{"id":8176,"date":"2022-05-08T19:51:04","date_gmt":"2022-05-08T18:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=8176"},"modified":"2022-05-08T19:51:08","modified_gmt":"2022-05-08T18:51:08","slug":"melvich-base-for-flow-country-cycling-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2022\/05\/08\/melvich-base-for-flow-country-cycling-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Melvich base for Flow Country cycling trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My visits to the far north coast tend to be dominated by cycling, from day trips to Dunnet Head to touring routes including Land\u2019s End to John O\u2019Groats and the North Coast 500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not so different last week, when I spent a couple of days on a cycling press trip courtesy of Venture North<\/a>, the tourism destination management organisation for Sutherland and Caithness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My base was the Melvich Hotel<\/a>, which has glorious views over the water to Brims Ness, Dunnet Head and even to the Orkney island of Hoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d stayed in Melvich on the last night of a Lejog trip in 2015 \u2013 but at what was then a small campsite beside the pub in the village. That same spot is now a pub with a full touring park catering for motorhomes, caravans and tents, as well as offering more luxurious camping pods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s just one example of how things have changed dramatically around the NC500 since its inception in 2015. I cycled it with a small group in 2016, when it was still in its infancy. Even then, accommodation had to be booked in advance to guarantee a bed for each night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n