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North Coast 500 - Talk to me...

Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 12:02 pm
by wurlycorner
So, after doing the Great Ocean Road last December over 4 days (which was drokking *amazing* ) I fancy doing the NC500, in the Lude.

Anyone done it?
Thoughts?
Experiences/advice?

I don't want to camp, but is it affordable to find places to stay en-route?

On the Great Ocean Road, I didn't pre-book anything, I had a rough plan following a suggested itinerary on a web-site set up by someone that had done it before and then I just looked up places on booking.com each morning, to book something that took my fancy for that night.
That worked really well, keeping things flexible, a bit of a surprise and still affordable - though I had the benefit of doing it slightly 'off-season'.
Is that realistic for the NC500???


Edit:
In case anyone is interested, this is the site I referred to that I used as a guide to the Great Ocean Road
https://whereangiewanders.com/adelaide- ... cean-road/
I did it that direction too - Adelaide to Melbourne, but took a day longer over it.
I stayed overnight in Robe, Port Fairy, Apollo Bay, Lorne

North Coast 500 - Talk to me...

Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:00 pm
by nalla
Hi,
A brilliant idea.

Completed the NC 500 back in May. Slightly different, in that we were in a camper. It was a Honda though.

Not a million miles from you, based in Northants. First night, stayed in The Lake District, then Loch Lomond, then just north of Loch Ness. Spotted Nessie, or was it just a wave, or was it Nessie?

In short, a good 500 miles just to get to a starting point. The 500 is just over 500 miles actually, and on average travelled between 60 and 150 miles each day. This is enough, taking into account the road conditions, and time taken to get anywhere.
Brilliant scenery, stunning beaches and lochs. You would want to take it easy to make the most of it. Some A roads are just single track roads with passing spaces, and some are just single tracks. Get above 30 mph, and you’re doing well.
There’s so much to see that you really need to spend at least 10 days, getting there, doing the trip, and getting home. If you’re doing this during March to September, I recommend planning the route before and pre booking, although you can do this ad hoc, although you can waste time trying to find somewhere to stay each night.

A must do is the Belach na Ba or Applecross Pass. Fantastic place to drive. It surpasses Glencoe, which I thought couldn’t be beaten.

In short, camping each night is around £30 - £35.. Accommodation other than that around £80 to £110.

There’s plenty of vids out there, plenty of opinions, and a few good books. I would recommend North Coast 500 by Robbie Roams.

I certainly do this again, but to make the most of it, taking it easy.

Enjoy!

North Coast 500 - Talk to me...

Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 3:15 pm
by wurlycorner
nalla wrote:
Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:00 pm
or was it Nessie?
Definitely Nessie...

A Honda camper?

North Coast 500 - Talk to me...

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2023 8:56 am
by Drax
i'd love to do the NC500, not done it myself - a few friends of mine have done it, i can ask around for you