I am planning on cycling the NC500 in August over 5 days following the GCN route ( https://www.komoot.com/tour/64346227/zoom). It looks like I will be doing it solo, first week in August.
This will be my first attempt at a multi-day ride of this length. I will be staying in accommodation each night so no need to carry bikepacking stuff or any any food other than the usual on the bike snacks.
I was looking for tips/advice on what to pack for a trip like this whilst trying not to overload the bike. Like how much evening wear, how much cycling kit and what are the gotchas that I won't have thought about!
Cheers
Gary
I remember there was a thread on 'Credit card touring' which had lots of useful advice.
Edit: Linky
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/bikepacking-lite-advice/
Depends what kinda trip you have planned.
Speeding round needs less kit than a slower,touring/sight-seeing pace.
Start early,finish early.
Make sure your food,refuel source is sorted for the evenings.
If you have booked places to stay you could post changes of kit(with return postage) ahead and save on weight.
I use my cycling shoes(spds) and jacket at nights.
We've done this a million times before but NC500 in August won't be the remote experience you might be hoping for. If you are good with cars and rental motorhomes (who are not too experienced on singletrack roads) stacked up behind you trying to overtake or heading towards you it'll be fine. Lovely route, awesome place but there might be better places to head in prime summer school holiday season.
Where's home? Northern Scotland in August could be lovely and warm, but it could also deliver you days equivalent to late October on the English south coast. Think adaptable - arm warmers, knee warmers, gilets and layers.
Then evenings - some places like the NC500 are so used to cycling tourists that you probably don't need to fret too much about not looking like a cycling tourist in the evenings.
Came here to say exactly what @convert said ^^.
August will be a nightmare.
I rode a lot of the west coast side in September a few years ago and it was still noticeably busier on the 500 route than the roads off it. You could be in one village and it'd be rammed with motorhomes, people everywhere and on the ride out there'd be a convoy of MX5's overtake then get held up due to a convoy of motorbikes coming the other way.
2 miles off to the side you could be in a village with the place to yourself.
I've done the north coast section between Bettyhill and JOG as well and again, going up to Bettyhill (non-500) was deserted. As soon as you were on the 500, it was busy with obvious tourist traffic - a convoy of Minis, a convoy of Subarus. Seems to attract those sort of car-owners-club folk.
Suggest you look at May, before the school holidays or mid/late-September after the holidays.
To also agree: August on a bike will be 'busy to stressful'.
You will HAVE to have all accomodation and every evening meal prebooked, lunches too if you want anything more than a spa/coop lunch.
You will have to put up with a lot of overtaking and passing traffic.
That said, it's riding on the west coast. It will be beautiful. Busy. But beautiful.
We're up near Tongue for a couple of nights the last week of July. I've already booked an evening meal on one night - and we've booked accomodation with a kitchen 'in case'.
Couldn't pay me enough to do that.
Do it in Winter?
It might take twice as long, or more, but quiet roads, plenty of accommodation and stunning views 👍
What Matt said - book and plan accommodation and meals, also shops for lunch/snack. It's remote in many places.
Have a plan for midges.
Like how much evening wear
Will you be dining with the laird?
Maybe have a look at the Hebridean way if you're still keen on Scotland in August. Its an amazing set of islands - it'll still be busy enough that you should definitely book accommodation in advance but its not quite the same levels of madness that you hear about in the NC500 (although I've only done the heb way, never done NC500)
