Scotland

Ten-Day Road Trip in the Scottish Highlands

The Scottish Highlands are a magical and stunning place to visit. The views are vast and the atmosphere is moody. It is truly hard to put into words. From the urban cities that still hold so much history to the mystical lochs, glens, and isles, there is so much to explore.

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Our original trip to Scotland was sabotaged by the pandemic. It was a long wait before we finally felt confident re-booking. We finally made it though! Our itinerary spanned 10 full days and 970 miles of driving. I think even our rental car agent was impressed!

In this post, I will share an overview of our full itinerary, points of interest, and activities — and of course, some candid reviews to help anyone who might be thinking about some variation of your own trip. If I were to include every photo and detail, it would read like War & Peace. So, I’ll include links to other posts that talk more specifically about each area.

As much as we crammed into ten days, we barely put a dent in our options. For a country the size of South Carolina, we thought we would feel a little more accomplished by the end of our journey. Scotland has over 900 offshore islands and countless historical landmarks — meaning, you will want to put some thought and research into your trip planning!

Day 1: Edinburgh

Jason and I arrived in Edinburgh early on a Tuesday morning. We had spent a day in London to adjust to the time difference and see a couple sites. If we were to do it again, I would stay an extra day in London or skip it altogether. It was just a bit of a hassle for such a short stay.

This was my second visit to Edinburgh. I had previously been for Hogmanay a few years back and had spent the better part of a week visiting the top attractions. However, this was Jason’s first trip to Scotland. He wanted to see Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, of course. And, I wanted to do a couple things that I had missed on my first visit. So, we planned our day to work in a couple things for each of us:)

While in Edinburgh, we stayed at the Fraser Suites right off the Royal Mile, adjacent to St. Gile’s Cathedral. The location was ideal. After our cab dropped us at the hotel, we were able to get everywhere else on foot.

Above photos: Edinburgh, Scotland

The must-sees in Edinburgh are St. Gile’s Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, and The Royal Mile. We were able to have a long lunch at the Mash Bar and cover all three of these easily during our afternoon.

Above photos: St. Gile’s Cathedral

Above photo: Edinburgh Castle

The Royal Mile is lined with souvenir shops, historical landmarks, and restaurants. Although it may seem a little backwards to purchase souvenirs at the front-end of your trip to the Highlands, this is really the best place to do it. I loaded up on drams of whisky from the Whisky Experience, cashmere scarves, and shortbread cookies just to make sure I wouldn’t go home empty handed.

Above photos: The Royal Mile, Edinburgh

Towards the end of daylight, we headed over to The Real Mary King’s Close for a tour we had booked. It is 100% a tourist attraction. But, it is also 100% cool. The current City Hall is built on top of the former streets and residences of Edinburgh. The tour takes you underground for a glimpse of life hundreds of years ago.

Our dinner reservations were in Lower Town – still just a 10 minute walk from our hotel – at The Dome, the former Physician’s Hall turned Commercial Bank of Scotland. The restaurant is a gorgeous and very special place for a memorable meal.

Above photo: The Dome

Above photo: Edinburgh, Scotland

More about my previous trip to Edinburgh for Hogmanay and details of all of the attractions we visited here.

Day 2: St. Andrews, Blair Atholl, Kingussie

The following morning, we said good-bye to Edinburgh and headed to the airport to pick-up the rental car we would have for the rest of our trip in Scotland. Yes, they drive on the left side of the road. Yes, the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. No, I didn’t drive – lol! Once Jason got acclimated, we decided that would be his job.

I highly recommend driving through the Highlands, as opposed to traveling via train. You’ll have so much more flexibility not tied to schedules and stations. Also, we avoided having to haul our luggage in and out of every hotel by “living out of the trunk” and packing smaller overnight bags.

Our first leg out of Edinburgh, we drove to St. Andrew’s to visit my niece who is attending the University. She was a great tour guide! We parked right along the main drag and were able to walk everywhere, including St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the Castle, and the famous bridge on the old golf course.

Above photos: St. Andrew’s University

Above photo: St. Andrew’s Castle

About an hour away, our next stop was Blair Atholl Castle and Gardens, the first of the Historic Houses our on list. We got caught in a little bit of drizzly rain. Honestly, cloudy weather suits Scotland (and photography). You always hear that the weather can be unpredictable and often rainy. So, I would have been disappointed to not experience it.

Above photos: Blair Atholl Castle & Gardens

Our endpoint for the day was The Cross at Kingussie. We had just enough time to find the Ruthven Barracks ruins before heading to the hotel for dinner.

Above photo: Ruthven Barracks

A complete post of our time in St. Andrews, Blair Atholl, and Kingussie can be found here.

Day 3: Cairngorms National Park, Inverness

First thing in the morning (well, after breakfast), we headed to the Co-op in Kingussie to pick up a few car snacks just in case we wouldn’t have time to stop for lunch later. Our scheduled Hill Hike to see the Cairngorm Reindeer was at 11:00am, and we had an hour drive to get there.

The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd is a free-ranging herd on the Cairngorm Mountains. I can’t say how much we thoroughly enjoyed this. The hike and visit with these friendly creatures was incredible, even in the lashing rain. It is a truly immersive experience! The terrain in the Caringorms is hilly, a bit muddy, and covered in native plants and heather. Oh…..the heather. During the fall, the Scottish bell heather is in full bloom and casts a purple hue across every hillside and open field. I felt so lucky to be there during that time of the year.

Above photos: The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd Hill Hike

Just a few miles down the road towards Aviemore, we headed to our meeting point for our Quad Bike Tour on the Rothiemurchus estate. The guided tour was just an hour, but chocked full of fun. The Cairngorms is a great area to plan some adventurous activities. We loved the quad bikes, but there are so many other outdoor activities you can choose from.

Above photo: Quad Bike Trekking at Rothiemurchus

A complete post of our time in the Cairngorms can be found here.

The next stop on our itinerary was Cawdor Castle, another private home that is part of Scotland’s Historic Houses registry. The medieval castle dates from the 14th century and houses an extraordinary tapestry collection.

Above photos: Cawdor Castle & Gardens

For the last part of our afternoon, we headed west to visit Culloden Battlefield and Clava Cairns. Whether you are an Outlander fan or not, both of these places are thought provoking and emotionally moving. We had a misty, cloudy day for our visit, which lent to the awe and wonder you feel in these places. We were sad to have missed opening hours for the Culloden Visitors’ Center and Museum, but the walk through the field and memorial stones was amazing nonetheless.

Above photos: The Culloden Battlefield & Visitor Center

Above photos: Clava Cairns

A complete post of our time at Culloden, Clava Cairns, and Inverness can be found here.

Day 4: Dornoch, Dunrobin Castle, Beauly

We stayed in Inverness for the night, but really didn’t spend much time in the city center. In the morning, we headed out early for our drive up the North Coast 500. We didn’t drive the entire route – just up to Golspie and back. We really wanted to see some of the counties in less touristy areas and were glad we had time to drive this segment.

Our first stop was at the Glenmorangie Distillery in Tain. We had a 10am tour of the distillery, which was not our first choice. A skosh early for whisky imho. The tour was great through! If you are a whisky person (or even if you’re not), I definitely recommend a distillery tour while in Scotland. There are many to choose from in different regions depending on what fits your itinerary best.

Above photos: The Glenmorangie Distillery

We resumed our drive, crossing the bridge over Dornoch Firth and traveling up to the village of Dornoch. This little coastal seaside town is best known for golf, but it was just our stop for lunch. We had a nice walk around the town and a cozy lunch at the Coach House Restaurant.

Above photos: Dornoch

The afternoon was reserved for a lengthy visit at Dunrobin Castle and Gardens. The exterior of the castle is like something out of a fairy tale. It is the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands. If you visit Dunrobin, be sure to time your visit around the falconry display. It’s impressive!

Above photos: Dunrobin Castle & Gardens

Our last stop for the day was Beauly Priory on our return trip back towards Inverness. Beauly Priory dates to around 1230. It was built for monks of the Valliscaulian order. You can feel the oldness of this place as you walk around and see the funerary monuments and ruins of the abbey church. It is free to visit and a very peaceful place to end a full day.

Above photos: Beauly Priory

A complete post of our time at Dornoch, Dunrobin Castle, and Beauly can be found here.

Day 5: Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, and Eileen Donan

Almost everyone who visits the Highlands has Loch Ness somewhere on their itinerary. Even if you aren’t a Nessie believer, the loch itself is smack-dab in the middle of the Highlands and is almost unavoidable. We stopped several places along the west shore for the views, including the loch-side Urquhart Castle, a 16th century fortress ruin.

Above photo: Urquhart Castle

A complete post of our time at Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle can be found here.

From Loch Ness, we traversed west following the shorelines of Loch Cluanie and Loch Duich to the infamous Eilean Donan Castle. This picturesque castle is one of the most photographed landmarks in the Highlands. We literally won the weather lottery and had a gorgeous, sunny afternoon for our visit.

Above photo: Eilean Donan Castle

Our endpoint for the day was the village of Portree on the Isle of Skye. It was one of our longer drives, but beautiful the whole way! This was also the midpoint for our trip and a big change in the landscape. The Isle of Skye is other-worldly and beholds beauty and history that is just awe-inspiring.

Days 6 and 7: Isle of Skye

While I love a good castle, ornate cathedrals, and all the other sites and delights of being a tourist, the peace and tranquility of the Isle of Skye is incomparable. Easily this was our favorite place in Scotland. The landscape is vast and of course, there are fairies.

Above photos: Dramatic cliffs on the Isle of Skye

From the Cullin Hills Hotel near Portree, we drove the loop past waterfalls, gorges, rock formations, and The Quiraing. Even if you are not much of a hiker, do not pass up The Quiraing. It is a landslip in the Trotternish and offers views for days.

Above photos: The Quiraing, Isle of Skye

We also sought out to find St. Columba’s Isle where there is an ancient burial site and ruins. We found it and had the place completely to ourselves to explore.

Above photos: St. Columba’s Isle

Nearly everywhere you drive on the Isle of Skye feels remote. There are sheep skipping down the middle of the road, not at all bothered with the flow of traffic – or even that there is a road. The historic country house hotels, like the Greshornish House, are overflowing with charm and warm hospitality. It is just a completely different way of life — and it definitely had me thinking about my life choices and retirement plans.

Above photos: Dunvegan Castle

Above photos: The Fairy Pools

A complete post of our 2-days on the Isle of Skye can be found here.

Day 8: Jacobite Steam Train

Okay – first things first. If you think you want to take the Jacobite Steam Train ride, make your reservations early. This is an extremely popular ticket due to all the Harry Potter fans and the amazing photo opportunity crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

The train leaves from the Ft. William train station and goes round-trip to the coastal village of Mallaig. After a couple days of hiking on the Isle of Skye, a day of sightseeing from the comfort of our seats on the train was a perfect and much-needed rest.

Above photo: Jacobite Steam Train

A complete post of our day on the Jacobite Steam Train and Ft. Williams can be found here.

The train rolls back into Ft. William around 4pm. We took advantage of the remaining daylight by walking down the pedestrianised High Street. Surprisingly, a lot of the shops had already closed up for the day. We did manage to see the beautiful St. Andrew’s Church though.

Above photos: St. Andrew’s Church, Ft. William

While in Ft. William we stayed about 20 minutes outside of town in Ballachulich at the Ballachulich Hotel. It is right over the bridge, situated loch-side. This was the one and only place we stayed for 2 nights. And, boy, was it nice to be at the same place for a longer stay!

Day 9: Glencoe & The Trossachs National Park

Ah, Glencoe. Paradise for hikers. The entire A82 route is scenic, gorgeous, and littered with trailheads. Sadly, we didn’t do much hiking, but we did stop at waterfalls and viewpoints including The Meeting of Three Waters, Glencoe Viewpoint, and the Bridge of Orchy.

Above photos: Driving through Glencoe

We continued on A82 following the Loch Lomond shoreline through The Trossachs National Park. The drive is stunning, but be sure to have sandwiches or snacks packed in your car because there aren’t a lot of choices if you get hungry en route.

I was bent on finding Devil’s Pulpit on the southeastern side of the park. There are no posted signs to the gorge, also known as Fininich Glen. So, if you want to find it, bring your driving directions with you and be ready for some country roads. It is all completely worth the effort though. Outlander fans will recognize this place as Liar’s Spring from Season 1. The decent into the gorge is extremely steep and dangerous, but not impossible. Just take your time and use caution.

Above photos: The Devil’s Pulpit (Finnich Glen)

We made it to Stirling by the end of the day, within walking distance to Stirling Castle – which we would visit the next morning.

A complete post of our time in Glencoe and The Trossachs can be found here.

Day 10: Stirling, West Edinburgh

We spent the morning of our last full day visiting Stirling Castle and the surrounding historic sites, including the Church of the Holy Rude. Perched up on the hill overlooking the town and farm lands, it is easy to understand the importance of this strategic location. The castle is stunning. Most of the interior rooms are not original; they have been re-built over time as the castle has gone through many devastating events. Still, it was really interesting!

Above photos: Stirling Castle

Above photo: Church of the Holy Rude

Other locations we visited as we traveled east included The Kelpies, Midhope Castle (a.k.a. Lallybroch for Outlander fans), Blackness Castle, and the Collinton Tunnel. Unfortunately, Linlithgow Palace was closed for masonry inspections, much to our disappointment.

Above photos: Midhope Castle (left) and Blackness Castle (right)

A complete post of our time in Stirling and West Edinburgh can be found here.

The Collinton Tunnel is maybe not the most obvious choice to end a trip through the Highlands, but we had the time and it sounded pretty cool. It ended up being such a find. I’m sure all the locals just consider it a nice place to walk the dogs, but it is a wonderful public art installation that we completely loved.

Above photo: The Colinton Tunnel

My photo gallery of the Collinton Tunnel can be found here.

We spent our final night in Scotland at the Hampton Inn at Edinburgh Airport. It was directly across from the rental car return. So, we returned the car that evening to avoid the hassle in the morning. It was about a 10 minute walk to the airport terminal the next morning so we didn’t even need a cab. Not only did the location work out great, but the hotel had all the modern conveniences we needed (e.g., USB outlets, restaurant, flight monitors, etc.) to ensure we were organized and feeling good for our long flight home.

Thank you for reading my post! Please feel free to add friendly comments or questions below!