Well now that the photo rally is over for another year, having met its deadline on 31st October 2016, I will post up my entries for each county. Just so you can see where I was at, and maybe add a few locations to your list of places to visit should you ever find yourself in Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland…
The bear that keeps featuring is the mascot of the charity that the Club were supporting this year : https://www.shinecharity.org.uk
Photo Rally Entry Gallery :
It’s better late than never, and this whole video editing lark is a lot harder and more time consuming that I initially would have anticipated, however after far too long a wait here is the footage from Day 1.
I literally had to trawl through hours of footage but the fact that it is over a year old is pretty irrelevant, the route itself is still very much there, it took 10,000s of years to for the earth to make the coast, hopefully it has millions more years left for us to enjoy, so once again apologies it took so long, and apologies for the fact I am a supreme novice when it comes to video editing, however hopefully you can enjoy the scenery, (and the soundtrack) and maybe even be inspired to pop over to Ireland to experience this epic route!
The remainder of the videos are coming and will be uploaded as soon as I can piece them together, if you want to make sure you get notifications when they are available make sure to follow this blog or me on Twitter or Facebook.
Thanks…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AuZcDwwZYA]
Scotland’s North Coast 500 GPX Route File – NC500 GPX:
UPDATE : I have again completed this route in 2019 and have uploaded some videos recorded on the Hyperlapse (time-lapse) setting of the GoPro Hero 7 Black Edition.
These videos will hopefully give you a little taste of what to expect or something to wet your appetite with so you can start planning your NC500 adventure…
A link to the Ride Report is also included further down this page along with the direct link to the GPX file of the NC500 route.
UPDATE #2 : I have completed the NC500 again, this time in 2023, and this time in a car. If you are curious about fuel on the route, specifically E5 / Super Unleaded 97 Ron, then this is the post for you : https://tbni.blog/2023/09/16/nc500-super-unleaded-fuel/
I have now uploaded my galleries and Ride Report of my 2016 trip around the Scotland’s North Coast 500 (NC500). You can find them all here :
One thing I did notice (for example in comparison to the Irish Wild Atlantic Way) was the lack of signage. Unless you knew you were actually on the NC500 you probably wouldn’t know you were on it.
UPDATE : As of 2023, having completed this route again I can now confirm that the signage situation is now infinitely better. You will now see frequent signage and directions that include the NC500 markers. It is not quite as frequent as the WAW however there are far less deviations from the loop.
The GPX file is available from the official North Coast 500 site, along with a printable map however my Sat Nav (a Tom Tom Rider V) found it far too complex, there are thousands of way points on it, and the sat nav just just refused to load it. The printable map is nice, but let’s be honest an A4 map covering 500 miles isn’t an ideal solution either.
Thankfully there is a good solution. This GPX file is sat nav friendly and guides you perfectly around the route.
(This GPX file will not take into account local diversions, road closures etc etc. Use it for guidance, but ensure to follow all local laws and rules of the road. TBNI.Blog is not responsible for the accuracy of this GPX file, it has not been updated since 2016 and should be used as a tool to assist your navigation and no warranty or guarantee is made or implied by its use. The use of this GPX is entirely are your own risk.)
Enjoy
https://www.tbni.blog/downloads/North-Coast-500.gpx
(If you have any trouble downloading the file just Contact Me and I will email it to you.
If you found this file useful please consider a small voluntary donation to the site, which helps keep things online and up to date. Thanks.
In what seems like devastating news for the UK Gadget fan Gadget Show Live appears to have been cancelled.
With relative Internet silence around the annual event, and the fact that at this time of year I normally pick up my tickets, get the flights and hotel booked and sort out a Christmas present at the same time I was looking to get that little bit of spending sorted.
However nothing. No talk of tickets, nothing on the NEC website, nothing from The Gadget Show, nothing on TV, nothing.
A little more internet digging and The Gadget Show Live website (http://www.gadgetshowlive.net redirects to http://www.upperstreetevents.net) has no reference to an upcoming Show. It is now advertising The Technology Showcase at Westfield, London (in October 2016).
Following on from this And my search turned to Social Media.
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/gadgetshowlive/ – again references Technology Showcase, it states ‘Brought to you by the organisers of The Gdget Show Live.
Introduction :
My Castles of Ireland 2016 Tour is part of a larger UK & Ireland run Challenge as can be found on Adventure Bike Rider.
I will add the add the castles to this blog along with a little bit of their history to wet your appetite as to just another thing that Ireland and Northern Ireland has to capture your imagination and set your sights on. You can take in all of the castles on this island in on one trip of 676 miles, that according to Google will take you 14 hours 50 minutes. Of course that means no stops, food, leg stretches, or photo ops.
As luck would have it I was fortunate enough to be in Newcastle on 6th August 2016 for the Festival of Flight (which I really should add was excellent!). On the way into town I noticed a massive gathering of Harley Davidson Motorcycles at a local hotel. It turns out it was their annual weekend meeting of the Belfast Chapter of the Harley Owner’s Group (HOG) and the Buell Owner’s Group (BOG) – See what they done there!
I was then fortunate enough to catch them leaving to go on their Saturday Run – what a turn out and what a noise! Enjoy…
(I might need a Harley after this!)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xXmlAFJSvc]
Introduction :
My Castles of Ireland 2016 Tour is part of a larger UK & Ireland run Challenge as can be found on Adventure Bike Rider.
I will add the add the castles to this blog along with a little bit of their history to wet your appetite as to just another thing that Ireland and Northern Ireland has to capture your imagination and set your sights on. You can take in all of the castles on this island in on one trip of 676 miles, that according to Google will take you 14 hours 50 minutes. Of course that means no stops, food, leg stretches, or photo ops.
Thanks to everyone who joined me for my live Twitter Coverage of the 2016 Ulster Grand Prix.
Seven races, a monster meeting for Hutchy, with 4 wins a great show from Bruce, with a win, a super looks and a number of podiums and an always keep going from M. Dunlop earning him a load more UGP Podiums.
All of this covered live with hundreds of tweets, so if you were with me thanks. If not hopefully you can join in next time.
Something must have been done right though…
If you missed the action you can catch it tonight 15/08/2016 @ 21:00 GMT on BBC 2 Northern Ireland and tomorrow, 16/08/2016 @ 21:00 GMT also on BBC 2 Northern Ireland and I’m sure the BBC iPlayer shortly afterwards.
Join me in the morning for some live tweeting from the Ulster Grand Prix, for all the Race Day action, live as it happens!
See you there, see you here!
Twitter : @TomBoyNI
My Castles of Ireland 2016 Tour is part of a larger UK & Ireland run Challenger as can be found on Adventure Bike Rider.
I will add the add the castles to this blog along with a little bit of their history to wet your appetite as to just another thing that Ireland and Northern Ireland has to capture your imagination and set your sights on. You can take in all of the castles on this island in on one trip of 676 miles, that according to Google will take you 14 hours 50 minutes. Of course that means no stops, food, leg stretches, or photo ops.