My wife and I will be spending three days in Edinburgh at the beginning of October and would like to spend one day driving around the lower highlands. We were thinking we would drive through Loch Lomond and then head to Glencoe before turning around and heading back. We're looking for a scenic route to take and for places to stop along the way. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Posted by
Chicagoland
279 posts
Definitely look at the website Undiscovered Scotland! They have great tips on drives, linked from their map of the country on their home page: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk
We did the following drive in 2012: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ustours/oban-glencoe/index.html
Word of warning, though--driving from Edinburgh to the Glencoe area does take a while, so you might want to add a day if you want to enjoy the view.
Posted by
3123 posts
If you want someplace closer to Edinburgh, you could cross the bridge over the Firth of Forth and take the coastal route by way of Anstruther to St Andrews, have lunch there, and return. St Andrews has many charms even if you are not a golf fan.
Another option would be to head up to Pitlochry which is more highland-y. If you leave early in the morning you might have time to see Blair Castle, near Blair Atholl, before returning.
[added] A ways further north along the same route is Aviemore. It's a pleasant town with the atmosphere of a hiking/climbing center. You might drive there and branch off onto a secondary road to see more of the highlands, then return to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh via Loch Lomond to Glencoe and back is a long, long drive for one day. If you just wanted to see some of Loch Lomond, that would be more doable.
Posted by
Calgary
1740 posts
Week before last, we did a tour in which we saw the following, and we enjoyed it very much:
Queensferry Rail Bridge across the Firth of Forth
Wallace Monument (interesting history and gorgeous views)
Stirling Castle (we didn't go in, but you could, if interested--a ticket to the Wallace Monument gets you a discount at Stirling Castle, and vice versa)
Aberfoyle (had lunch here)
Lake Monteith
Scenic viewpoint in Trossachs/Loch Lomond National Park
Loch Katrine (this is the lake that was the setting for The Lady of the Lake, by Sir Walter Scott). I imagine you could substitute Loch Lomond here, if you'd prefer that.
Doune Castle (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Outlander, and Game of Thrones have filmed here)
The Kelpies