Hello, we are flying into Edinburgh on a Tuesday in June and have 4 nights. We don’t like cities at all and want to spend time in the Highlands seeing beautiful scenery and towns. It’s just my husband and I and we will have a rental car and don’t mind long days of driving as long as it is scenic. Wondering what you’d recommend for the drive itinerary? Prefer to keep things flexible for where we stay at night and are totally good with local guest houses as long as they are clean.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1389 posts
What time does your flight arrive and where are you flying in from? You will see lots of advice here about not driving while jet lagged. Of course nobody can stop you but our roads are narrow, often with no shoulder and while distances may look short in the map journeys always take much longer than google suggests. If you need an automatic car be sure to request that as they are less common here. Also you might want to ensure you don’t get an electric car as the charging network in the highlands is sporadic.
A realistic aim for day 1 could be Stirling which is home to one of the finest castles in Scotland. Overnight in or near Stirling.
The next day you could head west to take in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs area. You could overnight at the very good Kingshouse Hotel above Glencoe.
On the morning of day 3 you could explore scenic Glen Etive if you’d not had time to see it on day 2, before driving down through Glencoe. Maybe lunch in Fort William, the cafe at Highland Soaps is very good. Then to Spean Bridge where you’d turn right, heading east again. You could take in the spectacular ice age landscapes of Glen Roy and possibly the distillery at Dalwhinnie before heading south on the A9. Night 3 could be spent in Aberfeldy or Pitlochry.
Day 4 might include a visit to Scone Palace in Perth or Dunfermline Abbey. When we fly out of Edinburgh we like to overnight in North Queensferry at the Hilton Doubletree and have dinner at the superb Wee Restaurant in the village, almost underneath the historic Forth Rail Bridge. From where it’s short drive back to Edinburgh airport.
Posted by
Delaware
1592 posts
Hi, danjosiehill,
Just a quick warning before I continue - once you get in to the Highlands, accommodation in June is going to be hard to come by. But if you're a frequent visitor to this forum, you probably already know that.
If you have four nights, I'm assuming that translates into 4 1/2 days. You probably won't have enough time to visit the islands, and with the current ferry problems, you may be limited to Skye. However, Skye requires at least two overnights, so best to give it a miss this time.
Depending on what time you arive at EDI, I'd recommend starting out by taking the M9 to Stirling. The castle is worth a visit, not just for the historic aspect, but for the view from the battlements. You can get a good view of the valley of the Forth, and maybe the lower part of the Highlands if it's a clear day.
From Stirling, take the A84 to Lochearnhead, the A85 to Crainlarich, and the A82 through Glencoe to Fort William. That should be enough for day one. Lodging in Fort William.
From Fort William, continue north on the A82 to Invergarry. Turn west on the A87 and follow it almost all the way to Kyle of Lochalsh. Turn off on the minor road which leads to Duirinish and Plockton. After visiting Plockton (where you may want to stay), take the A890 to Strathcarron, then the A896 through Glen Torridon to Kinlochewe. (You may want to try the road over the Bealach-na-Ba to Applecross, then follow the coast road around to Shieldaig.)
From Kinlochewe, you have the choice of heading toward Inverness or taking the A832 through Gairloch and on to Corrieshalloch. Once you hit the A835, you have to decide whether you want to turn right for Inverness or left for Ullapool. Personally, I'd continue to Ullapool, then head south at Ledmore Junction. But you've probably stopped so many times by now that you are running short of time. Most of the roads from that part of the Highlands will take you directly or indirectly to Inverness, where you'll have a good choice of lodging.
From Inverness, you'd have several choices of a return route to Edinburgh. If you take the A9, you'd have an opportunity to visit the western part of Cairngorm National Park from the Aviemore area.
The above route will take you through some of the best parts of the Highlands proper. With more time, you'd have an opportunity for a lengthier exploration. You can save that for your next visit, and I can guarantee that there will be a next visit!
I'm sure that others will provide you with more itinerary ideas. Your job is to pick out the best of the bunch!
Best wishes and safe travels!
Mike (Auchterless)
Posted by
US
130 posts
Hello,
Undiscovered Scotland has some wonderful driving route recommendations. It's an interactive map so you can drill down for additional information on wonderful places to visit along the way.
We have taken several of these driving tours and among our favorites are along the west coast Applecross & Torridon and Gairloch & Poolewe, routes the Mike (Auchterless) has described in part. He & Skyegirl are experts on getting around on Scotland's roads and are so generous in sharing their knowledge.
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ustours/index.html
Happy planning. You will love Scotland!