Inverness drive to St Andrews: inland or coastal route?

If you look on Google Satellite maps you will have a better idea of where you might have some ocean view on the northeast coast. It appears to be rather zigg-zaggy with the through roads being miles from the sea. I think you might enjoy one of the inland drives that includes stops at distilleries and castles. I think that in the olden days Scots must have preferred to be safe away from the blustery North Sea.

You can actually have your cake and eat it too . You can drive down through the Cairngorms through Perth and pick up the A90 to Dundee where you will cross the Tay Road Bridge , St Andrews is not far from there . Assuming you are heading further south after St Andrews , pick up the A917 which runs along the coast of the East Neuk . One cute little Scottish fishing village after another ( Crail , Anstruther , Pittenweem ) , most of the way to Kirkcaldy and then the Forth Road Bridge at North Queensferry . I assume you will be headed to Glasgow or Edinburgh

Cool! Thanks especially, Steven -- even though your suggested route does not go past Mr. Trump's development (which shows on Google Maps as being on the coast a few miles north of Aberdeen).

Yes, we'll be headed to Edinburgh after we leave St Andrews. Good to know we can enjoy charm along the coastal ways during that leg of the trip.

The A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen can be a slog in places and Aberdeen is not the easiest city to get through. As for that man, his influence is matter of strong opinions in Scotland.

I would second Steven's opinion of taking the A9 then the A90 to Dundee. In Dundee before you reach the Tay Road Bridge you would pass the remains of the old Tay Railway Bridge 'immortalised' in William McGonagall's poem and the Discovery Centre which is an interesting museum about various Antarctic expeditions.

Just a question as to what is the interest in driving BY Mr. Trump's resort?

Without waxing political, I guess I'd say the interest in driving by Mr. Trump's resort is "Because it's there" -- LOL. Just to be able to tell friends we drove by and saw it.

My husband has worked on golf courses most of his life, including a private club whose members are of "the one percent"; we also live near a number of Trump projects such as the golf course by the Whitestone Bridge in the Bronx. We are familiar with media coverage of how the Aberdeenshire residents feel about the "Trump International Golf Links Ltd" project.

However, the real goal is to arrive in St Andrews not too exhausted -- and if any stop along the way is possible, I'm voting for Glamis Castle, where the late Queen Mother grew up.

If Glamis is your choice as strange as the route suggests it is better via Perth rather than Aberdeen.

The castle, reputed to be one of the most haunted in the UK, is still owned by the Earl of Strathmore and is not cheap. But the approach to the car park is fantastic.

Thanks, MC -- and your assessment of the advantage of the inland route versus Aberdeen concurs with what Google Maps indicates. It's also helpful to know, as you mentioned, that Aberdeen is not the easiest city to get through.