2 night road trip from Edinburgh

There are basically three choices -
• loop south through the Borders nnd into Dumfries and Galloway
• loop north east to Aberdeenshire and Cairngorms
• loop north west towards Loch Lomond, Oban, Glencoe and Fort William

A lot depends on what sort of things you want to do/see during the two days (scenery, ruined castles, stately homes, museums, whisky distilleries, small towns, shopping, walking, wildlife, boat trip, ...) and how far you want to drive and spend sitting in a car each day. The more information you can give, the bestter advice we can offer.

Thanks for the reply. Thinking old castles, scenery, walks, a nice inn to stop at, tea…..and less than 5 hours driving per day. Would love to figure out a loop of some sort. Does something like Kinross, Perth, Balmoral, Aberfeldy, Loch Lomond, Stirling, Edinburgh make any sense? Too much?

The loop works as long as you aren't wanting to stop off and visit too many places on the way. There is the toss up between scenery and attractions... Which is more important? Balmoral is a bit of an outlier as it is going to be an out and back. What is the attraction - is it the castle ? If so check opening dates. You do realise only the ballroom is open to the public?

Plotting the route on google maps, you are looking at a minimum of 8 hours driving PLUS time for stops. Don't underestimate how long stops will take. Depending on how many places you are planning to stop in, that could be too much! Realistically don't plan more than 3 a day.

Just looking at the stretch between Edinburgh and Perth... The drive will only take an hour (and isn't very scenic) Kinross - is this for a visit to Loch Leven Castle? if so you will need to allow a couple of hours - time to park, get the boat across to the castle, explore and get back to the car... Near Perth there is the ruined Huntingtower as well as Scone Palace. You could easily spend the full day just getting to Perth! Plan an overnight either in Pitlochry or Aberfeldy..

\rather than trying to include Loch Lomond, think about leaving that out. From Aberfeldy, you will be driving along Loch Tay. Just beyong Killin (Have a stop for the Falls of Dochart) take the A85 down the wonderfully named Glen Ogle to Lochearnhead and then A 84 through Strathayre Forest and the shores of Loch Lubnaig to Callandar, a very pretty Scottish town with lots of tea rooms. Then head to Stirling - allow plenty of time here if you are wanting to visit the castle or Wallace Monument (worth going up for the views).
On the way back to Edinburgh, have a brief stop in Falkirk to admire the Falkirk wheel (only rotating boat lift in the world and an iconic bit of modern engineering) and the Kelpies.

Use the relevant map pages on the Undiscovered Scotland website to find out more information and pictures about the different places on the route.

Thank you very much Wesleys for the wonderful detailed response. Appreciate it! Thinking it might be best to take the route in reverse and find another way back after Aberfeldy?

It would work well in reverse. Assuming you book and overnight in Aberfeldy, there are different options for the following day...

Menzies Castle is just a few minutes drive.

If you want scenery, think about doing a detour north along the B 846 to Loch Tummel and Loch Rannoch. The road ends at Rannoch Station on the West Highland Line, about 35 miles from Aberfeldy. This is one of the most isolated areas in Scotland with desolate moorland scenery. (You either love or hate it!) Allow at least 75- 90 minutes minutes for the drive as it will be slow. The Rannoch Station Tea Room gets gooid reviews on Trip Advisor.

From Aberfeldy you could take the A826 south through Crieff and then A822 to Drummond Castle Gardens. These are one of the best gardens in Scotland and the view looking down onto the gardens is jaw dropping. (The castle isn't open and there is no cafe). Then take the A832 through Glen Devon to the wonderfully named Yetts o'Muckhart, through Dunfermline (the abbey and ruined abbey are worth visiting if they are still open by now) and the Forth Bridge back to Edinburgh.

The other alternative would be to head to the A9 possibly with a detour to Pitlochry (do the short walk along the loch to the salmon ladder) **** and possibly Blair Castle before heading back to Perth and Edinburgh. Just before Dunkeld look out for signs to The Hermitage on the left side of the road. This belongs to National Trust and there is a car park and walks throught he woodland along the river and waterfalls. Dunkeld itself is an attractive small town with a ruined cathedral. There is no access to this at the moment, although you can walk in the gounds around it. Alternatively head to Loch of the Lowes just off the A923 to the north of Dunkeld.

*** You could always take the B846 to Loch Tummel and then instead of Loch Rannoch and Rannoch Station, take the B8019 which will take you back to the A9 at Killicrankie, just north of Pitlochry. The NT Visitor centre is worth a quick stop.

I'd probably be drawn to Glencoe if I had a couple of days - and then loop west to Oban