The North Coast 500, a 500 mile driving route (and cycle) around the north west of Scotland is now the North East 250. This is also a journey on the road but is in the north east of Scotland.
It’s easy to understand why other areas would also want to benefit from the NC500’s success. The NC500 is hailed as Scotland’s Route 66, and many businesses and tourism attractions have reported a massive increase in visitors.
In fact, according to a University of Glasgow Training and Employment Research Unit study, the North Coast 500 brought in 29,000 more visitors and generated an additional PS9million of spending during its first year.
The North East 250 aims to bring more tourists to Scotland’s north-east corner and offer NC50 (or cycling) drivers another route.
Enjoy a spectacular drive in the Cairngorms.
What is North East 250?
Guy Macpherson Grant, local businessman, owner of Ballindalloch Castle and a descendant of the family that has roots in north-east Scotland dating back to the 16 th c., was the inspiration behind the NE250. Guy Macpherson-Grant, local businessman and owner of Ballindalloch Castle in Scotland’s north east, saw the opportunity for economic growth through a new Scottish route. He began to gather support from the community for a 250 mile route.
This route was launched in late 2018. It is circular, and it takes you through a variety of landscapes including mountains, moors and coasts in Eastern Perthshire, Cairngorms and Speyside in Moray and the East Coast in Aberdeenshire.
The route can be taken either clockwise or counter-clockwise, and it allows overnight stops in many villages and towns. There are many attractions to choose from, such as castles and distilleries. Also, there are mountains, resorts with ski slopes, villages on the coast, beaches, golf courses, forests, and coastal villages.
Spittal, located just south of the Glenshee Mountains and Ski Resort, is another entry point that can be reached via car.
He stated: “I’m excited about the North East 250 and its potential to attract more tourists to our region.” “I hope more businesses will support it to make it as successful as I believe it can be.”
Jo Robinson, Regional Director at VisitScotland believes that the NE250 is a great asset for the North East.
She said: “It is hoped that this new route, which will be a replica of the NC500 and other routes similar to it around Scotland will increase tourism and bring economic benefits for the region and the businesses in the sector.”
The route is sponsored by Chivas, Ballindalloch Castle and Gardens (including Turcan Connell), Walkers Shortbread and Aberdeen International Airport.
My whippet and I travel in a van.
Four-day journey on the NE250
You could drive 250 miles over a single day, or even a weekend, or for a longer period of time (i.e. if you don’t want to see the sights).
Three nights camping were enjoyed along the route. I drove four days clockwise from Spittal to Glenshee. Each day I could visit several different attractions or I would choose a few attractions to explore in depth.
The choice of places and attractions to visit was impressive. I will return to make another trip similar to this one in the future.