It may be the start and the end point but Inverness is not usually the first thing that springs to mind when people think of the NC500. Have a flick through any of the documentation about the famous route and you’re far more likely to see pictures of stunning mountain landscapes and pristine beaches. The Bealach na Ba and Smoo Cave will get a look in and if you see a bridge, it’s probably going to be Kylesku rather than the Ness variety.
That doesn’t mean the route hasn’t left its fingerprints all over Inverness though. But exactly how much of an effect has the NC500 had on the Highland capital? Let’s take a look at what we know so far. Earlier studies have shown financial uplift for the Highlands Firstly, it has to be said is that we are well overdue for an impact assessment on the effect of the route on the Highlands as a whole.
The last one was published in 2019 and the landscape has changed dramatically since then. The study by Glasgow Caledonian University’s Moffat Centre for Tourism found that the route had generated It also reported that 180 new jobs had been created that were linked to the NC500. But data for Inverness was “deliberately omitted” from that study because it was thought that it would distort figures for other parts of the region.
You have to go back to , commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, that includes Inverness. That study found that 43% of businesses reported an increase in trade as a direct result of the NC500. However, .