>> Major marketing success by the Scots, I know that Wales have looked at the same
>> sort of idea - I have no idea how that would pan out, but I
>> could have a wild guess.
Successful at bringing visitors perhaps but not so good if they don't spend much. Motorhomers in particular are notorious for avoiding site fees which is fine where visitors are less concentrated but a nuisance with no upside around honeypot destinations.
Friends of ours who retired early used to spend 3-6 months a year mainly wild camping and were very proud to say they spent very little (other than the surprising cost of a decent motorhome of course) but they spent most of their time in the wilder parts of Spain, Eastern Europe, and Sweden trying to spot various types of fauna.
I honestly think the NC500 will turn out to have been a mistake if it's as bad as Bobby says, and I imagine that's possible at peak holiday times. We did it because it was there I suppose and we love Scotland, but I was mindful that it was likely to get much busier over time so we did it sooner rather than later, as early in the season as we could hope for decent weather and away from the Bank Holiday weeks. Truthfully though anyone contemplating it now would be better to work out their route minimising the use of the NC500 roads. In a way it's no worse than Devon and Cornwall which are sheer purgatory in peak season but I think it's even more regrettable because the places that are affected were some of the most peaceful there were.
We started from Nairn, which isn't actually on the route and it probably wasn't coincidental that our accommodation there was the cheapest we had on that trip, as well as the best.
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