IT has been hailed as one of the most scenic road trips in the world, a Scottish answer to Route 66 and the force behind an economic boom bringing wealth to one of the country’s most remote regions.

Since its creation three years ago, the North Coast 500 tourist trail has won plaudits from its visitors and praise from the hotels, B&Bs and businesses which line its route for the money it has brought into their coffers.

But now it seems as though it has also brought a few bumps in the road for others who live nearby, with more than 250 people responding to a new study on how their lives have changed since 2015.

The North Coast 500 loops around the north for 516 miles, starting and ending at Inverness. It has brought more than 30,000 visitors to the Highlands and added £9 million to the region’s economy, according to a study commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

But the latest investigation instead centres on the disruption to daily life, the environment and culture for communities along the way.

One-fifth of the road trip is on single track road. Along these sections some communities have complained of slow moving convoys of vehicles, drivers not knowing how to use passing places and long streams of caravans and motorcycles disrupting the daily life of locals, especially those trying to work.

In addition there have also been complaints of people trying to set speed records around the route.

Lead researcher Gary Woodcock, from Stirling University, said he had been “surprised” at the results, which are also drawn from face to face interviews along the NC500 route.

“I would agree with those who say it is either a road paved with gold or a highway to hell, depending on your experience,” said Mr Woodcock, 29, a postgraduate student in environmental, heritage and policy, who is focusing on sustainable tourism.

“A lot of people are saying the NC500 is affecting their enjoyment and access to the outdoors.

“I was staggered at the number who said they had withdrawn in some way as a result of the increased tourism even to the extent of wanting to move.

“Those who have withdrawn to some extent has amounted to between 15 and 20 per cent so far.

“Community leaders say they are not being consulted by those running the route while some businesses are saying tourists are now flying through rather than staying a lot longer in their towns and villages.”

He added: “Undoubtedly accommodation and places of interest have done well. But issues over sanitation, traffic and management have also been well raised by respondents.”

James Findlay, co-owner of the popular Cocoa Mountain chocolate makers in Durness, Sutherland, said that accommodation was so full at times now that people were wild camping.

There were also issue over traffic management.

“Better education over the use of parking places is needed, but the NC500 is here to stay – after all other areas are trying to copy it,” he said. “It is about better managing it. It certainly has made the old, quieter months much busier.

“But some drivers do dawdle along taking in the views without noticing who is behind them.”

Transport Scotland recently issued leaflets to encourage better driving on single-track roads in the Highlands. The NC 500 route includes several challenging ascents and descents, including the Bealach na Ba at Applecross, Wester Ross. The unclassified road rises to 2,053ft over about four miles.

The NC500 stresses that it has produced a safe driving guide, available on its website, emphasising how to drive it safely, responsibly and respectfully.

It says: “The North Coast 500 is not the Indy 500, it is not the Le Mans 24hr, it is not The Gumball Rally. It is one of the top five coastal touring routes in the world, with the emphasis on touring and scenic views.”