North Coast 500 launches VIP membership drive

THE North Coast 500, the road trip hailed as Scotland's answer to Route 66, has launched a new VIP membership scheme aimed at encouraging repeat visitors.

Part of the North Coast 500 route. Picture: Contributed

Each Club 500 Gold Membership comes with a range of limited edition gifts, discounts and exclusive benefits, and just 500 - priced at £250 - will be released.

Club 500 Gold members will receive ten years’ worth of NC500 Explorer memberships, transferable to friends and family, which offer access to a concierge-style service to help visitors plan their trips around the route.

They’ll also receive a limited edition bottle of NC500 Rock Rose gin, produced by NC500 partner Dunnet Bay Distillers, as well as a limited edition NC500/Johnston of Elgin fine merino scarf.

Tom Campbell, managing director of the North Coast 500, said: “Since our launch in 2015, we’ve been delighted by how quickly the route has grown in popularity. The benefits for tourism in the North Highlands are already apparent, with lots of businesses telling us that its been their best ever year.

“Our Gold Membership would make the perfect present for anyone who’s planning a NC500 road trip, newcomers and regular visitors alike. There’s so much to explore on the route, and investing in a Gold Membership will really pay off in the long-run with all the discounts and gifts that it offers.”

The list of Club 500 benefits available to 500 Gold Members include: Two NC500 Explorer Memberships, valid for 10 years and worth £900, transferable to friends and family.

It also Includes a route discount card with an exclusive range of discounts and offers across the route, personalised itinerary recommendations, and an NC500 passport which can be stamped along the route to complete your North Coast 500 adventure.

It also includes a bottle of limited edition NC500 Rock Rose Gin - worth £45 andn with only 500 produced, a limited edition NC500 Johnston of Elgin fine merino scarf - worth £50 and again with only 500 produced - a copy of the North Highlands Guide Book by Charles Tait.

Bringing together a route of just over 500 miles of stunning coastal scenery, the North Coast 500 naturally follows the main roads along the coastal edges of the North Highlands, taking in the regions of Wester Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, Easter Ross, the Black Isle and Inverness-Shire.

However, the North Coast 500 is more than just a coastal route: it’s one that encircles the whole of the North Highlands and its communities, and a whole host of amazing things to see and do.

The Official North Coast 500 route begins and ends in Inverness at Inverness Castle which, perched on top of a hill, is the perfect starting point to the route and offers unparalleled views over the capital city of the Highlands.

The North Coast 500 was created in 2015 by the North Highland Initiative (NHI), a charity established by Prince Charles in 2005 in an effort to develop economic growth across the North Highlands.

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