Ahh Scotland, land of myriad castles, green isles & bloody strong whisky. From the lowlands to the highlands and back again it is one of the most beautiful places in the world to go on a road-trip. If you’re planning your first trip to Scotland then this could be the ideal self-drive itinerary for you.
It features all of the highlights of Scotland, and while it’s relatively active it’s not over the top (with less than 3 hours driving per day on average.) It’s perfect for a week long trip or an extended weekend and can be tailored to be 4 to 7 days long depending on what interests you most and the time you have available.
Day 1: Edinburgh
Visit ideas: Walk the Royal Mile in Old Town from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to Edinburgh Castle at the very top, walk up Calton Hill for views of the whole city and depending on your interests take your pick of the Royal Yacht Britannia Museum, the National Museum of Scotland or Camera Obscura & the World of Illusions.
NB: If you don’t have time for everything you want to do in Edinburgh you can finish seeing the sights on day 6
Day 2: Edinburgh – Glencoe (4h30)
Visit ideas: Stirling Castle & the National Wallace Monument, the stunning Trossachs National Park & Loch Lomond, the beautiful coastal town of Oban and finally the breathtaking Lochaber Geopark
Day 3: Glencoe – Portree (Isle of Skye) (3h45)
Visit ideas: See the Glenfinnan Viaduct made famous by Harry Potter & the nearby Glenfinnan Monument, then head up to the Isle of Skye stopping at Eilean Donan castle (the most photographed castle in Scotland) before exploring the village of Portree which is the largest settlement on Skye.
Day 4: Isle of Skye – Inverness (2h40)
Visit ideas: Tour Talisker Whisky Distillery, visit Armadale Castle & the Museum of the Isles, hike up Old Man of Storr to see some impressive rock formations, see the crystal clear Fairy Pools. Then once you’re back on the mainland you’ll see Loch Ness before reaching Inverness.
Day 5: Inverness – Cairngorms – St Andrews (1h45)
Visit ideas: Visit the touching museum and memorial at the Culloden Moor battlefield (which effectively ended the Jacobite rebellion), visit Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park, take a tour of some of the 30 rooms of Blair Castle (that has been home to the Atholl family for over 700 years), see historic Pitlochry, and finally on the coast of Fife, visit the University town of St Andrews- home of Golf.
Day 6: St Andrews – Edinburgh (1h45)
Today you’ve got a chance to spend a little more time in St Andrews or simply head straight to Edinburgh where you can tick off any activities that you didn’t get a chance to do on day one.
Hint: If you want to do this trip in 5 days simply drive on to Edinburgh from St Andrews on day 5. To shorten it further to 4 days simply start on day 2 (but be prepared to not see much of Edinburgh in this case.)
And there you have it, the perfect short road trip around Scotland!
Travelling elsewhere in UK/Ireland or Europe?