NC500 solo tractor journey raises over £4,000 for RSABI

John Meikle, of Hoprig Mains, a family farming business in East Lothian, spent three days in June driving a brand new Massey Ferguson around the NC500 route in the Highlands of Scotland in order to raise valuable funds for RSABI.

The NC500 is an iconic route, measuring just over 500 miles in the North Highlands and showcasing stunning coastal scenery, castles, beaches and ruins. The clockwise route follows the main roads around the coast through places including Ullapool, Durness, John O’Groats and Durness. Kicking off the journey at Inverness Castle on June 13th, John completed the route in 22 hours, returning into the grounds of Inverness Castle at midday on June 15th.

The unique solo-driving journey was undertaken by 62-year-old John in order to raise awareness of RSABI and their recently launched ‘Help us help them’ campaign. A unique Scottish charity that supports people who have worked in agriculture, crofting and other land based industries and are now experiencing hardship, RSABI has strong roots in the North of Scotland, where many beneficiaries are currently experiencing hard time, and receive financial support.

John Meikle had the following to say about his 500-mile journey:“Spending three days driving the NC500 route was a totally different tractor driving environment than the ones I’m used to! It was a wonderful experience, and I’m proud that I was able to raise over £4,000 to support RSABI and all the brilliant work that they do across the country.”

Dawn Edward, RSABI Development Officer, added: “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with John along his journey, and we’re incredibly grateful for the donation he has made to RSABI. Usually people take on the NC500 route in a car or on a bike, but John could well be one of the first people to complete it in a tractor!”

She continued: “The RSABI ‘Help us help them’ campaign provides critical support to a lot of people who have worked within land based industries, and now require varying levels of support, and John’s journey has made a welcome contribution to the cause.”