Scotland’s Route 66 –

Is it a Racetrack?

Would you like to live alongside a race track? Well that’s what it feels like to many locals along the spectacular 500-mile road billed as Scotland’s Route 66. I know I saw Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Hamster Hammond travel along the route in their internet TV series earlier in the year. It looked truly spectacular and according to some it is attracting all the wrong kind of drivers. It is being turned into a racetrack by supercar drivers who threaten to destroy communities in the northern Highlands according to some. They charge around in fancy top-of-the-range sports cars making a din. And instead of spending welcome cash locally they are said to be completing the North Coast 500 within 24 hours which allows nothing to be contributed to the local economy. Indeed, recently four men, each driving a supercar, were recorded by police near Achnasheen travelling at 128mph, more than double the speed limit, on a remote stretch of the A890. Luckily they were caught by the police and their cases come to court later this year.

An Instant World Beater

The route called the NC500 is sponsored by Aston Martin and was inaugurated in 2015. From the start concerns were raised about the dangers of driving high-powered vehicles on the single-track roads on the west and north of the route. It is a 500 mile loop which begins and ends in Inverness. And locally there are widely held concerns among those who use it for their daily business.  And of course as well as the speed freaks there are the slow moving caravans and camper vans which cause their own headaches. The 516-mile circuit was devised by the North Highland Initiative to stimulate the economy. Within a couple of months it was named among the world’s top five coastal road trips. It is now a victim of its own success sources tell me.

Time to Tarry... Well, No

Well here at James Pirie we don’t have time to go on scenic road trips and even though I live by the coast itself I seldom have the time to tarry along the lovely lanes and roads around. Although in a previous incarnation I was able to ride along some of the USA’s route 66. What we do have time for is finding the very best in gifties for you.  Take this lovely thing that you can have engraved to boost its perceived value. It’s the Royal Scot Crystal - Classic Collection Crystal Ships Decanter. Such lovely contours and it’s one of our new lines. For a while it is on at half price at a penny under £50. That can’t be bad.

https://www.jamespirie.com/classic-collection-crystal-ships-decanter-with-engraving-options.html