to Cammey Shields, 23, and Innes Macrae, 24, who were having a pint after work.
Cammy, who lives in Lochcarron, said tourism “is good for the community.”
However, he highlighted there is a lot of “stress from the traffic.”
The young commercial driver said: “It’s good for the community because the place is mobbed constantly through the summer, but what I’d say is the stress from the traffic and the tourists, they are not very respectful.
“I’ve never come across a respectful tourist on the road but what they do for our communities, without them we would really struggle so I support tourism for what it does for the economy.”
Meanwhile, Innes highlighted the housing issue caused by overtourism.
The fish farm engineer, who stays with his grandma in Applecross, said: “It’s a nightmare I could never rent a place. You can’t rent a place as a young man here. The housing issue needs to be fixed.”
The next morning, we drove to Lochcarron to interview Robin Pettigrew, NC500 the dirty truth’s admin.
Following the interview, we went inside the local shop, where we spoke with 16-year-old worker Josh Wittingham.
Josh, who said he “loved it growing up” in Lochcarron, thinks the North Coast 500 has been “good” for the economy.
What do Ullapool locals think of the North Coast 500?
We stopped for lunch in Ullapool and spoke with several locals before heading to Kinlochbervie for our interview with NC500 The Land Weeps founder Margaret Meek.
Sheena Mackenzie, 61, said the NC500’s main problem is “fast drivers.”
However, she thinks “it’s good for the village and for the businesses”.
“It’s brought more positive than negatives,” she said.
Nicky Beveridge, 53, and her daughters Laura, 23 and Fiona, 25, stopped to have a chat near Quay Street.
Laura thinks the NC500 has “probably been good because people see more of the Highlands.”
She said: “People think of Scotland as Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow and Inverness is as far north as many people go but the North Coast 500 opens up that whole top coast really.
The 23-year-old added that campervans are the “worst part.”
Paula Shepherd, 52, told The P&J she is “not surprised people want to visit” the area as “it is a privilege to live in a beautiful part of Scotland.”
However, she thinks that the large number of people coming is a “challenge.”
She said: “We have some great shops and restaurants because we have so many visitors.”
Mhairi Macdonald, 57, said the NC500 has had a “huge” and “negative” impact.
She said: “The campervans, they don’t go to campsites, they park in lay-bys, they leave rubbish everywhere. Tesco is the only big supermarket we have and is full of campervans and they buy up everything. It’s a nightmare.”
She added that something positive is that “there are a lot more people about”.
Somhairle Macdonald, 23, said the route has “brought a lot more business.”
He said: “I like how the village is more popular during the summer, seeing people about.”
Meanwhile, artist Eleanor White, 62, director of the Bridge House Art, has mixed views.
She said: “I think it is good in certain ways because it brings people to the area but sometimes it doesn’t feel sustainable.
“People drive through really quickly and the roads get very congested, and they are in a terrible state.
“We should try encouraging longer stays.”
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