Tourist told 'stay away' from overly popular UK attraction that is driving locals out

The Scotland North Coast 500 has lone been moving for 9 years, yet has go a hugely fashionable tourer attraction that has massivmassivelyley boosted visitant numbers to the area

A hugely fashionable roadworthy travel way has gotten excessively large for its ain good, according to a database of the world's over-tourism hotspots.

The Scotland North Coast 500 has lone been moving for 9 years, yet the coastal loop has go a large hit. Each twelvemonth immense numbers of bikers, caravanners, drivers, cyclists and overmuch other too instrumentality to the tarmac.

What was primitively acceptable up and tally by the North Highland Initiative, a non-profit acceptable up by King Charles III, was acquired successful 2018 by NC500 LTD, a backstage institution owned by Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen - the largest stakeholder successful covering elephantine Asos.

What began arsenic a task to summation tourism and economical maturation successful a distant country known for its chaotic quality and agelong past has been precise succesful. In 2018 the roadworthy added £22million to the section system and assistance make 180 full-time jobs, Fodors reports.

This has travel astatine a cost, however.

Have you been impacted by the NC500? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Often narrow, dicey roads person go overmuch much afloat of traffic, starring those surviving connected the NC500 way to go frustrated. Ed and June Hall unrecorded successful Wester Ross and person seen the clip it takes to implicit the 80 mile thrust to their nearest infirmary treble to 3 hours.

“We person earnestly considered moving further southbound but recognize we permission positions precise fewer radical tin capable successful an aged community,” she told Fodors, which named the NC500 connected its 2025 No List.

A large occupation is that determination aren't capable campsites and toilets to woody with the ample numbers of radical driving through. Facebook groups person formed tracking the menace of campervan drivers ploughing done the erstwhile idyllic Scottish crofts, photographing heaps of rubbish near successful the lay-bys and despairing erstwhile - successful a fig of verified cases - chemic toilets person been dumped connected the broadside of the road.

Some locals, similar Phil Jones, privation much authoritative rangers employed and springiness much powerfulness of enforcement successful a bid to power atrocious behaviour connected the road. “Give [Access Rangers] the powers to manus retired connected the spot fines successful the hundreds of pounds alternatively of having a quiescent connection with the worst offenders,” helium said.

As it is elsewhere successful the state and world, increasing numbers of tourists mean rising location prices.

That contented is being felt peculiarly keenly successful Ullapool, known arsenic 1 of the prettiest villages connected the westbound seashore and connected the NC500 route. Although post-Covid figures are not yet available, the fig of Brits staying successful Ullapool roseate 50% from 54,000 from 2014 to 2016, to 82,000 from 2017 to 2019, Visit Scotland told the Mirror. Ullapool is present noticeably busier, a small richer acknowledgment to its flocks of caller visitors, but besides having to woody with the aforesaid questions of implicit tourism that galore successful Spain, Greece and elsewhere person been grappling with this summer.

Steve Chishom competed for the Alba Party successful the constituency containing Ullapool successful the caller General Election and met a batch of residents disgruntled with the rising terms of housing.

"The deficiency of affordable lodging was brought up by a batch of radical connected the doorstep, particularly for young people. The fig of properties which are being utilized for abbreviated word lets and 2nd homes is making that difficult," helium told the Mirror.

In caller years location prices person changeable up successful the village. Right Move information amusement the mean location successful Ullapool sold for £312,417 past year, up from the 2014 highest of £201,475. Many homes person doubled oregon adjacent tripled successful worth during that time.