Although we have high speed internet, Wi-Fi and Sat Nav's, modern technology is not always reliable when you are travelling to remote locations. If you are planning on doing the NC500 you will definitely need a map as there will be many placed where your Sat-Nav will not work at all. After ten years of travelling in rural Scotland we have learned to adapt and not to rely on the internet or satellite navigation devices. Choose a map with a more detailed scale, and if you are in a motorhome, one that gives you information on the width of bridges and the height of tunnels is ideal for planning your journey. I always like one with a scale of 1.5 miles to 1 inch and the one we chose also has some camp sites listed.
If you are travelling in a group, try and use different phone networks. We have found that in some places we can get a signal with Vodaphone but EE connection is zilch, and other places where my EE has five bars and Vodaphone has no signal at all. My dad recently bought a Virgin PAYG for the Lake District as it is the only sim that works in the little village where they stay. Having different phones on different networks is definitely a plus!
There are lots of guide books that you can buy and take with you but part of the joy of an adventure is to plan your own itinerary to take in the things you love most! I love mountains and photography, our kids love beaches and Sean loves archaeology and gold panning so we will plan accordingly.
I would recommend buying a "loose leaf folder" as shown below. Essentially, a book with plastic pages so you can insert your own. I am currently making a word document with information about all the places we want to visit and I will print it out and take it with me. If you want a copy of the file then just join the FB group NC500 by motorhome as I will be adding it to their files too. All the information will be in my blog but a word doc is probably easier to print? I may even make a text only doc as a shorter and smaller print out.
These presentation books are also ideal for storing important documents such as your driving licence paper copy and Identification documents. Hire companies will require these and you may want to rent a Kayak or a bicycle on your trip. I have added our "Wild Camping" permits, camp site bookings, mileage charts and other details to take with us.
Creating your own NC500 guide is a great way to plan your adventure. If you change your mind about a destination, pull out the paper insert and replace it with another! If you come back again another year you can simply update it and revise it to your own liking. I have used mine to store receipts and also to keep postcards and stamps ready for posting home to friends and family.
As you complete your trip you may pick up little visitor guides in shops and sjupermarkets, or when visiting castles and other buildings. They are usually A4 sized once opened so fold them open and pop them in a pouch. Now you can read both sides, and they are now waterproof and crease proof, safely stored away - I know, I am a bit "retentive" but for me, having a folder to store things in makes life easy. I am a neat freak on holiday and I hate bits and pieces all over the place!
If you want to buy a guide book, then that is a great idea too. I do have a copy of the book shown here and it is great to look at but I found that it is lacking in practical information and detail and some fantastic places didn't even get a mention so I would use it as a starting point.
I won't be paying to join the NC500 as they do not share their profit with the local people or invest locally to support the NC500. I would rather give my money where it goes directly to the the area I am visiting by using their local shops, cafe's and garages. Having said that I will be topping up in Inverness before we start the route as petrol is expensive in remote places. If I come across a remote petrol station I will stick a tenner or so in if I need it or not. Always give the locals your business!
The great thing about small local businesses is that they know all the best places to go in their area so make friends, spend some money and get some great advice on special places off the route that the locals might know about. I will never forget a dear old lady in Gairloch telling me that there was a much better beach elsewhere where I could find "Cowrie" shells! She was right, it was a blissful place and we have returned to it year after year. We then found a local family who rented out a cottage so we spent many summers there - all because I struck up a conversation about shell collecting.
The moral of my story is, make your own plans but always get local advice. An adventure is better when you keep an open mind and are prepared to change your plans if something better comes into view. If you are in a motorhome this is easy to do as you have the freedom to roam wherever your heart takes you. Make lots of plans, but don't be too rigid or you might miss an absolute gem of a place that you didn't know existed before you left...
Creating your own NC500 guide is a great way to plan your adventure. If you change your mind about a destination, pull out the paper insert and replace it with another! If you come back again another year you can simply update it and revise it to your own liking. I have used mine to store receipts and also to keep postcards and stamps ready for posting home to friends and family.
As you complete your trip you may pick up little visitor guides in shops and sjupermarkets, or when visiting castles and other buildings. They are usually A4 sized once opened so fold them open and pop them in a pouch. Now you can read both sides, and they are now waterproof and crease proof, safely stored away - I know, I am a bit "retentive" but for me, having a folder to store things in makes life easy. I am a neat freak on holiday and I hate bits and pieces all over the place!
I won't be paying to join the NC500 as they do not share their profit with the local people or invest locally to support the NC500. I would rather give my money where it goes directly to the the area I am visiting by using their local shops, cafe's and garages. Having said that I will be topping up in Inverness before we start the route as petrol is expensive in remote places. If I come across a remote petrol station I will stick a tenner or so in if I need it or not. Always give the locals your business!
The great thing about small local businesses is that they know all the best places to go in their area so make friends, spend some money and get some great advice on special places off the route that the locals might know about. I will never forget a dear old lady in Gairloch telling me that there was a much better beach elsewhere where I could find "Cowrie" shells! She was right, it was a blissful place and we have returned to it year after year. We then found a local family who rented out a cottage so we spent many summers there - all because I struck up a conversation about shell collecting.
The moral of my story is, make your own plans but always get local advice. An adventure is better when you keep an open mind and are prepared to change your plans if something better comes into view. If you are in a motorhome this is easy to do as you have the freedom to roam wherever your heart takes you. Make lots of plans, but don't be too rigid or you might miss an absolute gem of a place that you didn't know existed before you left...
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