[Closed] GCN & Mark Beaumont on alternative to NC500

I enjoyed that. Thanks

That was great.

Watched this the other day and was impressed👍

Route https://www.komoot.com/tour/64346227

Last summer I did the western part (riding straight across from Bonar Bridge station through the Asynt, which was great) and train back from Strathcarron with occasional gravel jollies. It was great. Hitting 81km/hr descending the Bealach na Ba with loaded panniers was fun!

that was great, thanks for posting

Very good. Thanks for sharing. Inspired now...

I already had the intention of doing a similar circuit, but there's not much I'd change on that one.

I imported the route into OSMaps and I've spent the evening following it around.

I've broken it into suitable chunks to do it over 7 days with a floating blank day for contingencies, rest, or fun. That way only the first is over 100 miles and it has cake stops.

I'll refine it over the next few weeks because I'll probably be doing it in early June.

I watched that and thought that looks fantastic but a faff to organise all the logistics and wouldn't be that keen on carrying my kit around on the bike. Then last night I met up with an old friend who's just moved closer to where I live and he started to talk about his plan to do the route over 8 days or so. He's not talking cycling though, he's talking about doing it in his motor caravan. So it looks like we have a plan. I get to cycle a nice distance each day carrying very little and he gets a second driver for the out and back, it's a fair drive from Sussex so that will make it a lot better.

Anyway his question is when to go to avoid the midges? I was thinking May might be a good option in terms of weather v midges balance but haven't been in the area for more than 20 years so would appreciate some local input.

Midges tend to be a variable feast - for them, not you, you're the feast.

They don't bother me much because I wear outdoor gear rather than cycling gear, so I can cover up almost completely. I'm more concerned about ticks which can make you sick whereas midgies are just a nuisance.

A beard or 2 Buffs completes the job, but if you're bald put mesh in the vents of your helmet. 🙂

Otherwise, the next few weeks is a very good time.

Starting gong for midges varies from year to year and cold delays them a bit...
Very roughly, there will be a few about from mid May onwards and they tend to ramp up quite suddenly as the days improve, around about the beginning of June. Just keep moving, have a head net & gloves handy, use smidge and you'll be fine.
NC500 demand means that B&B or hotels are in very short supply this year, so do your homework if you don't have a tame mohome driver to hand.

Midge numbers depends on how busy it gets. In quieter years we don't fire up the secret underground midge factory under Ben Nevis and start shipping them out until later. Of course, there are always a few escapees, which is why the Fort William area is so midge-infested.

Thanks for the midge cast. My own experience has been that May is ok and personally they only ever seem to go for me if there is no one else within a mile of me. My friend is about to move into his new house which will then involve a fair bit of building work for the next few months so we'll be looking at next year to do it.

If you look around the Highlands of Scotland, you'll notice that the Tourist Board has erected lots and lots of ruddy great fans.

These are to blow the midgies away, so if they're running fast you should be ok. When they're still, the midgies reappear.

However up the far north, they have too many, and when they're all running you may experience strong headwinds which are engineered to always come from the direction you're heading. That's so when you reach your destination there's no midgies there. True Highland hospitality...

I rode an Audax in fine conditions in August which took in the northern half of the NC500 route, and we had no midges at all (the temperature did drop just below zero at one point overnight).
Conversely, I rode another event in May on the west coast and the midges were brutal from dusk, right through the night and well into the morning. I ended up riding completely covered, apart from a small gap in the Buff wrapped around my head, so I could see where I was going.

The Forsinard/Glen Loth route used to head south from the north coast in the video is a lovely road. Very quiet and remote. I would definitely recommend that route instead of the main road.

Great video

MB seems a smashing bloke, and I have massive respect for his achievements...

But, by god he's boring.

Bookmarked for later Thanks

MB seems a smashing bloke, and I have massive respect for his achievements…

But, by god he’s boring.

I'd say he has the ideal personality for long, solo bike journeys...

He's clearly very laid back as his saddle pack was flapping around all the time and didn't seem to bother him.