The NC500 in a VW T3 Campervan – Part 1 to the start line!

Looking back one of our favourite ambles was the North Coast 500, also known as the NC500. A 500-mile loop of Northern Scotland starting in Inverness taking in some of the most amazing landscapes you will find in the United Kingdom. A few weeks before we set off for Scotland we had returned from a week with family in Cornwall, which included an amble to Lands End. The plan was to be at John ‘o Groats within a couple of weeks, so we could tick off driving the length of the UK from our Ambling bucket list!

Lands End to John ‘o Groats- Well it’s a kind of a plan/route! Day One – Hampshire to Penrith – 300 miles (482.8 km).

As we enjoy the more peaceful times of year we set off in late September 2018 and headed north to the Lake District for our 1st overnight stop. I’m not a fan of Motorway driving in Bellamy. 60 mph (96.56 km/h) seemed to be a comfortable speed for the old girl with her rather old-fashioned 4 gears. To mark the journey Bellamy hit 100,000 miles on the speedo which was a nice touch.

Overnight we didn’t stray too far from the M6 staying in Penrith in a comfortable campsite called Thacka Lea Caravan park. We could just make out the Lake District distantly, and we vowed to return one day.

As It was only a short walk to the town, it would have been rude not to explore and find some food. This allowed me to sample a local ale, now it felt like our break had really started.

Day 2 – Penrith to Lock Ness – 285 miles (458.66 km)

Today we had Lock Ness as our destination which was around 5 hours north in a normal car. But we estimated around 7 hours at our Bellamy pace. We watched the antics of our neighbour trying to get warm having braved a night in a makeshift roof tent as we enjoyed an early breakfast, and a coffee or two. Then we were off again, heading north on the Motorway.

The M6 petered out and turned into the A74M as we crossed the border into Scotland at Gretna Green, just after 11 am. Still, a long way to go for our next camp.

We pressed on through Glasgow, as the metal mermaid ’Arria’ called from the Motorway embankment to rest our weary souls. I think it was about here that I was longing to get off the motorways and slow down the pace of both Bellamy and us.

A few more stops en-route in the ‎⁨Cairngorms National Park before we eventually made it to our overnight stop Loch Ness Shores Camping and Caravanning Club.

This was a lovely site and a quick search found an interesting walk to the nearest hotel/pub which afforded us some great views of the Loch and Campsite below. A hearty meal and some more local beer was consumed before we returned to the shores to explore as the sunset and watched the bats swooping around the Loch.

Excited but tired we returned to Bellamy for a good nights rest as the 1st leg of the NC500 would begin proper tomorrow in Inverness.