Highlands road trip

Where are you starting from on Day 1? Are you coming off a trnsatlantic flight are will you be jet lagged? Assuming it is either Glassgow or Edinburgh, you are looking at a 7-8 hour drive PLUS stops. That isn't going to give much time for a 'fun hike' in Glencoe. (Also remember the Scottish Mountains are serious hiking and 'fun' and 'serious' hiking don't really go together well.

Just one day on Skye is hardly anything - especially as it's taking you a full day to get there and another day back. Any chance of taking a day out of Glasgow and adding that to Skye?

Also make sure you book accommodation early as Skye is very populkar and accommodation does get snapped up early.

Is it worth it? Only you can answer that - there are other places that aren't as far to drive and still enjoy the Highlands. Think about basing yourself in say Oban. Glencoe is just a short drive. You can also catch the ferry across to Mull.

Okay these are all valid points and I very much agree that this is very ambitious. The only must see for us is glencoe.

Could the group recommend a route that we could do? We want to
Prioritize nature, good food, maybe a hike, and a cute spot to stay.

Thanks!

In Glencoe, I think the most ‘fun’ hike might vary between the Lost Valley hike which takes about 2-3hrs return from the main car park.Or an easier option of walking along part of the old road through Glencoe which `I describe here.It gives amazing bang for your buck:

https://annestravelsandhikes.com/2025/03/10/glencoes-easiest-most-spectacular-walk/

You could also look at going up the easy (if a slog uphill all the way ) the Devil’s Staircase at Altnafeidh, just before you drop down into the Three Sisters area.There is parking but it gets filled up very quickly at weekends. Going up the ski chairlift is also an option , from where you can then walk for 15 mins or so on an obvious path to a terrific viewpoint over the mountains.

From Glasgow, it’s around a 5hr 20 min drive (without stops) to Portree; an hour more from Edinburgh using the Glencoe route.It’s a long way albeit you will be driving through superb scenery pretty much the whole way from Callander onwards.And it just gets better the further north and west you head.

Skye deserves more than one night so I’d take that Glasgow stop and add it to the island.

Good idea to return via the ferry (book well in advance) and if nice, stop off at the beautiful, multiple beaches of Camusdarach with views to the Small Isles.Paradise on a sunny day! If clear, you’ll get a magnificent view of Ben Nevis as you approach Fort William from Glenfinnan.Great views also from Neptune’s Staircase, at the Caledonian Canal. You really have to be early - a good hour or more before the train goes over the viaduct - if you want to park and walk up to a good viewing spot.The parking has been extended but it still gets rammed and they eventually shut it off. The hotel was offering parking for £5 last year.It is a magical experience , to watch it steam over the viaduct! But logistics (ferry times etc) might be against you especially if you want to see the beaches first too.

FYI, you don't have to go all the way to Skye to see beautiful Highland scenery.

The drive from Edinburgh or Glasgow will be a very long day even without stops to take in the views, see a waterfall,...

Book ahead for the Talisker Distillery if you want to tour or do a proper tasting.

Eilean Donan is okay for a photo stop. Don't waste time on an interior visit.

If you decide to see the train in Mallaig, no problem. Just find somewhere to park in town and head to the station. If you're wanting to see the train cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct, arrive early and allow plenty of time to find parking. It's very limited.

I like Wasleys' suggestion to look at a couple nights in Oban. You'll have Highland scenery, access to islands, the Oban Distillery, great seafood and much less drive time. Barcaldine Castle is 17th century castle operating as a B&B in Benderloch, about 20 minutes from Oban and 45 minutes from Glencoe.

A definite highlight of our Highlands trip in 2019 was starting in Kinlochleven and hiking past Grey Mare's waterfall to Loch Eide Mor and back to Kinlochleven via the Devil's Staircase. Stunning views from Loch Eide Mor down to Loch Leven. But hiking down (more like scrambling) the Devil's Staircase was challenging for a then middle aged woman. Plenty of parking in Kinlochleven in September (I don't know about July) and the Ice Factor was still open. It's scheduled to reopen in 2027. So if you end up in Kinlochleven, stop by. We aren't ice climbers but appreciated the skill it requires. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20veqqq4vyo

Hi all,

Thanks so much for the responses and suggestions (and honesty lol). I’m going to re think my plans and probably go the oban/isle of mull route. I don’t know much about that area so I’ll need to do my research and get ideas from you all to course! So..Anyone that has additional thoughts about going this route, please feel free

Ps..I am going to look into glencoe a little more but would still love to do it (even if we just do the easy scenic version).

If you're leaning towards Oban here are some ideas.

In Oban you'll can walk, bike or taxi to Dunstaffnage Castle, the Oban Distillery, Dunollie Museum Castle and ferry to several islands. A great day trip is the 2 or 3 island tour with West Coast Tours to Mull and Iona and, possibly, Staffa. No guarantee, but we saw some Hairy Coos on Mull on our day trip in 2023.

Here are some recent posts that may help you plan your stay.

Neolithic Sights

Castles

Hiking the Highlands

Skyfall/Glen Etive

Enjoy your planning!

Quick question, just doing a comparison.

Going to oban, glencoe, a mull over 3 days is a better options for scenery/food /hikes over say taking the train to Inverness for the same amount of time and maybe doing a tour or two?

Really appreciate the thoughts as I am trying to figure things out

IMO, yes. Oban/Glencoe is definitely bigger bang for limited time than heading to Inverness.

Inverness is a city people either love or hate. We happen to fall into the former category having stayed and day toured from there on more than one visit to Scotland.

Having said that I completely agree with jeanm. We absolutely loved visiting Oban, Mull, and Glen Etive has some of the most spectacular scenery we've ever seen.

Heads up that accommodation can be tight so book your stay once you've decided to head to that area. Another heads up regarding Glen Etive, there is a very small car park at the end of the single lane road so you might want to visit there early in the day.

We have enjoyed several road trips through the Scottish highlands. The best scenery IMHO is Glencoe plus the land on the northside of the great glen. For hikes anywhere, check out the walkhighlands site. If you are OK with changing locations frequently, this would be a good route for maximum scenery (put the locations into google maps): Glasgow, Fort William, Urquhart Castle, Garve, Shieldaig, Fearnmore, Applecross Inn, Eilean Donan, Kilchurn Castle, Glasgow. If you had more days, you could do some nice loops around Urquhart, Ullapool, or Eilean Donan.

I also like Inverness and yes it could be used as a base for a few days. There are plenty of facilities there as well as a good choice of accommodation.

If you do decide to go down that route, then Glen Affric is about an hours drive from Inverness and is one of the prettier and yet undiscovered glens. There is plenty of good walking there too. Plodda and Dog Falls are both recommended,

You could also spend a day driving across to the west coast. Scenery here is more dramatic than on the east. The Undiscovered Scotland website has ideas of driving tours. either the Applecross and Torridon OR the Gairloch and Poolewe would make good days out.

As said, Inverness is not in itself going to give you the kind of wow scenery you will see on the west coast.

Mull /Iona will give you gorgeous scenery albeit not the jaw drop drama of Skye.
The day trip to Mull /Iona and potentially Staffa (either using your own car on the car ferry to mull then driving to Fionnphort and over on the short ferry to Iona; or going as a foot passenger and using the service bus to Fionnphort) is a magical day trip if the weather is even half decent.You would need to book the Staffa boat trip in advance ( or include it within the 3 Island Tour which can be booked online from Oban.This does work out more expensive than going as an independent foot passenger but is a very popular option.)

If you do base in Inverness, then the best day trip for scenery IMO is up to Torridon and Applecross which is fabulous. Torridon is around 90 mins drive from the city.Skye is possible too though it’s nearly 3 hours (without stops) to Portree one way , with more driving to see the best sights.

Trotter - that’s a great hike you did up to the lochan. A fantastic area altogether.
However, the Devil’s Staircase is a section of track from Glencoe up to the high point above the glen.The route eventually winds its way down very straightforwardly to Kinlochleven.No scrambling, just a steady slog on a good path and a long descent.
Not sure which route you followed back down to Kinlochleven from Sgurr Eilde Mor area but it doesn’t sound a good one:(

Scotlandmac, I must have renamed that section I scrambled down myself! It's quite possible we made a wrong turn but since we saw someone running up (a veterinarian on his lunch break) we thought we were on the right track. At any rate it was a great day and no ankles were twisted.