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Oct 22, 2020 11:04:48 GMT
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I couldn’t see a thread for this so if there is one already please free to delete merge.
Me and my good lady want to do the north coast 500 next year. The aim is to mix hotels with driving a camper. And by camper I mean large vehicle with a bed in the back.
I’ve been considering different vehicles with different factors taken into consideration and the Chrysler grand voyager is ticking a lot of boxes.
I’ve read some reviews and while not terrible aren’t perfect. The biggest factor is cost. You can pick one up for £2k then flog it afterwards.
Am I mad? Is this vehicle terrible?
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b3nson
Part of things
Posts: 886
Club RR Member Number: 22
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North coast 500b3nson
@b3nson
Club Retro Rides Member 22
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Oct 22, 2020 14:00:30 GMT
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Do you enjoy driving? If so, a camper is the wrong vehicle to take. The roads are fantastic up there, when I went a few years ago there was very little traffic as well (although I imagine that has changed as it's got more popular). I feel like taking a Grand Voyager would end up with serious regret!
Personally, I'd take a car you enjoy driving and pack a tent for the nights you don't want to use a hotel.
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Last Edit: Oct 22, 2020 14:00:50 GMT by b3nson
'99 Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo '08 Panda 100HP
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Oct 22, 2020 14:41:39 GMT
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I couldn’t camp in a tent. That’s why I’m thinking of something campervan-esq
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North coast 500HARDCORE
@hardcore
Club Retro Rides Member 190
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Oct 22, 2020 15:57:06 GMT
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NC500 is very much on our to do list as well. Mixture of cheap B&B's & camping is the plan - I can't be dealing with tents either, but have this: Hopefully it'll soon be atop my cool old Benz, rather than the rubbish modern one
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Oct 22, 2020 17:24:26 GMT
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That’s an interesting idea. Not sure my small bladder would enjoy getting up in the night for a wee though.
I love driving but don’t think I could afford to hotel/b&k all the way round. So putting a mattress in a bigger car has potential.
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Oct 22, 2020 17:48:36 GMT
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Do you enjoy driving? If so, a camper is the wrong vehicle to take. I think there's two sides to this... 100% agree if you enjoy driving then you need to take something at least approaching a driver's car! Secondly, if you're not worried about enjoying the drive, think about the others that do! They won't want to be stuck behind a camper!* Thirdly (I know I only said two sides, sorry) as it's "only" 500 miles, how many times will you actually want to stop? Buying and then selling a vehicle specifically for the trip will probably involve losing some money (unless you're keeping for further adventures?) so take something more driver focused, and spend the money you save on a B&B or hotel? *Semi-kidding on this one!
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Oct 22, 2020 17:49:57 GMT
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On a more helpful note, what about a Zafira GSi or VXR?
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Oct 22, 2020 20:01:35 GMT
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I did it this summer in my Peugeot 107 and found it ideal for the journey. The small size and frugal little engine meant that it cost very little and was very fun at low speeds. One thing I will warn you about are the midges though. If you are planning to camp in a tent, you will be eaten alive during the summer months by these flying little fatherless sons. Personally, I slept in the car most nights, except one night in a tent at John O'Groats and two nights in Inverness in an AirBnb to begin and end the route (before driving back to and from Canterbury). Besides that, there are plenty of places to wildcamp and you could feasibly eat out for all meals along with route if you wish.
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Last Edit: Oct 22, 2020 20:12:37 GMT by mikehamid
Project - 1990 Trabant 601 Daily - 2006 Saab 93
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Oct 22, 2020 20:58:11 GMT
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SWB, low roof, RWD Transit with a pokey engine could fit the bill. They hussle really well for such a big unit.
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Click picture for more
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skinnylew
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 5,606
Club RR Member Number: 11
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North coast 500skinnylew
@skinnylew
Club Retro Rides Member 11
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If your going to do the MPV idea with a mattress in the back i'd at least get one that is half decent! The odd Sharan or Galaxy 2.8 VR6 or even just a 2.3/2.0 would do the trick. At least then you'd have some semblance of handling, something not TOO wieldy for the narrow parts. The only Voyager i've been in felt humungous and rolled like a boat. Horrid thing.....
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vader
Part of things
Posts: 425
Club RR Member Number: 93
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North coast 500vader
@vader
Club Retro Rides Member 93
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Well, I’ve just done most of the NC500 in September on my bike. You won’t need a fast motor as you won’t get past 40 mph. The road surfaces are very abrasive so make sure you’ve plenty of tread on your tyres. I had to have a new back tyre while I was up there due to it being eaten by the roads.
Motor homes every where, cyclists ever where, hikers every where. Every where is busy.
Fantastic scenery, unfortunately for me the weather was awful all week but was worth doing.
I’ll go to the Pyrenees next time tho.
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Triumph Stag Ducati Supersport Shanks’s Pony
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Oddly enough the missus an I are just waking up in thurso after driving up from dunfermline yesterday lunchtime. Our noble steed is my ever loyal e46 320d tourer. A double aired fits in the back no bother as proven when we did this in the lake district too. Plenty power, decent fuel consumption, small enough to be nippy, big enough to take luggage. My twopence worth. Used a swb 2003 transit to live in around pitlochry for a while too.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,244
Club RR Member Number: 170
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North coast 500ChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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I'm also looking into this.
It will be between the two cars I have.
Mondeo isn't quite as good a drive as the M3 or quite as exciting. But it's a good handling car with a quiet character with the bonus of great lugging ability. That and having a means of staying in a car at times may come in handy.
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vader
Part of things
Posts: 425
Club RR Member Number: 93
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North coast 500vader
@vader
Club Retro Rides Member 93
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Oct 23, 2020 10:20:27 GMT
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The A9 has average speed cameras for about 4 million miles. Never saw many Rozzers about. Saw quite a few super cars lambo, Ferrari, McLaren) which was a bit of a waste of time for them, they probably didn’t get out or second gear.
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Triumph Stag Ducati Supersport Shanks’s Pony
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Oct 24, 2020 23:29:18 GMT
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It's not called the NC500 because of the length you know, it's because that's how many hours of your life you'll spend stuck behind that amount of cyclists and camper vans.
The roads are great but you'll not hardly get to experience them "enthusiastically" because there will be another road user (sheep included) around the next corner, and where it is open enough, as rightly mentioned, there are 4 million miles of speed cameras. Where they aren't, the police are.
You'd be far better advised to make up your own route in the area and do that instead. Try to avoid the entirety of the A9.
The locals hate it. Remember people are trying to commute and live their lives while 9 bazillion cyclists and 200 Mclaren P1s go whizzing past every day.
Personally if I was doing it I would put a bit more money aside and airBnB it all, but again if you go off the NC track a bit you should find better rates. You don't want to be trying to set up sleeping arrangements every night after spending all day driving, and anyway, it's 'only' 500 miles like was said, so it's what, three, four nights at most including picturesque location rest stops? Don't sacrifice every ounce of enjoyment by using a GV, take something blatty and fun... and memorable.
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This time of year must be best because yesterday driving from thurso through tongue, durness then onto unapool was fantastic. Had the roads to ourselves. The 320d was in its element. Followed a chap in an e46 m3 who thought the same. Also an older gent in a triumph stag who knew how to pedal it. Locals super friendly. No cyclists or walkers. Only tube was a curse word in a left hand drive eighties hymer mobile who tried to write us off by driving in the middle of the road where it was 2 perfect lanes on a mile long straight in glorious sunshine
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Oct 25, 2020 10:31:58 GMT
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I apologise in advance for being a miserable git but here is my take on it, being a regular user of the route.
Cameron McNeish once wrote of hillwalking that people should be more like mountain goats than sheep and create their own path, and to me this applies to the roads just as well if not more so.
About 7 years ago I used to drive it twice a year before it became a thing. It's now completely unrecognisable and in line with most overtourism most of the things that made it special in the first place no longer apply.
It's overcrowded most of the year except low season. The cost of camping pitches has doubled, trebled in some places and many of the interesting little shops have turned into NC500 tat supermarkets. The local authorities instead of investing in infrastructure have done their usual penny pinching and bins and toilets are actually disappearing and there's litter everywhere. The roads in some places, especially in the single track sections, are shockingly poor. I used to wild camp in my van but most of the good areas have been shared online and as such are full of litter or are now blocked off.
On the flip side the west and north sections are probably the most scenic routes in the world and yes, the roads are great driving roads when you get them clear. The section between John O Groats and Inverness can be mind numbingly dull. If you plan your route to travel at odd times and stay away from the hubs then you may well have a great drive. Otherwise you will be stuck behind an endless queue of wobbly motorhomes or tourbuses driving down the middle of the road at 30mph ignoring the passing place rules.
As for the vehicle of choice, you may as well drive something that ticks your own boxes because a good driving car may leave you frustrated. Bear in mind a large section of the route is on potholey single track road with passing places.
Most of the time I have done it in a converted Trafic / Vivaro van which handles like a car and can overtake / attack the twisties with confidence. I usually find myself in a queue of frustrated tourists that have borrowed supercars and spend the whole time looking for a place to overtake.
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Oct 25, 2020 19:31:26 GMT
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Top grammar tips! Bought = purchased. Brought = relocated Lose = misplace/opposite of win. Loose = your mum
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hopeso
Part of things
Posts: 348
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Oct 25, 2020 23:46:41 GMT
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You could just take the ferry to Northern Ireland once coronavirus let's us travel again and drive the Antrim coast road, head south and drive the Atlantic Way or the ring of Kerry to name a couple of routes that will surpass the NC500.
I am a tad biased of course!
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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I cycled it a couple of years ago and it was brilliant. I don't think I held anyone up too badly; it was mainly the hire cars and motorcaravans that couldn't pass eachother whereas we took up very little space on our bikes. The roads were pretty quiet in general. As above, I also wore through a tyre due to the gritty road surface. The views were fantastic and I would love to cycle it again but I wouldn't fancy going back with any car with low ground clearance or even too much power. I'd take something slow, small and comfy and just enjoy the views like everyone else, or head to a lesser known part of Scotland if I wanted to enjoy the drive. Henry Catchpole has some good driving in Scotland videos in various supercars which could be worth looking at for ideas?
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