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North Coast 500 is top touring route in Scotland and placed second in UK in summer travel study


By Calum MacLeod

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The North Coast 500's low traffic density helped it to a rating of ninth out of 40 road trips for road safety.
The North Coast 500's low traffic density helped it to a rating of ninth out of 40 road trips for road safety.

The North Coast 500 has been pipped to top place in a poll to find the UK's best touring route for the summer – despite its massive international following on social media.

The 516 mile circuit, which begins and ends in Inverness and along the way takes in some of the most spectacular scenery in Ross-shire, Caithness and Sutherland, was also judged to have the most tourist attractions of any of the top UK driving routes – 286 – but was knocked into second place by the 95-mile Jurassic Coast trip in England's West Country.

The study, which was conducted on behalf of car finance and loan specialist Moneybarn, looked at factors including the top 40 driving routes and reviews on TripAdvisor, accident data, social media statistics, sunlight hours and tourist attractions.

Dorset and Devon's Jurassic Coast emerged the top trip in the study with a rating of 8.69 out of 10, scoring top for Instagram and TikTok views, Google searches and sunshine, with 225 hours of sunlight in the sunniest month.

The NC500 was not far behind with a rating of 7.68.

Dunrobin Castle – just one of the 286 attractions on the North Coast 500.
Dunrobin Castle – just one of the 286 attractions on the North Coast 500.

Summing up its appeal, Moneybarn's study report states: "You will never be short of things to do or places to see. The local authority also reported 215 accidents on local roads over 2020, so you can be sure you’re safe on such a long road trip.

"Considered one of the world’s most beautiful road trips, the North Coast 500 is filled with stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, and rugged mountains, which offer you a trip to remember. Located at the very top of Scotland, one of the few things that lets the NC500 down is the lack of sunshine, with just 178 hours during its sunniest month, May."

The NC500 was one of two Scottish routes to make the top five in the Moneybarn study, with the West Highlands' Road to The Isles just slipping into fifth slot with a rating of 5.60.

Wales and Cumbria also featured in the top five with Horseshoe Pass (6.07) ranking third and Wynrose Pass ranking fourth (5.89).

The full breakdown of the study can be viewed at www.moneybarn.com/road-trip-recommendations/


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