I walked the North Coast 500 - and here are the unexpected discoveries I made
At John O’ Groats, one of the most northerly points on Britain’s mainland, there is one of the most photographed UK signs telling you how many miles away places like New York and Land’s End are.
“Don’t even bother going there,” a few locals have told me as I make my way north. There’s a man who charges £10 for a polaroid picture next to the sign, and a stall with expensive tourist tat, and that’s it.”
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Hide AdYet despite this, it is one of the places on the North Coast 500 (NC500) - one of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations - which sees thousands flock to it year on year for a photo.


The signpost is an example of what several local residents have described as “box ticking” on the popular tourist route. They said there are various points that visitors head to just for a photo opportunity without taking the time to see the area for what it is. Or, if they’re stretched for time, taking the time to see something that might resonate more with the culture of the area.
The NC500 was established almost a decade ago, in 2015. Walking the route today, businesses and residents alike have told me the NC500 has become a victim of its own success.
I have regularly heard that no-one expected it to explode like it has done, and with the pandemic making staycations and venturing to the countryside more of a thing, its popularity has only grown more.
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Hide AdEarlier this month, an incoming boss of the NC500 claimed authorities had been “caught out” by the rapid rise in motorhomes in the Highlands while communities remain “desperate” for controls on them. The swarm of these vehicles each year has caused upset among locals because of litter, waste water and traffic jams. VisitScotland has been accused of overpromotion of the Highlands without ensuring there is sufficient infrastructure in place, such as public toilets and appropriate waste services.


But motorhomes are an easy target.
A slightly less talked about concern raised a few times when I talked to some locals has been the gradual buying up of hotels along the NC500 by the group Highland Coast Hotels, which owns some seven luxury hotels, including the Royal Marine in Brora.
I have noticed many hotels in towns across Scotland are struggling, for sale or just lying derelict. In some ways, it’s no bad thing to see life being breathed back into some of these buildings in the Highlands, and they will no doubt be supporting jobs in their respective areas. But one resident said the growing monopoly of these high-end hotels is slowly turning the NC500 into “an exclusive route for the rich that will price people out”.
Affordable accommodation options have been few and far between since hitting the Highlands, and I’ve been told prices are even higher on the west coast - the side of the NC500 that is regularly promoted as “the better side” from those I meet who are travelling it. A tourist said to me it’s good I am doing the route anti-clockwise as it means “saving the best until last”.
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Hide AdI am not in a position to really compare the two sides of the route as I haven’t completed it yet, but I found that conclusion totally disregarded the beauty that is just perhaps a little more subtle on the east side.


Any fool can fancy a mountain. The gems on the east coast, from the Pictish stones to the fairytale Dunrobin Castle to sections of the John O’Groats trail, just require a bit more effort to find.
I have been in a fortunate position walking as it means you are less likely to miss these places that aren't perhaps as common on Instagram while zooming up the A9 over to the west. The east also offers some stunning detours off the route, including the peaceful Seaboard Villages on the Fearn Peninsula, and the creative community that is Cromarty.
I think I will give the sign at John O’ Groats a miss though.
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