Road trip anyone?

Yes I would vote for beautiful Dumfries and Galloway but then I was born and brought up there. It is stunning and overwhelmed with visitors. The beaches and forests near Dalbeattie, the beautiful artists' town of Kirkcudbright and further west into Wigtownshire - gorgeous
Am a huge fan of the Scottish Borders too esp Kelsi and the stunning East coastline.

Not overwhelmed with visitors I meant to type.

Just returned from Scotland including NC500. We did booked four day self catering cottages. Cairngorms in Glenesk (snow roads and Balmoral). Moved to Ardgay about 35 miles south of the northern stretch of the NC500 with amazing, empty access roads. Local wisdom is to drive anticlockwise on the NC500 which was nowhere near as busy as people suggested. Finally stayed near Skye to finish off that part of the NC500. No midges! Don’t be put off - it is truly stunning. All our cottages welcomed dogs. Good advice to wait until September.

We did it in May, and I don't know if we were just lucky but I was expecting midges and there were none! I agree about booking accommodation in advance. We did the route clockwise from Inverness, meaning we did the west coast before the east coast. In hindsight I wish we'd done it the other way round, that way saving the best scenery till last. We promised ourselves we'd do it again the other way round, but sadly my husband had to give up driving due to medical reasons and I don't drive so we never got the chance. There are some lovely cafes en route e.g. Lochinver Larder which is famous for its pies.

Did you see the part on the BBC news today? Big problems there with tourists.

Berwick, Peebles, Port of Leith, Portobello are lovely, although not the spectacular mountains of the Lochs

Motorhomes galore all summer into autumn and, don't think of a trip to Skye, even worse. Try central and south of Scotland. Midges not so much of a nuisance either.

There was little sun till last week & it was cold=less midges, but the midge forecast can vary wildly.
We've driven Gairloch to Ullapool (in september) & Dingwall to Dornoch with precious few other vehicles.Scenery on the west is mind-blowing so I would take a chance on the traffic & go back if I ever have the opportunity.

Why not just watch a video about it rather than add to the already over heavy tourist footprint?

Aveline

Did you see the part on the BBC news today? Big problems there with tourists.

Absolutely dreadful, that awful "local" woman screaming at some chap having a pee, I couldn't see anyone doing anything, the presenter was looking the other way like he was trying not to laugh at her, l think she just wanted to create a drama. As for Robin Pettigrew if he finds living in the Highlands so awful why doesn't he return to England. The campervan chaps seemed rather bemused by the whole thing, as was l. I'll see if l can find the clip.

We went in October last year, no midges no traffic it was bliss so just leave it a little later

We rented a cottage in the Highlands near Glen Coe in October 2024 . We toured all over each day taking in The Isle of Skye , Inverness and all points in between . The weather was very mild with only one morning of rain and the scenery was spectacular, and no midges were around either .

Cadenza123

I'm thinking about taking my dog on a road trip in September. Probably heading North and NC 500 in Scotland. Anyone tried this? Tips? Airbnb? I have time so thinking about 4 weeks.

We are thinking of doing it but on our motorbike.

Aveline

Top tip - don't! It's crammed with motor homes, buses and drivers that don't understand the roads. Tourist infrastructure limited.
Try the SW Scotland route instead. Quieter, less touristy and very beautiful.

👍🏻 is it better for motor bikes? Done it on a bus & sick as a chip.

SW Scotland in no way resembles the Highlands, that's why it's quieter, it's like geographically comparing The Netherlands to Switzerland.

Cadenza - very brave and adventurous - you’re probably on the younger side of GNetters