Tommy's A-series Misery - NC500 in 3 wheeler? Completed it mate

[M'coli]

8 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

Were making our way back to Edinburgh today. Get some obligatory pictures by the Forth Bridge and perhaps go into central Edinburgh.

Just stopped past Inverness so making good progress already.

I wouldn't, the Edinburgh Festival is on and it'll be heaving.

[Zelandeth]

3 hours ago, Tommyboy12 said:

Theyve honestly been fine. Way more reliable than they deserve to be. We brought everything with us. Ignition components, spare radiator, water pump, clutch plate even! We were prepared! But all they've needed is water and oil top ups. Not really surprising. I have gained a small weep from a rear brake cylinder so I'm keeping an eye on brake fluid now. I was expecting a bad back, leg pain, deafness, fatigue but honestly have none of that. I have been wearing noise cancelling headphones on the motorways but more for music as I have no radio!

Driving wise theyve also been great. Not quick by any stretch but we've been merrily bombing along at 50-60mph the whole time. There's a fair few average speed cameras up here now but when you can barely do 70mph we haven't really had to think about them. Even the hills aren't too much of a challenge. Weve done some really twisty roads and apart from the odd wheel cock the 3 wheels have been no issue. The biggest challenge has been camper vans not giving way!

Ive actually been surprised how quiet it is though. There are a lot of campers but not as many as I expected and they do seem to mostly avoid the truly twisty bits. I've only seen a handful of 'enthusiasts' cars. I've seen more German and Dutch cars than anything else!

Good to hear.  

I also noticed when we were heading up to Aberdeen this time last week that there were loads of German cars heading north.  You always spot a few international travellers on a 450 mile motorway run, but there was such a bias towards Germany we were wondering if there was some big event on somewhere that was particularly popular over there.

Then a long debate started as to how many cars the coach we passed was worth.  

Hope the trip back south is similarly uneventful for you.

[Tommyboy12]

So far uneventful. Weve stopped for a spot of lunch just off the A9. The dualling work seems to be going at a snails pace I'm not sure how the locals cope

[Tommyboy12]

A bit more progress 

 

[N19]

Loving this update. I'm thinking of doing the NC500 next year but all the websites seem to say it'll take 7+ days - I imagine that's if you stop everywhere and visit lots of tourist attractions. 

[Tommyboy12]

2 hours ago, N19 said:

Loving this update. I'm thinking of doing the NC500 next year but all the websites seem to say it'll take 7+ days - I imagine that's if you stop everywhere and visit lots of tourist attractions. 

If you stop a lot it can be 7 days. Reality is you can do the actual route in 2-3 days. We usually take 5 days including travel up to and back from Scotland. I've done it in 60 hours before and I've done it in 7 days. That includes travelling up and back. Just depends what you want to do and why you're going.

[Tommyboy12]

Ready for the last day back down South

 

[Tommyboy12]

Making good progress back down South. Just stopped at Washington services south of Newcastle. Four and a bit hours to go!

[Tommyboy12]

Finally made it home! The traffic on the A1 was an absolute nightmare. Coupled with ridiculous heat. It got a bit touch and go temperature wise but the car held out

And the car in question is a true champion for making it all that way without so much as a hiccup. I'm genuinely impressed it needed nothing more than fluids.

But I think the true hero of this story is the unknown Starsky & Hutch Robin picked up from Bournemouth on Sunday. I've absolutely no idea how it made it there and back but it did!

My favourite photo of the trip is probably this Polaroid. Its going straight in the holiday scrap book

So can you make it 1500 miles to John O'Groats in a Reliant 3 wheeler? Yes you can!

Should you? Probably not. I'm deaf, I'm sunburnt, I stink of petrol and oil. But it was totally worth it.

Where to next @sharley17194?