'Scotland is ready for slow tourism': Discover the 'alternative' North Coast 500 trail

Running parallel to one of the busiest tourist routes in Scotland at this time of year - the North Coast 500 (NC500) - lies an area mapped out to offer a very different kind of travel - slow tourism.

Developments are underway to establish a 150-mile North Coast Trail between John O’Groats and Cape Wrath for long-distance walkers. The route would then connect to the existing 147-mile John O’Groats Trail, from Inverness to John O’Groats, which also runs alongside and sometimes merges with the NC500.

The John O' Groats Trail started as just one man on a walk - Jay Wilson - in 2014. It has grown from there to be a collective effort of walking groups and individuals, and volunteers of all types | Katharine Hay

The Association of Northern Trails Scotland (ANTS) is behind the development of both trails. Its work aims to connect communities and bring business to the areas from walkers.

Ken McElroy who is working on developing the John O' Groats trail more and starting on the new North Coast Trail between John O' Groats and Cape Wrath | John Angerson

Ken McElroy, one of ANTS’s trail development managers, said the paths were an essential component in promoting slow tourism in Scotland.

He said the John O’ Groats trail, for example, which continues to be developed to make it more accessible, offers a more immersive and slower approach to tourism in the Highlands.

The region becomes more popular year on year for tourists, with Highland Council figures confirming there are more than seven million visitors a year. Of those, new figures from VisitScotland show some 26 per cent are now either camping or in campervans.

Several communities in areas along the NC500 and on the west coast, including the Isle of Skye, have been vocal about how “over-tourism” is impacting the environment and their way of life. Mr McElroy said the long-distance paths “generally attract a traveller or visitor who is more conscientious of how to access the countryside, and aware of responsible access”.

“The paths are also right on the periphery of the country, so even as a local, you wouldn’t necessarily know someone was even there,” he said.

Slow tourism usually involves people doing long-distance walks or cycling trips | Katharine Hay

Mr McElroy said the John O’ Groats trail attracts some 1,000 to 2,000 walkers a year. This compares to some 30,000 who walk some of the Great Glen Way, which runs 78 miles from Fort William in the south-west to Inverness in the north-east, and 120,000 who follow the West Highland Way, a 96-mile-long path, running from Milngavie, north of Glasgow, to Fort William.

“It takes a bit more effort to get to us geographically, so we will always probably attract slightly less people,” he said. “But we do hope to increase the numbers a little, and we are also seeing an increase in local people walking it and exploring the coast.”

Jane Stuart-Smith, founder of Slow Adventure | Jane Stuart-Smith

Slow Adventure, founded in Scotland, is another collective making space for slow tourism at home and abroad.

The company connects small, local businesses, from outdoor groups to restaurants, to establish package holidays for those wanting to be more mindful when they travel.

Founder Jane Stuart-Smith, based in Lochinver, previously owned and ran The Whitehouse Restaurant on Lochaline. She said she saw how difficult it was to run a seasonal business in a remote area. But one of the unique traits to Slow Adventure is it offers experiences in the low season, to help extend the season for suppliers during quieter periods.

“What we try to do is not attract mass tourism, but try to draw people away from popular places, and help extend the season for small businesses with a good ethos,” Ms Stuart-Smith said.

Another unique feature to Slow Adventure’s business model, which the founders believe is the only model of its kind in the UK and Europe, is adding an extra 5 per cent charge when the customer completes payment to go towards environmental or social projects in the area where the holiday takes place.

For the Scotland holidays, these include an oyster regeneration project, a mountain rescue team and a community woodland.

Ms Stuart-Smith said from surveying customers, this gesture was one of the key reasons people book with Slow Adventure.

“I really think there is demand from the consumer and the supplier for slow tourism,” she said. “People do really want to give back, you just need to make it easier for them. Scotland is absolutely ready for slow tourism.”

Ms Stuart-Smith said through her work, it was rewarding seeing people who might at first be intimidated by off-the-beaten-track adventures embrace them.

“I feel comfortable in that wilderness, but you can show people who are maybe a bit hesitant how to reconnect with nature,” she said. “Being on a hill with no screens and your children learning to look at sea eagles, caterpillars and otters is good for the soul.

“I wanted to share that, and I want to share that in a way that is manageable that doesn’t impact on nature and benefit the local community.”

A photo from Ms Atkinson's cycling trip around Belgium and the Netherlands during which she used Welcome To My Garden | Erika Atkinson

Meanwhile, popping up around Scotland are hosts cottoning onto Welcome To My Garden (WTMG), a movement set up specifically to support slow travellers.

The project, which builds a network of hosts who offer up their garden for camping to walkers or cyclists was launched in Belgium in 2020. Within two hours, there were 50 gardens on the map - and after two weeks, there were 500. Now, it has thousands of hosts from across the globe, including 20 here in Scotland.

One of those hosts is relief librarian Erika Atkinson, who lives in Muir of Ord in the Highlands.

Speaking to The Scotsman, she said: “Welcome To My Garden is a great way of supporting slow travellers and makes travelling cost effective for young adults who want to travel, but who might not be able to afford hotel and even some hostel prices.

“It also encourages young people to get out and explore if there’s this sort of option for accommodation available.”

Taking part in slow travel herself, Ms Atkinson said she enjoyed supporting the movement as it offered people a richer social and cultural experience in the countries they were visiting.

“Because you’re going at a slower place, you’re meeting more people,” she said.

“Certainly in our experience with hosting slow travellers, but also when we were staying with families abroad, it has been a great way of meeting people from the countries your travelling in and forming long-lasting friendships.”