The North Coast 500 is a recently established route round the northern coast of Scotland, starting and finishing in Inverness, helping promote tourism in the area. I did this last year and there is a visible difference this year. Lots of signs displaying the NC 500 logo, lots of merchandising (‘get your NC500 t shirt here’) and seems a lot of people are doing it, in vehicles, camper vans, motor bikes and cycles. This is all very good for the local economy. There appear to be more cafes, lots of excellent shops selling coffee and supplies and generally a feel-good factor. There were certainly more people, but maybe partly because this time was the beginning of July rather than late May. One guest house owner said very good for business although he wasn’t alone in expressing concern about the increase in traffic and fears of drivers wanting to make it a race. I did see the odd sports car driven maniacally, but don’t know if just a local or someone racing. I stayed in B&Bs so I didn’t have too much gear.
Bob Jackson at the now heavily-stickered post at JO'G - very little luggage carried
Not aware that there is a similar established route around the south west but people have always cycled round the coastline, like in Scotland. Mick F posted an idea for the route some months ago and formed the germ of an idea for me. I planned a route in May that would follow the coastline as closely as reasonably possible without following each and every lane down to the sea and utilising the many ferries that cross the estuaries. For various reasons started and finished in Bristol but the coast route started at Portland Bill, then went to the Lizard, Land’s End, Hartland Point and back across the northern side of Exmoor(!) to Bristol. From Portland round to Bristol was about 500 miles. I took lightweight camping gear and there were usually campsites just where they were needed. Mick did me the pleasure of joining me from Boscastle to Hartland (some of you may have read another thread about his tyre exploding after hard braking while descending into Boscastle to meet me. Well, this man is FAST. He probably also made the first ascent of Millook on a Moulton bike – and with 90 gears!).
Mick F approaching top of Millook on his Moulton - the sign does say 30%
It would be invidious to make subjective comparisons between the two routes: they are both simply magnificent with breathtaking scenery and situations. They are both also hard cycle rides with significant amounts of climbing, probably best savoured over 50 – 80 mile days. Both are susceptible to the weather, particularly to strong winds. Last year I struggled going northwards and across the top of Scotland against the wind, before giving up and heading back south: I don’t have the strength to keep going all day against cooling headwinds. The south west tends to have steeper climbs, some of them very steep (Millook is rated at 30%) but usually short, some of them long and steep (Dorset, south Devon, the Exmoor coast). The north coast of Scotland has long, and very long steady climbs, often no more than 7 – 10% or less, but they grind away and repeat, without mercy - not unlike the Pyrenees in steepness. I walked up two hills, the top of a 25% in Exmoor just before the final campsite, and the 'track' out of Talland to Polperro following a police-directed diversion because of a traffic accident. An elderly cyclist sat at the top of the hill watching me struggle to push up and commiserated with my efforts before reminiscing on his days cycling with Rourkie (he was from the Stoke area). I then hurtled downhill into Polperro, supposedly 25% but frankly at that degree of steepness not really counting. Managed to get up everything in Scotland, but bizarrely was knocked off my bike by a large camper van that cut the final gentle left hand bend near the top of the Bealach na Baa and caused me to fall into the road. An elderly Dutch couple who were just behind kindly attended to me, as appalled as me at what had happened, not least because the driver did not stop, either because he was unaware or ashamed. I had been astonished at the progress of the Dutch woman as she accelerated through the hairpins but felt reassured when she said she was on an E-bike (my future mapped out!). Notwithstanding this little accident, virtually every other driver very careful and considerate, clearly some good awareness training in Scotland.
Anyway, my Garmin recorded 8461 m ascent and 490 miles for Scotland and 12438 m ascent and 504 miles for the South West. Will write up a fuller account of the South West 500 and stick it on a blog somewhere in case people interested in more detail. The ferries provided welcome breaks and a different way of getting about. The NC 500 has an excellent website with blogs providing very good information for cyclists http://www.northcoast500.com/ . Both rides are not dissimilar in challenge to a Pyrenean raid, which sees over 12000 m of ascent in 450 miles, and any of the rides would be perfect training for another.
My admiration for anyone who cycles regularly in Exmoor is unbridled and the cyclists in the north of Scotland are made of something different to normal mortals. Perhaps my only consolation was that I’d set myself a target of doing the NC 500 in 60 hours (complicated challenge, don’t ask), something I failed to do last year, but this year returned to Inverness with an hour to spare. I’m not doing a challenge like this ever again and the Bob Jackson is back to it's makers next week for a renovation something, sadly, not available to me.